Heliconia Amazon River Lodge — Hotel in Indiana

My adventure in the Amazon of Iquitos, Peru.

There were many options and lodges to choose from I choose Heliconia Amazon River Lodge as it was recommend for overall great service and amenities. They went above and beyond my expectations. We did the 4 days and 3 night package. They will pick you up from the airport. We spend the night in iquitos at a sister hotel. The next morning we went to the Lodge. it's a 2 hr boat ride from Iquitos to the lodge in a "fast" boat that takes you along the amazon river. Suggestion #1 use a backpack and not a luggage, the room in the boat is limited. On the way there, our first stop is MONKEY ISLAND, to see monkeys. Suggestion #2: Carefully follow the instructions from the tour guide when near the Monkeys, these are wild and can act that way at times.

After Monkey Island we went back to the boat to arrive at the lodge. They greeted us with a non alcoholic welcome drink made of fresh fruit juice the jungle provides.

Our tour guide Manuel was amazing, he is super knowledgeable. He is someone you trust when you are being shown around the deep jungle.

Suggestion #3. If you have any kind of food restrictions or request, be sure to let them know at the time you make your reservation. We had amazing healthy food and natural juices, included in our cost. Our all inclusive package included 3 meals. Breakfast, Lunch and diner. It's menu base meals, they all were 3 course healthy good meals. Some of the dishes were local dishes but most of them were adjusted to Américan standards. The resort will provide with purified bottle water refill stations , be sure to use this water for drinking including to brush your teeth.

The servers, cooks and bartender were super kind. NOTE: Alcoholic beverages are available but they are NOT included, keep in mind you can start a tap and close it out at the end of your stay.

Manuel our tour guide schedule the tour activities with a good balance between rest and excursions and meals.

The night tour was one of the best experience of my life, we learn how to find Tarántulas and other night creatures. The lodge will provide special rubber tick bots when exploring in the jungle, wear them to protect yourself.

The rooms are clean and well kept, there is housekeeping daily. The rooms have mosquito net windows because you are in the jungle and bugs might come in. Suggestion #4: Be mindfull to close the room door right away and NOT live it open as you don't want bugs small or not so small to get into your room. We chose this lodge because it has electricity, internet, running hot and cold water all the time, there are no interruptions as in other places.

Overall, our experience was great, we felt very safe there and taken care of.

Additional suggestions: exchange Peruvian money (Soles) in Iquitos: Bring change or small bills to tip on the way. I do HIGHLY recommend bringing bug spray with 30% Deet and that includes Toluamide for chigger insects.

Be prepared with mosquito jackets and mosquito hats, I think it was worth it.

Wear closed toe shoes, you are in the jungle and there are snakes and bullet ants etc.

I would also recommend visiting a travel clinic in your hone town for essential vaccinations such as: Yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A, and other vaccines are highly recommended for the Amazon jungle.

Bring a good flashlight or head lamps. Bring a rain coat or poncho. If you have a good pair of vinoculars bring them, you will find yourself using them.

Ear plugs: Remember you are in the jungle... birds wake up early and they all sing at the same time lol... we found ourselves waking up early because of the beautiful Jungle sounds.

Clothing*: Quick-dry Clothing: The jungle is hot and humid, so lightweight, moisture-wicking clothing is ideal if you don't protect your skin the "bugs" will get you.

In Lima I went to a doctor that prescribed an antibiotic just in case and as a first defense/ or a panic button. He suggested Doxiciclina 100 mgr to take 3 x a day only if absolutely needed and until back to see him. NOTE...

Our stay at Heliconia River Lodge was definitely a highlight of our Peru trip! We were quite nervous going into it because we are not that outdoorsy (we like hiking but are not campers, etc) and we were afraid of the bugs and critters that may be there. However, we had a great time and felt completely safe during our stay!

We were with a small group (8 total) who we started the journey with and stayed with the entire time -- along with our experienced guide. After being picked up at our Iquitos hotel via van, we were taken to a dock to board a small boat. The boat ride is about 2 hours total, but they stop halfway at Mokey Island which is a local monkey rescue. We LOVED visiting this place - there were baby monkeys everywhere and they crawl on you (if you want) and love to snuggle with you. Do not wear bug spray before visiting Monkey Island because it is dangerous to the monkeys.

After the rest of the boat ride, we arrived at the lodge. It is a beautiful place! Wear hiking sneakers on the boat because you will have to walk a bit to get to Monkey Island and there are stairs leading to and from each dock that you will need to navigate. I have had knee surgery and was a bit nervous about some of the stairs, but I felt very supported by the staff and guide while walking on them -- bringing hiking poles if your balance is not good (especially on the jungle hike because you will need to navigate uneven terrain).

The lodge itself is magical. It is very simple but clean and comfortable. Each room is a little bungalow raised on stilts and you are surrounded by trees and nature. One of the walls in each room is made up of mosquito netting so you feel like you are in the outdoors even when you are in your room. Throughout our stay (2 nights and 3 days) we saw a few small beetles in the room but did not see any other bugs in our space the whole time. There is a clean bathroom with a shower (only cold water) and an overhead fan. They do limit electricity - you will have it in the morning, afternoon, and evening for a few hours each time. It is enough time to charge your devices but you will not be able to keep the ceiling fan on past 11 pm. It is extremely hot and humid in the jungle but it does cool down overnight. There is also NO cell service or WiFi there so be prepared to be unplugged. There are a lot of neat animals right at the lodge so keep an eye out! We had a sloth that visited in the early morning next to our room and there is a parrot that comes into the dining area around dinner each day for a snack.

After checking into our rooms and the welcome drinks, you have some downtime before the next activity. We did about 4 activities each day (all well planned and included) but still felt like we had ample time to relax and rest in between each one. There are water filling stations throughout the lodge and food and non-alcoholic drinks are included in your stay. There is also a bar if you would like to purchase alcoholic drinks. The food was simple but incredibly delicious - all locally sourced and each meal is a bit different. In addition to the fish, fruit, rice, and sides they serve at each meal, they provide delicious freshly made juices. There is a tea/coffee station available 24/7 as well as a game area with a pool, board games, and more.

Some of the activities we did were a 2-hour jungle hike (wear long sleeves and bug spray), a sunset boat ride, morning bird watching, fishing/dolphin watching, visiting a local sugar cane distillery, a nighttime hike, and visiting a local tribe to learn about native history. I felt very safe on the excursions and they provide tall rubber boots to wear whenever you go hiking. There is also a pool at the lodge for swimming. We were very nervous and bugs, etc but we felt very comfortable when we were there.

My friend got extremely sick on our second day there (due to an unrelated infection) and the staff took wonderful care of us! I would definitely go back in...

We did the 3 day 2 night package experience at heliconia in November. In summary: the lodge is excellent, the food was sub par, and the activities were mediocre. If you are looking for a relaxing stay in the Amazon with the comforts of a hotel, this would be a good option. If you want to feel secluded in the jungle and see lots of wildlife, I wouldn’t recommend.

The amenities are great… rooms are large, nice, and clean. Having a pool is awesome. The lodge was really quiet when we were there (20% full?) so it had a very low-key atmosphere… the experience might be more lively if the lodge was more full.

The food was presented nicely and servers were lovely but it was not very tasty or flavourful, especially for vegetarians where it was often a combination of salad, rice, and beans.

As for the activities, they were hit or miss. They picked us up from our hotel in Iquitos and we got on a boat toward the lodge. On the way we stopped at monkey island which was one of the highlights. It’s a rehabilitation centre and you learn lots about the process and the monkeys will climb all over you. The first afternoon we saw a lagoon with lily pads and then went to a rum distillery, both were so-so. That night we took the boat out to the middle of the river for a few minutes and then went back… it was a bit odd.

The next morning we had a 6am bird watching ride which was okay. The birds were quite small and far away so the guide showed us pictures of them on his phone. Next we did a jungle walk where we looked mostly at plants and learned their medicinal properties. In the afternoon we went to see the pink river dolphins which was another highlight. They didn’t get very close to the boat but we could see them from afar. Then we did some fishing and got caught in a downpour on the way back. Note: your clothes will not dry in the humid Amazon. Our evening jungle walk was cancelled due to rain.

On the last morning we went to an indigenous community. We were encouraged to pay the children to hold their pets (turtles and sloth) which felt a bit wrong, since they are wild animals. We got to use a traditional weapon and did a traditional dance with the indigenous people, and were encouraged to purchase their handmade goods. It was interesting but hard to tell how authentic it all was. We returned to Iquitos that afternoon and they let us stay at their sister hotel before dropping us at the airport.

Our guide was nice and knowledgeable but not overly engaging and didn’t foster an environment of fun. I think there was potential for an improved experience with a more animated guide.

The last thing is that the lodge does not feel very remote. It’s on the Amazon river which is very wide and has lots of boats passing through. There are also numerous inhabitants along the river who all fish and hunt the animals (not a protected part of the jungle) which may be why wildlife spotting is limited. We expected to feel more secluded in the jungle. We layered up on the bug spray in anticipation but barely saw 1 mosquito the whole time. Might be different at another...