Libertad Jungle Lodge — Hotel in Saquena

We would like to thank the Libertad Lodge team for all the incredible memories and experience that we shared during our 4 days stay in the jungle!!!

Special thanks to Olivier for helping us make the right choice. Thank you for answering all our messages and calls. Thank you for trusting me, and despite the tight preparation time, everything went really great!

Upon arrival at the airport, we were immediately met by our guide Gumer and Manuel and were taken to the port by a comfortable car, and then by boat to the lodge. Special thanks to our guide Gumer, who was ready to help us fulfill any request we had: buy local fruits, buy a SIM card, medicines, etc.

The territory of the lodge and the tourist houses themselves are very clean. Yes, this is not a luxury hotel, but a wooden house with a private bathroom. But for us, the priority were cleanliness and comfort. And actually we had everything we needed: soap, towels. Shampoo, toothpaste and slippers are better to take with you or you can buy them in Iquitos itself. The room was cleaned every day. The water in the shower is only cold, but that's tolerable because it is quite hot outside. Given that you are on a tour all day, and then you just want to sleep, then 3 hours of electricity a day is enough to charge your phone. We had some concerns about mosquitoes and other insects in the room, but during the entire time we saw only 1 cockroach and 1 spider. I think it's nothing, considering we lived in straight in the jungle. Before our arrival, the room was treated for mosquitoes several times. Thick mosquito nets were stretched over each bed, which was important - clean and without holes. I read comments that residents of the neighboring commune are making noise but we didn't have any of that. We fell asleep only to the sounds of nature, that are totally louder than the people themselves)))

Drinking water is freely available on the territory of the lodge. We recommend taking a water bottle with you to bring water during your tours. We also had meals 3 times a day. Once we cooked dinner in the jungle over a bonfire. 2 times we prepared our own food from our fish catch. Almost every day we ate fresh fish. We were immediately asked about our food preferences and possible allergies. We were never hungry. The food was simple, but very tasty and satisfying. Every day, fresh fruits and juices that have never been repeated!! Special thanks to the chef for the original serving of the food))) Now the most important thing is the tour.

You need to understand that the lodge is located deep in the jungle on the territory of a small commune (300 people who live their normal lives). The residents of the commune built the lodge themselves and maintain it. Guides are also residents of the commune. They simply talk about their lives and the environment (animals, plants), traditions that are passed down from father to son. All that they tell, they have not read on the Internet, but know by experience. All the money earned goes to support the life of the commune: the construction of schools, medicines for pensioners, school materials... Your arrival at the lodge is a great help to these people. I would like to note that I have studied many reviews of other hotels, and many have noted that guides extort tips. We didn't have that. Not once. But I can assure you that you will want to thank your guide yourself! And the best part is that Libertad has the lowest price, with excellent quality of services.

As for the tour program, everything is flexible. The lodge offers all the most popular excursions: piranha fishing, medical plants, kayaking, monkey and sloth seeing, night tarantula hunting, etc. In addition, the guide will be happy to go with you to the jungle for the whole day or you can lie in a hammock for half a day and enjoy the sounds of nature.

Thank you for the unforgettable emotions and impressions of our trip to the jungle. We wholeheartedly recommend...

September : 4 Day and 3 Night Experience at Libertad Jungle Lodge was incredible. So if you are looking for a place to go explore the Amazon then you've found 'the one' ...

In summary - incredible guides, great activities and awesome food. Book it!

Logistics - all sorted by the lodge; book online and email all the details of your flights etc. After the initial booking moved to communicating via WhatsApp (super easy now with built in translation). Greeted by Victor at the airport who stays there greeting guests, he even got our bags off the conveyer whilst we went to the toilet! Then he handed us over to our guide Heber who was from the lodge and would be our assigned guide for the trip. You have a 1:15 ish trip in a car, 10 minute in a tuktuk and then 40 mins ish on their boat to the lodge.

Arrival - everything is managed by your guide so dont expect a reception as such. Especially if you dont speak Spanish. On arrival we were shown to our room and then went straight for breakfast. As others have stated you then choose the days activities with your guide. A note ... if you dont speak spanish then have a read of the activities on the website first as the list on the wall is in spanish only.

Activities - great range of things to do and the 4D3N was perfect to make the most of the time there. We didnt feel any need to stay longer. If you are considering the camping option then know this will be sleeping rough on the forest floor, some plastic sheet for shelter and a mozzy net. We didnt go for this but did ask as its not too clear on the website. The Piranha fishing is actually much better than you may think; it was fun and then followed by sunset and caymon spotting. We changed our plan slightly on a day and this was never a problem for the guides.

Wildlife - we saw everything we could have hoped for maybe bar a snake. 5 different species of monkey, sloths, countless birds and insects galore. It was incredible!

Guides - we had Heber as our main guide who spoke good English and went out of his way multiple times to ensure we got everything we wanted from our trip. Honeslty this guy was excellent! They also serve your food 3 times a day (08:00/13:00/19:00) in the shared dining hall on your allocated table. Heber matched his passion to ours and adapted his approach - for example we had a focus on birds and mammals; next thing our entire experience was orientated around finding every species possible. He also knew his birds, would appear with his peru bird book and managed somehow to great an energy around the topic with the other boatman and guides so it became something of a thing during our time there. Honeslty brilliant!! Also cannot fault his energy and commitment - from launching himself into muddy lakes, forging new paths in the jungle and spotting things that we would never have seen he was top draw! Thank you - a real credit to the lodge!

You'll also have a boatman; we had Wilson as ours. He didn't speak any English however he was incredible. Like Heber he went out of his way to make sure we had an awesome time. There were so many examples of this but some included: scouting ahead in the jungle to find every single thing you want to see, making new paths to get better views, fishing so we had something to offer up to some of the eagles for a close encounter, surprisingly the wife with a hand made fan when she was too hot and so many more. He was the silent agent in the pairing that made the magic happen. Legend thank you.

Thanks Team for an epic...

I strongly recommend Libertad for a visit to the Amazon. The lodge is entirely owned and operated by families from the nearby village of Libertad and I think this makes it a particularly special experience. Instead of going to some sanitized nature park resort where all of the money ends up in the hands of some wealthy investor in Mexico or Miami, at Libertad you get to see and learn about actual daily life in one of the most incredible corners of the Amazon. Our guide grew up in the village and knew the area with an incredible depth of expertise - from sharing top fishing or sloth spotting spots to discussing the nuances of village politics - we felt very much like guests in his own home.

To be clear, the village nearby is tiny (maybe 40 wooden houses on stilts) and has no running water, automobiles, or electricity. This is very much a remote and quiet jungle experience and not at all like staying in the cities of Iquitos or Nauta.

We stayed at Libertad a pretty long time (6 days) and there was so much to do and see. Wildlife is everywhere - monkeys, caimans, birds, frogs, dolphins. Some of our hikes in the woods involved cutting entirely new trails with machetes and seeing untouched parts of the jungle that were teeming with life.

The lodge is positioned at the confluence of two major rivers which join to create the head of the Amazon. As a result, the area is full of fish who get twisted up in the strong currents and dolphins who eat them. Probably saw upwards of 100 river dolphins during our stay.

In terms of practical matters, the cabins are simple but comfortable and spacious. They are not sealed against wildlife, but have netting to keep the worst of the bugs and critters to a minimum while still permitting airflow. Judicious use of the mosquito nets over the beds and strong bug repellent are a must.

We were worried about the cold shower, but because the water tank sits in the hot amazon sun all day, the water was at a pretty refreshing temperature.

Meals are simple and sufficient, though portions are on the smaller side. For us, it was a refreshing break from heavy restaurant food, but if you're a big eater it may be wise to bring some snacks. It's possible to buy some snacks and drinks from someone's house in the village but selection is extremely limited as everything is brought in via boat.

Our visit to Libertad was a highlight of our trip and will be a lifelong memory. You won't regret making the trip out here...