Amazon Jungle Review

If you’re like me, when you think of the Amazon Jungle, you think of Brasil, piranhas, anacondas, jaguars, spiders and all kinds of other flesh-eating insects. OK, so maybe I’ve been slightly influenced by Hollywood movies, but that’s what comes to my mind.

Cruisin’ through the Amazon

Unbeknownst to me, the Amazon Jungle actually stretches through nine countries (Brasil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) and even though I had the chance to visit it from Colombia, Bolivia or Peru, I chose Brasil. To me, Brasil was going to be the ‘true’ Amazon Jungle experience.

Happy, but wary of piranhas!

To visit the Amazon, you must book a tour and mine was a three-day and two-night affair from Manaus. It consisted of cruises down the Amazon River, piranha fishing and other wildlife spotting, swimming in the Amazon River, jungle hikes and spending a night in hammocks in the middle of the Jungle. Like most tours, it was pretty regimented but the highlight was definitely piranha fishing as the sun was setting and actually catching one of the blood-hungry suckers!

Fishing for Piranhas

Got ’em!

The Five Senses of the Amazon Jungle

The Amazon Jungle looks untouched. Besides the lodge and the area we slept in in the middle of the Jungle, it was pretty pristine. You wouldn’t know that people visit these parts of the Jungle. It was peaceful.

The Amazon Jungle smells like insect repellent. Through the first nine months of my trip I had used about three quarters of a can of insect repellent, but I managed to use a whole can in just three days in the Jungle!

The Amazon Jungle feels like sweat. I’m a sweater, I’ll admit that, but the heat and humidity in the Jungle was just ridiculous. Within seconds after showering or swimming, you’re sweating again!

The Amazon Jungle tastes like piranha. Fishing for piranha was really good fun, but the best part was eating them! Although pretty boney, they tasted like a saltier version of herring. Delicious!

The Amazon Jungle sounds like the ‘jungle symphony’. Our guide used this term and it was so true. Every type of insect and animal imaginable made noises throughout the night and they all combined to create this ‘jungle symphony’.

Jungle hiking

When you travel the world over a period of time, some attractions don’t quite ‘wow’ you, but if you were on a two-week trip with that attraction as the highlight, it would have been the best thing you’d seen in your life. For me, this was the Amazon Jungle. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time and I had a few ‘wow’ moments, but the overall experience didn’t quite sweep me off my feet. Maybe it was because I was on a tour and couldn’t do things on my own, or maybe I’m starting to get spoilt. I guess time will tell…