We got picked up quite early (actually 45 minutes earlier than we were told), so there was a lot of colourful language in the morning rushing to get ready as we had just woken up. We then set off on a one hour drive and then a 45 minute boat journey to get us to our accommodation in the Amazon jungle. We were in a group of around 8 people, so met some interesting characters along the way, one of which who was also a fellow Scottish guy, so it was good to hear a familiar accent on our trip!

On the boat trip to get to our accommodation, our guide Fabio mentioned that the climate of the Amazon jungle has two seasons, wet and dry, and that between the seasons the water can rise or fall by 12 metres depending on the time of year. Thankfully we arrived in the dry season and the water had started to evaporate, with the water level already beginning to reduce, but was still quite high. High enough that the boat we were on was driving through the tops of some trees which would normally be visible in other times of the year. It was also interesting to see some of the locals houses and huts submerged in water, that are abandoned for 6 months during the wet season!

When we arrived at our accommodation, it was on an island and had its own swimming pool, hammocks, cable tv, WiFi etc. We initially thought we would be slumming it for a few days but turns out we were given some pretty decent accommodation. We each had our own wee cabin but as we were about to enter ours, we were greeted by a massive tarantula on the cabin entrance. Katie was already starting to think the worst of what we would experience!

After lunch, our first activity of the day in the rainforest was a boat trip through the mangrove and then stopping to try some Piranha fishing. As the water level was still pretty high, we were told the chances of us catching any Piranha would be made even more difficult. We started to get into the rhythm of fishing but unfortunately for us, neither of us managed to catch any, even though we did get a few nibbles on our rod with the Piranha teasing us! Luckily, two people in the group managed to catch some so it was good to witness that! Afterwards, the Piranha were let back into the water by Fabio, for those concerned reading this.

After our trip, it was beginning to get dark, so Fabio took us to the open and we all watched the beautiful sunset whilst floating in the middle of the water. It was a surreal moment being sat out in the middle of the water with no light pollution around us, just watching the sun set below the water!

After the sun had set, it was now pitch black and only Fabio’s head torch to guide us, as we set off for some caiman spotting, whilst venturing slowly and quietly through the mangrove in the midst of darkness in the boat. Another downside with the high water level was that the caiman were harder to find as they had more water to hide in. After an hour of unsuccessful searching in the pitch black, we called it a night and headed back for some dinner.

We enjoyed some fresh tambaqui fish (native to the Amazon) and other food for dinner, which Katie even enjoyed despite her hating seafood. After dinner we had a few drinks with the rest of the group, before deciding to call it a night, ready to get up early the next again day for more activities.