When the experience continues beyond the journey
- Uakari Lodge
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
What remains after living the Amazon at Uakari Lodge
A journey to the Amazon does not end on the day of return. For those who have experienced an immersion at Uakari Lodge, located in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, the return often carries quiet yet lasting changes in the way one looks at the world and at everyday life.
Set within one of the largest protected floodplain areas on the planet, Uakari Lodge offers a forest based accommodation experience in the Amazon that connects visitors, riverside communities and science. More than days spent in the forest, the experience leaves marks that continue long after returning home.
Over time, these learnings unfold through choices, habits and ways of relating to nature and to the territory where one lives.
A perspective transformed by the forest
Direct contact with the Amazon rainforest, with the river cycles and with riverside communities reveals other possible forms of social organization, in which nature and daily life are not seen as separate spheres.
This experience becomes clear in the testimony of Benjamino P., CSR and Sustainability Manager at Rigoni di Asiago, who stayed at Uakari Lodge and experienced firsthand the dynamics of the Mamirauá Reserve, part of the Central Amazon Conservation Complex recognized by UNESCO.
“The greatest insight I took from this experience was realizing that there are multiple ways of understanding what a society is and how it relates to nature.”
Raised in an urban and European context, Benjamino describes the impact of encountering other ways of living, where the relationship between people, territory and other living beings is more integrated.
“In the Amazon, I realized that there are other models of social organization, where the relationship between women, men and other living beings is profoundly different and often much more integrated.”
What remains after the journey
The impact of the experience is not limited to the time spent in the forest. It reappears in concrete ways after returning home.
“The experience in the Amazon did not create a new habit, but it reinforced and gave even more meaning to something that was already part of my daily life.”
In everyday life, this translated into simple yet consistent changes in the way spaces are used and in the relationship with the environment.
“Our home became more open and more alive. Today there are plants in every room. We removed the sofa from the living room and placed a large rug, bought second hand, where we now spend time together in a different way.”
These choices reflect learnings about simplicity, coexistence and awareness of the impact of everyday decisions.
Community based tourism as a living practice
Living alongside local communities in the Mamirauá Reserve reveals a model in which tourism is built collectively, respecting the territory and the ways of life of riverside populations.
This is the principle of community based tourism, the model adopted by Uakari Lodge in partnership with the Mamirauá Institute, in which communities actively participate in management, operations and the benefits generated by tourism activity.
This approach strengthens environmental conservation, generates local income and values traditional knowledge, showing that tourism can be a concrete tool for caring for the forest.
Everyday choices that extend the experience
Living in a floating lodge within an environmental reserve makes it clearer that every daily choice carries an impact. Upon returning home, this learning can translate into attitudes such as reducing excess, questioning the origin of what is consumed, extending the lifespan of objects and rethinking automatic habits.
Even far from the Amazon, the connection with nature can remain present.
“For someone who would like to support the conservation of the Amazon but cannot travel right now, I would suggest starting from where they are: rediscovering the nature around them.”
Rivers, parks, green areas and nearby landscapes also offer opportunities for observation, learning and reconnection with the territory.
An experience that continues to move
Uakari Lodge is a community based tourism project managed by Amazonian riverside communities, located in the Mamirauá Reserve, in the region of Tefé, at the meeting of the Solimões and Japurá rivers. Its purpose is to show that tourism can be a tool for conservation, income generation and cultural appreciation.
When the experience carries through the return and settles into everyday life, the journey does not end. It continues through other choices, other spaces and other times.
Experience the Amazon with purpose
Visiting the Amazon is more than traveling. It is an invitation to understand one of the most important biomes on the planet and the people who build its history every day.
At Uakari Lodge, each experience is designed to foster a deep relationship with the forest, respecting the water cycles and the knowledge of local communities.
To learn more about the Mamirauá Reserve and the experiences offered by Uakari Lodge, visit the official Uakari Lodge website.
To follow stories, research and the daily life of the Amazon rainforest, follow Uakari Lodge on Instagram.
We look forward to welcoming you.
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