Amazon Private Safari by Tuhiri Eco Tour - Leaving Manaus

Posted By : Bgeluda
Took the day tour from Manaus with my husband and two kids ages 7 and 9. Luiz was the best. He kept in communication with us, picked us up at our hotel and was super nice and professional. The tour was amazing, Luiz knows the area extremely well and explained everything super well. We saw beautiful sites and had a great day. Highly recommend.
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Posted On : 2023-04-16

Posted By : V7678HXcatherinec
There are few words and photographs that can describe the beauty of the Amazon and I was grateful enough to witness it with Luiz on my final day before leaving Brazil. I had been recommended Luiz by several friends who had worked in the region and no wonder they all said don’t leave Brazil without doing a tour with Luiz.. so brilliant I’m already planning my next one with him in August! Such knowledge and enthusiasm about nature - best private tour guide out there!
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Posted On : 2022-04-11

Posted By : Cmcorigliano
There is no one better for an incredible day tour of the areas around Manaus. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Luiz and the incredible experience of swimming with dolphins and visiting the local tribe. Truly amazing with a one-of-a-kind guide. Thank you.
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Posted On : 2021-12-07

Posted By : 438winfieldg
This tour is the essence of perfection. Luis is a consummate professional who is extremely charismatic, personable and down to earth. His local insights, experiences and respect for nature make him the gold standard for any excursion in the Amazon region. The day starts with meeting the river dolphins of the Rio Negro. You can also jump right into this fascinating and incredibly biodiverse river after feeding them. The next stop is to meet the Tatuyu tribe. They are 65 kilometers from Manaus so their interactions with tourists are rare. It was fascinating to see their way of life and distinct appreciation for nature. The final stop is the meeting of the Rio Negro with the Amazon River. It cannot be overstated not only how majestic this place feels but also the temperature difference between the two bodies of water.
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Posted On : 2021-12-07

Posted By : Russell43
My wife & I have visited 138 countries and always try to find a private guide who is both a teacher and a communicator. Luiz is one of the best we’ve ever had. Personable, knowledgeable, thoughtful with an exceptional ability to represent his Amazon heritage...And a wonderful command of English in addition to his native Portuguese. We had one day on a cruise ship stopover in Manaus and wanted to, as best we could, understand this part of the Amazon, it’s people, it’s animals and it’s culture. We spent a full day with Luiz on his speedboat visiting indigenous tribes, pink dolphins, huge fish, merging waters, giant water lilies, drifting through jungle streams, eating a nice local lunch and traveling about 125 miles up and down the Amazon on his speed boat (lucky it was a speedy boat). My wife and I agreed it was one of our best days ever. And it was so reasonably priced that it cost about the same as the much less complete cruise ship offered tours. The speed boat Luiz uses is large enough to fit comfortably 8 persons, but we only had the two of us. Because it is covered, it is very comfortable wether there is hot sun shine or a brief shower. Iced refreshments were available all day and any detours we suggested to see animals, birds or jungle scenery were happily taken. It was also very easy to get in and out of during our many stops. Our advice, if you want a great day exploring the Amazon book Luiz’ Tuhiri Eco Tour...you won’t regret it. You can book him through Viator or just email or call him. He’ll meet you at your hotel or at your ship. Go as a couple or take a few friends along. We guarantee you it will be money well spent. And he will do one day trips or multi-day exploration trips.
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Posted On : 2020-02-03

Posted By : barbarahs920
My friend and I had booked a private one-day tour. We went on a speed boat and got to see the meeting of the waters, an indigenous tribe, pink dolphins and the victoria roses. We had a delicious lunch and with Luiz' daughter Victoria a very open-minded guide who answered all our questions. It was an excellent tour to get a first impression of the Amazon.
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Posted On : 2018-10-11

Posted By : Katie T
Would highly recommend Luis to anyone looking for an incredible and authentic experience in the Amazon for a very reasonable price! My 3 friends and I booked a tour with Luis for our friend's birthday. He arranged a private boat for the day to take us around the Amazon River, took us to a once in a lifetime ritual experience with an indigenous tribe, brought us to an awesome floating restaurant for lunch and wandered around deep through the mangroves on foot and via boat all day. He was beyond informative, fun, friendly and also kind enough to grab our cameras and play photographer for the day. Definitely book w Luis - he is the best!!
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Posted On : 2018-08-14

Posted By : Joy L
Take a look at the other reviews, not just mine- Tuhiri Tour/Luiz should be listed as the #1 tour for the Amazon. We just got back from spending 4 days/3 nights at the Tucuna Lodge on the Rio Preto. The Tuhiri Tour office is based in Manaus and the office assistant is Andrea, who responds to emails faithfully in about 24 hours, with decent English. The tour guide is Luiz, who is a person of incomparable character. He is 100% professional, trustworthy, and reliable. Our trip included time in Rio, Sao Paulo, Iguacu, and the Amazon, and I felt safest in the Amazon, by far, with Luiz. His English is excellent, and he always had a patient, helpful, and informative response to every question. He met us at the Manaus airport. We told him we were hungry, and he took us to a wonderful buffet near the airport (Rancho Bufalo) which serves locally grown and prepared food. He explained every offering on the buffet, including dishes with homemade mayonnaise, farofa with and without meat. We had previously informed him that my boyfriend is vegetarian, and it was very helpful to know what he could eat. Even the grill staff knew a little English. Then he drove us to Rio Preto de Eva, a small town, and we stopped at Cafe Priscila, where we had the typical small cup of coffee and Luiz purchased his favorite Pe do Moleke manioc/brazilnut cake. We then met his partner Alcides, and they took us by boat to Tucuna Lodge (about 20 km/30 min), where Alcides, his wife Marta, and his daughter Maisa live year-round. The camp is very charming, with a common building consisting of a kitchen and open air dining area. There are about 5 other buildings / living quarters. My boyfriend was tired and he took a nap while I did laundry using their washing machine. I asked to go swimming (it was around 90 degrees) and Marta took me by boat across the river to a sandy swimming area. Maisa came with us and chattered joyfully in Portuguese, and taught me how to count to 10 in Portuguese. Toto the small dog wanted to go too, but had to stay at the lodge. The river was very shallow, maybe 3 feet max near the sandy swimming area. We later learned that this is the lowest water level they have ever seen. Luiz asked us what time we wanted dinner and breakfast. We opted for 7 pm and 7:30 am. They accomodated us each day. Overall, I felt very spoiled and grateful for the assistance of so many people. My boyfriend and I were the only guests at the lodge. We had the 6-bed dorm all to ourselves. The air conditioner worked nicely. The bathroom was in excellent shape. The power outlets accommodated either the local plugs or our American plugs. The first morning, breakfast was ready at the appointed time. In my opinion, the best thing about this tour was the wonderful food. Most of it was locally grown / caught and everything was so tasty. Breakfast usually consisted of a fresh juice (mango, guava, cupuacu, other fruits found locally/in season), eggs of the lodge's chickens, rolls, tapioca crepes with ham and cheese, boiled manioc, and Pe do Moleke. The family welcomed us to eat any of the fruit anytime- bananas, oranges, papaya. Lunch/dinner usually consisted of local fish or homegrown chicken, beans and rice, fresh juice, boiled manioc, squash, carrots, potatoes. Everything was extremely tasty and I overate at every meal. I wish I knew how to make such tasty beans and rice. One memorable dessert was chunks of pineapple skewered together with guyaba paste and drizzed with sweetened condensed milk. Luiz translated the name of this dessert as "the woman who is good at everything." Luiz advised to drink just bottled water rather than the water from the artesian well. My boyfriend and I had no health problems with any of the food they served. Our activities included 2 hikes to 2 waterfalls in 2 ecologically distinct areas. On the way, we learned about and tasted the milk of the amapa life tree. We tried out the jungle telephone. We smelled the tree that Vicks (vaporub) is named after. We felt the sap of the rubber tree. Alcides tried to tickle some tarantulas out of their holes, but they wouldn't come out. At the waterfalls, Luiz gave us some soap and told us that bathing in the mineral water would thoroughly clean and soften skin. We saw the plantation of an elderly couple and tried the cacao fruit and learned how farofa is made. We went piranha fishing and tried to spot the alligator. Alcides set up hammocks for us to watch the sunset from the deck. As other reviewer have mentioned, Luiz went out of his way to take us back to Manaus and set up lodging for us at the home of his friend Manuel, who owns/operates Hostel Sementes. He took us to the Army hospital zoo and to the ATM so we could withdraw cash. It is best to pay in Brazilian cash, but he says he will accept dollars also. Luiz also took us back to the airport and waited in the check-in line with us to serve as an interpreter. He spent an extra day and a half with us without charging us for it. Luiz is so kind and knowledgable it defies explanation. You can see it in how he drives in terrible traffic and also how he commands respect everywhere we went. I wish we had him as a guide at the beginning of our trip rather than at the end. I think the amount of time we spent with him was perfect. We could have fit all the activities into a faster-paced 3 day/2 night trip, but we really enjoyed the relaxed pace! Tuhiri charges slightly more than other tours, but it was still extremely reasonable, and I would say completely worth the price. Luiz seemed very grateful for the 15% tip we gave. But how can you put a price on safety and comfort in one of the wildest places on earth!
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Posted On : 2017-12-10

Posted By : Cheryl B
Was referred to Luiz and Tuhiri Tours by the Holiday inn Manaus. We had an open morning in Manaus before heading out to Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge, so we wanted someone to take us out to see the meeting of the waters. Upon contacting Luiz he said he could do that as well as show us many other wonderful sites around Manaus. He took us through the fish market, out to the meeting of the waters, saw some very large lilly pads, floating village/homes and some huge 6 foot fish, followed by a stop at a local restaurant for lunch. When he found out that at the end of our stay at the Lodge we had 3-4 hours before we caught our plane, he offered to show us the market as well as the opera house. While we thought Manaus would be just a stopover on the way to the lodge on the Amazon, Luiz made it a destination in itself. He is very knowledgeable about the Amazon, Manuas and life on the river having grown up in a village several hours upstream and having lived in Manaus most of his adult life. His English is excellent so it is easy to ask him questions and his pricing is very reasonable. He also offers airport transfers. In addition he also takes groups on overnight excursions to outlying Amazon areas. We highly recommend Luiz and Tuhiri Eco Tours.
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Posted On : 2017-05-09

Posted By : josefschreiner
We came to Manaus as a family with 4 people and we did not know a lot about this big beautiful green city. At the airport we met Luiz and stayed at his place. Luiz was an amazing guide, he had detailed knowledge not only about the history of the city, but about everything we saw. When you have Luiz as a guide, Google becomes unnecessary. We learned something new everyday and he has such a passion in what he does, which makes every story fun and interesting. At the third day of our journey, we traveled to the jungle lodge and stayed there for 2 nights. During these 2 nights, we saw, tasted and heard so many things, than I cannot explain everything, but just so you get an idea: we swam with dolphins, fed monkeys and sloths, caught piranhas and saw the amazing intersection between the amazon river and the rio negro. All in all, I think that I speak for my whole family when I say that I recommend this tour to everyone who is interested in an unique adventure. Not at any point, we had the feeling of insecurity, as Luiz had everything planned out perfectly. In the name of my whole family, I want to thank Luiz, his family and his colleagues for this fantastic week. We arrived as visitors and left as friends. Kindest regards the Schreiners
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Posted On : 2016-08-25