Travel to Brazil Amazon Rainforest Tribes: A Practical Guide
So Alegria (Only Joy)
Do you want to travel to Brazil Amazon Rainforest and visit the tribes that use ayahuasca? A few options are available to you to commune with the tribes of the Amazon. Many of the tribes and shamans (called Pajes in Brazil) of the Amazon now have retreat centers that you may visit to deepen your medicine work and healing.
Travel to Brazil Amazon Rainforest Tribes
Brazil, Peru, and Columbia offer various entry points for working with plant medicines. Most accommodations are simple, and there are very few comforts. Logistically, you will travel great distances in challenging conditions. If this sounds fun, keep reading.
This article focuses on Brazil, based on my travel to Brazil Amazon rainforest tribe tour at the end of 2023. I spent several weeks with the Noke Koi in Acre, Brazil. Find my experience in the article: Ayahuasca Retreats – Drinking Ayahuasca in the Brazilian Amazon. Let’s take a quick look at Brazil and where you will be going:
You have to get to Brasilia, Brazil (BSB). Only one airline flies from Brasilia to the Amazon Rainforest in Acre, Brazil—GOL Airlines. From Los Angeles, most flights go through Dallas or Florida on American Airlines. You can go through Central America, but I don’t recommend it.
Once in Brasillia, you book a five-hour flight into the jungle on GOL Airlines to Cruzeiro do Sol. The plane stops in Rio Blanco, but you stay on the plane until the Rio Blanco passengers get off. Let’s review the itinerary so we understand the hops:
- USA (or other) to Brasilia, Brazil (Airport code BSB)
- Brasilia to Cruzeiro do Sol (Airport code CZS – via Rio Blanco)
Banking, Cash, ATMS
Get cash from the ATMs in Brasilia, or grab it from your local bank before you leave home. I had 3 ATM cards and could only pull out a few hundred dollars each—most ATMs didn’t work with USA cards.
There are a few banks in Cruzeiro do Sol, but getting cash is a crapshoot. I know the exchange rate sucks in the USA, but it’s better to pay a little more and have the money with you before you depart from home than have no access to your money. You can check the rate below:
Source: https://currencyrate.today/converter-widgetGOL Airline: Online Checkin Mandatory
The Cruzeiro do Sol flight is always packed and only goes every few days, so don’t miss it. We heard a story from Luna’s previous trip of someone who missed her flight and couldn’t rebook the flight for two weeks. Now get ready for the most important recommendation of this article: Ensure you check in to the GOL flight online as soon as possible to guarantee a seat.
Our group forgot to check in early, and we lost our seats. We had to fly stand-by. Sometimes, GOL won’t let you check in online without a Brazillian ID. If you need to generate a fake ID (yes, it’s a thing), check out this site. Once you get to check in, they can update your information; the goal is to reserve your seat before they give it to someone else.
GOL does not send an email reminder, and their online check-in system process can be very challenging. Spend time from home to make a GOL profile and learn their online system. Using the GOL app was the best way to do my check-in.
Travel to Brazil Amazon Rainforest Tribes: What To Bring?
I went on a shopping spree to prepare for the jungle, thinking I needed my Patagonia and REI products for a comfortable trip. I didn’t use half the things I bought. You will need a few technical items from the USA. However, almost everything can be purchased in Brazil.
I recommend buying most of the supplies before you enter the rainforest—not in California and lugging them halfway around the world. Many things you need to travel to Brazil’s Amazon rainforest tribes are available at shops in Cruzeiro do Sol: toilet paper, mosquito nets, pillows, sheets, hammocks, t-shirts, towels, bug repellant, flip-flops, and much more.
Things you want to bring from the USA are a solar lantern, solar charger, filtration system, sunscreen, swimming trunks, long-sleeved shirts, lightweight pants, first-aid kit, socks, protein bars, itch relief cream, cortisone cream, and snacks. I put some product recommendations below.
Travel Amazon Rainforest: Detailed Packing List
- Biodegradable: soaps, shampoos, & toothpaste
- Toilet paper for bum + hapi
- Long-sleeved & short-sleeve shirts
- Leggings / comfortable loose pants
- Swimsuit and towel
- Ceremony Clothes
- Comfortable shoes, like flip-flops or crocs
- Socks to protect your feet from the sandflies
- Trekking shoes or tennis shoes
- Hat to protect from the sun
- Sunscreen
- Bug repellent (both natural and chemical)
- Sheet to cover your mattress + blanket
- Pillow
- Hammock
- Yoga Mat
- Flashlight or headlamp
- Handfan
- Earplugs & Eyemask
- Water bottle
- Cash
Personal Product Recommendations
Hammock with ropes and mosquito net (you can buy a simple hammock with ropes and mosquito net in Cruzeiro do Sul), or you can bring one with built-in nets. I preferred the hammocks in Cruzeriro, but I also had a hammock with a built-in mosquito net.
– Flashlights with spare batteries (remember to bring expired batteries back to recycle in the city, as they are highly toxic to the earth). A headlamp for reading in the dark and moving around at night is also helpful.
– A solar-powered charger for your phone and camera.
– Large, heavy-duty plastic bags to put your luggage in during the boat trip, as they can get wet.
– Solar-powered lights such as Little Sun or Luci Lux. It was a game-changer for lighting up my room at night.
– A hand fan to ward off the insects—a mini electric fan is also an option.
– Earplugs for boat trips and trying to sleep when the music is still playing.
– Water bottle for daily use. I recommend bottles with built-in filtration systems, like Grayl, if you need to drink the river water.
– Eyemask for getting some shuteye during the day.
Summary
If you need something not on the list while preparing to travel to Brazil Amazon Rainforest tribes please ping me for any additional help. I recommend packing for your trip and removing 25% of what you think you need. You won’t need as much as you feel. To read about my experience, see Ayahuasca Retreats – Drinking Ayahuasca in the Brazilian Amazon.
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