Two Ways to Explore the Brazilian Amazon: Akepong’s Lodge and Rio Negro Cruise Experience

One traveler from Thailand, an award-winning lodge in Novo Airão, and five days on the dark water of the Rio Negro, told in Akepong’s own words

Akepong Muttaraid, 35, is a financial and investment analyst from Nonthaburi, on the edge of Bangkok, in Thailand. Brazil had sat on his South America list for years, with a tour first planned for 2024 and then pushed back. While his friends associated Brazil with parties and nightlife, he was looking for something different: its incredible natural landscapes.

His 2026 itinerary perfectly balanced Brazil’s vibrant cities with its natural wonders. Akepong began with the must-see sights of Rio de Janeiro before flying north to explore the stunning dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses. The trip concluded with an immersive experience in the Amazon rainforest, providing the exact variety he was looking for.

In the Amazon, Akepong booked two trips with PlanetaEXO: a stay at Mirante do Gavião in Novo Airão, followed by the 5-day Amazon River Cruise in Brazil on the Rio Negro. Months later, Akepong still remembers the journey with enthusiasm. This is his story. Check it out below!

Mirante do Gavião: Where Luxury Meets Nature

After exploring Lençóis Maranhenses, Akepong travelled to the town of Novo Airão, where he stayed at Mirante do Gavião Amazon Lodge, overlooking the Anavilhanas National Park. Although the hotel sits close to town, its peaceful atmosphere made him feel completely immersed in nature.

“The design, the interior, the layout, everything—I love it a lot. Even though it was just next to the town, I felt completely secluded.” The main building, shaped like the upturned hull of a wooden boat, made a strong first impression on him.

The routine was well organized. Each day had a morning excursion, a break, and an afternoon excursion, all with the lodge’s own guides. “The guides were very professional, friendly, and very passionate about presenting the Amazon,” Akepong said.

The pace left him time to rest between outings, and the program never felt rushed or repetitive during his stay.

Five days on the Rio Negro

Akepong boarded a traditional wooden riverboat for a 5-day expedition through Anavilhanas and Jaú National Park after he left Mirante do Gavião. The cruise’s air-conditioned ensuite cabins kept him comfortable during the night, but what stood out was everything outside the door.

Most of the time was spent on the top deck. “You turn left and right, and it’s all surrounded by forest and rivers and blue skies,” Akepong said. “Waking up in the morning in the middle of the river is beautiful.” The sunrises and sunsets felt different there, with a clean sky over the dark water of the Rio Negro, and he never got tired of watching them.

Although the boat had internet access, Akepong preferred to disconnect. When he wasn’t exploring the forest, he would sit on the top deck and watch the forest go by without interruptions from the outside world. “If you decide to ignore all your emails, it’s a very relaxing feeling,” he said.

Between these quiet moments, the days were filled with canoes slipping between flooded trees, piranhas from a fishing outing, and a young caiman held up during a night trip. Some lunches even came off the barbecue grill on the boat’s deck, with the lush forest on both sides.

👉 Read more: Best Amazon River Cruises in Brazil

Lodge or cruise? Akepong’s comparison

For Akepong, combining the lodge and cruise was one of the best decisions of his trip. Both offered completely different experiences of the Amazon, and he wouldn’t replace one with the other.

“The jungle lodge is like staying in a nice hotel in nature,” Akepong explained. “On the cruise, you’re actually in nature.”

At Mirante do Gavião, he enjoyed the comfort and facilities of a luxury lodge. On the boat, life revolved around the river, the forest, and the changing scenery. One did not replace the other, and each made the other feel more special.

His advice is to combine them if you can, in any order. “You can do the hotel first or at the end; it gives [the trip] a very different vibe.” In his case, since the lodge and the cruise operate from Novo Airão, combining both was relatively straightforward.

This is a great tip for any tour that combines various experiences: make logistics simpler by choosing activities or destinations that take place in the same location—or, at the very least, in places that are close to one another.

👉 Read more: How Many Days Should You Spend in the Amazon?

Fewer animals, more birds, and a slow jungle walk

Akepong arrived expecting to see animals everywhere and saw fewer than he imagined. The guides explained why: the Rio Negro is a blackwater river, with fewer insects and fewer large animals than other parts of the Amazon basin. Plus, the vastness and density of the forest make spotting wildlife more difficult.

Still, birdwatching soon became a favorite activity. At first, Akepong tried hard to spot each one. After a while, it became a game of patience. “I was like, 'Give it a minute, something’s going to fly around; the toucan’s going to show up,’” he said. The birds eventually showed up along the river and kept the long hours on deck interesting from morning to evening.

The jungle hikes were another good surprise. With several senior travelers in Akepong’s group, the guide maintained an easy, unhurried pace—walking for a few minutes at a time before pausing to show how local and Indigenous communities start fires, build animal traps, and use various forest trees.

“If someone a bit older is worried about going into the forest, know that it’s not a problem at all,” he encouraged.

👉 Read more: 15 Amazon Animals – Unravel the Wildlife in Brazil

Tourism that pays the community back

On the last day, one of the managers of the lodge and the cruise joined the group for lunch to chat and introduce himself. Akepong didn’t catch his name, but he’d heard a lot about him from the people working on the trip. They explained that he was creating jobs for the local communities, and they spoke of him with genuine admiration—something that stayed with Akepong long after the trip.

This was particularly meaningful to him, who cares deeply about the impact of tourism on the places he visits. “From experience, when I visit a place that is more secluded, sometimes you feel like you’re invading nature and taking advantage of the local people,” he explained. “This one was different. I felt like I was supporting the locals, so I’m very happy with it.”

The cruise route itself includes visits to riverside groups in Jaú National Park, and much of the crew comes from the region. “It was nice to hear everyone say they were from the native villages, that they were employed because of [tourism] and that they brought back money into their communities,” Akepong recalled.

👉 Read more: Documentary: Tourism That Keeps the Amazon Alive

Fish, fruit, farofa, and a lot of hot sauce

Thai food is famous for its heat, and that was the one thing Akepong missed in Brazil. “What I realized is that Brazilians don’t use spice in their food,” he laughed. There was hot sauce on the table, but it never came close. Locals were openly surprised at the amount he added to every single dish—the bottle never left his side of the table.

Everything else was a discovery. He heard many times that the Amazon has more fish species than any other river system, so each day meant trying a different one, together with the tropical fruits of the region. He thought the food at both the cruise and Mirante do Gavião was great, with fresh ingredients every day.

Another discovery for Akepong was farofa, a toasted cassava flour with a nutty flavor that Brazilians sprinkle over just about everything. At first, he didn’t quite understand how to eat it. Then, the other guests showed him the trick: “Just mix it with beans and rice. It tastes much better that way!”

👉 Read more: Amazonian Food – 7 Typical Dishes to Try in the Brazilian Amazon

Was the Amazon safe? Akepong’s honest answer

Safety is the question Akepong hears most from friends at home. In Thailand and much of East Asia, it is normal to walk outside at 2 AM without a second thought, but people would tell him things were different in Brazil.

“When you keep hearing people say Brazil can be very dangerous, it scares a lot of people,” he said. But Akepong’s own experience was very different: throughout his journey, he felt safe, welcomed, and comfortable.

His approach was simple. Everyone Akepong talked to explained what to watch out for in urban areas, and he followed it: stay away from certain areas after a certain time and keep the usual awareness. “I just followed the instructions, and nothing happened,” he said. In the Amazon, it felt even calmer, far from the cities and in the middle of the forest.

Akepong’s message to other travelers, especially Asians, is direct: “Just go to Brazil. You just need to be more aware, but don’t let that stop you, because it’s worth it.”

👉 Read more: Is It Safe to Visit the Amazon Rainforest? A Complete Safety Guide for Brazil

Akepong’s tips for a first trip to the Amazon

Based on his own experience, Akepong shared a few travel tips for the Amazon in Brazil.

Forget the movie version

“People think there’s going to be a lot of anacondas; it’s going to be so hot and humid with deadly mosquitoes,” Akepong said. “Not at all. It’s one of the best experiences.”

On this stretch of the Rio Negro, the forest felt calm, open, and much more comfortable than he had pictured before the trip.

See the Amazon in two ways

A lodge and a cruise show the same rainforest from very different angles, one from a comfortable base and one from the water. If time and budget allow, Akepong recommends doing both.

A canoe at sunrise, and three words

When asked about his favorite memory, Akepong didn’t hesitate to mention the Amazon at dawn.

One morning, the guides took the group out in a canoe and paddled straight toward the flooded forest as the sun rose. “The sunrise and all those birds singing in the early morning,” he recalled. “It was so peaceful.”

To sum up the whole journey, Akepong needed three words and took a moment to choose them: friendly for the people he met along the way, beautiful for the river and the sky over it, and respectful for how deeply connected people seemed to be with the forest.

Months after coming home, the trip still comes up in conversations. Many of Akepong’s friends now want to do an Amazon cruise, and every time the photos and videos come out, they get excited. “I’ve been telling them, ‘If you’re interested, I can recommend the same company, PlanetaEXO, that helped me!’” he said.

Visiting the Amazon with PlanetaEXO

Now that you have seen the Amazon through Akepong’s eyes, you know what it can give: an immersive, comfortable stay in the jungle, birds flying over the dark waters of Rio Negro and friendly people along the way. It is a trip built around nature, at a pace that suits every age.

PlanetaEXO is an ecotourism platform specializing in Amazon Rainforest tours. Working alongside the best operators, we handle the logistics (transfers, lodges, meals, and routes) so all you have to do is enjoy yourself. Contact us now!