Hello wild people! The Amazon Experience team is happy, very happy. And it’s all thanks to you, the travelers. This week we were contacted by TripAdvisor with great news for us. We have been awarded the Certificate of Excellence 2018! You can check our profile here. With over 90 reviews there (and many more on Facebook, Google, in our physical notepad inside the office and other places), we feel very grateful towards all of you. What motivate us it’s your constant feedback in how to do things better, your words of kindness and appreciation, your recommendations, your understanding when we screw up something and your encouragement to keep us going with this dream we had, about how to do things differently for the better, regarding tourism in the Amazon rainforest. We have big plans to continue the development of a tourism business that cares for the travelers as friends and visitors, for the local community, for our team and, especially, for nature and the environment. Thanks for allowing us to do what we love. Big hug to all of you. And remember… Stay wild!
Hello wild people!
The Amazon Experience team is happy, very happy. And it’s all thanks to you, the travelers.
This week we were contacted by TripAdvisor with great news for us. We have been awarded the Certificate of Excellence 2018!
With over 90 reviews there (and many more on Facebook, Google, in our physical notepad inside the office and other places), we feel very grateful towards all of you.
What motivate us it’s your constant feedback in how to do things better, your words of kindness and appreciation, your recommendations, your understanding when we screw up something and your encouragement to keep us going with this dream we had, about how to do things differently for the better, regarding tourism in the Amazon rainforest.
We have big plans to continue the development of a tourism business that cares for the travelers as friends and visitors, for the local community, for our team and, especially, for nature and the environment.
Hello wild people! How is it going? Almost nine months ago we did our 2017 Recap. Now it’s time to deliver some news for this current year. Are you ready? Because we are! We wanted to start by saying: Gracias. Yes, that simple word (that we wholeheartedly hope you know what it means in English), that for us it has all the meaning in the world. We feel grateful for your awesome feedback, for all the people that have enjoyed with us, for those that came as strangers and went back home as friends. For your laughter, smiles and good vibes. To all of you, for choosing us and letting us continue our growth: Thanks! Continuing with the trend of our last recap here you can see where people visit our website: And the Top 10 countries with more visitors: Now let’s dive in! Big news and updates Some important news and milestones that we wanted to share with you: Web changes We are constantly updating our website and the tools we use to the latest version. Taking into account the corresponding security measures to assure your payment information is safe with us. Regarding support, we have added Live Chat support. Now besides reaching us by email, contact form, Facebook or Whatsapp, you can also contact us and solve your doubts without even leaving our website. Cool eh? For the functional part, we have added a “What to bring” tab right inside every tour, so our visitors know beforehand how to prepare for their Amazon trip. This was a popular request so thanks to those who gave us their feedback on this issue. We also integrated automatic pricing discounts. If you choose a tour for 4 people or more you will get a 5% discount, taken into account in
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Almost nine months ago we did our 2017 Recap. Now it’s time to deliver some news for this current year. Are you ready? Because we are!
We wanted to start by saying: Gracias.
Yes, that simple word (that we wholeheartedly hope you know what it means in English), that for us it has all the meaning in the world.
We feel grateful for your awesome feedback, for all the people that have enjoyed with us, for those that came as strangers and went back home as friends. For your laughter, smiles and good vibes. To all of you, for choosing us and letting us continue our growth:
Thanks!
Continuing with the trend of our last recap here you can see where people visit our website:
Map of visitors – amazonexperience.net
And the Top 10 countries with more visitors:
Top 10 countries that visit amazonexperience.net
Now let’s dive in!
Big news and updates
Some important news and milestones that we wanted to share with you:
Web changes
We are constantly updating our website and the tools we use to the latest version. Taking into account the corresponding security measures to assure your payment information is safe with us.
Regarding support, we have added Live Chat support. Now besides reaching us by email, contact form, Facebook or Whatsapp, you can also contact us and solve your doubts without even leaving our website. Cool eh?
Wanna chat?
We are ready to assist you!
For the functional part, we have added a “What to bring” tab right inside every tour, so our visitors know beforehand how to prepare for their Amazon trip. This was a popular request so thanks to those who gave us their feedback on this issue.
Yep, now is that easy
We also integrated automatic pricing discounts. If you choose a tour for 4 people or more you will get a 5% discount, taken into account in your shopping cart when you do the checkout.
And now, if you go to our gallery, you can find our new…
Amazon Experience video
Our friend Simon made us a wonderful video in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. It includes some cool aerial shots of Pacaya Samiria. We cannot hide our love for this video. Check it out!
If you are a videographer and/or travel blogger and you plan to visit Iquitos send us a message to see if we can collaborate and work together.
Rainforest Trust support
We are celebrating our first year being part of the Roots program. We will continue to support organizations committed to protecting the environment. If you are interested in helping Rainforest Trust you can check their webpage to get more information about what they do.
Roots program – Rainforest Trust
Support for a local young soccer team
We decided to support one local soccer team of Nauta. Its name is ACD El Milagro and they are gonna rock the local soccer championship this year with their new uniforms. You can read the full story here.
Sponsoring the Peruvian Ornithology Congress 2018
This year the Congreso Peruano de Ornitología (Peruvian Ornithology Congress) is going to be organized for the first time outside of Lima. Which better place to host it than Iquitos? Being one of the biggest gateways to explore the Amazon rainforest with hundreds of different bird species to look for, we believe this Congress is an opportunity not to be missed by bird lovers.
Capped heron – Piherodius pileatus
We are sponsoring this ornithology event because we think it’s going to help Iquitos and the people working in the tourism niche. And, well, because we love birds too. For more information, you can check the official website (Spanish).
Reviews, reviews, reviews
We are getting closer and closer to the 100th TripAdvisor review. At the moment we have over 85 reviews in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Greek.
Thanks to all of you that have taken the time to let us know your thoughts about what we do, and with this we include also people that gave us Google reviews, Facebook reviews, pen and paper reviews and in-person feedback along with emails after their tour was ended. You rock guys!
Google reviews
We reached 50 Facebook reviews!
We keep our commitment firm: To keep adapting, learning and optimizing to bring you the best experience in the Amazon jungle.
2018 Travel Awards
This year we have received two awards. And we are very happy about that!
First, we got the news that we won the LTG – Service Excellence Award 2018 for the second year in a row. Yay!
Service Excellence 2018
And a few days ago we received a message from THA (Travel and Hospitality Awards) about us being selected as Wildlife Tour Company of the Year 2018 in Loreto. Double yay!
Wildlife Tour Company of the Year 2018 in Loreto
New adventure and camping tours into the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
Lately, we have been working on putting together our new tours. This is based on the feedback we have gotten from all of you, and your desire to explore deeper and for a longer time into the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
Our friends enjoying the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
Now that you can explore for a week or longer. Are you ready for adventure?
Price adjustments
We are gonna be upfront about this: Our prices are going up. We decided to make a public statement about this and be transparent about it.
Our operational costs have gone up, with new software and technologies being used, new equipment and more people working in the Amazon Experience team.
We, also, had to factor in the rise in price for entrances to the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, imposed by the SERNANP since February 2018. You can check authorized tour agencies for entering the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve here.
We haven’t raised our prices in more than a year and for us to continue growing and giving you the best experiences, including support before and after your trip, while at the same time expanding our social impact, we need to do so.
We wanted to give you, and all Amazon Experience visitors, the chance to book at our “old” prices before changing. That’s why we are going to offer discounted prices, that match previous prices, until the end of May (May 30th included, to be specific).
Another thing to mention is that our prices are not only going up but also going down. How is that supposed to work? You might ask.
From now on, every time you book a tour for 4 or more people you get automatically a 5% discount.
This discount is applied to your shopping cart when you do the checkout and is a way of encouraging big families, organizations or just big groups of friends to come and experience the Amazon jungle with us.
Final words
Gratitude. That’s what we feel now.
We are full of joy enjoying what we have built but also eager to keep growing and developing a business that cares for their customers, their team, the local community and, above all, nature and the environment.
In November of 2017, we, as Amazon Experience, went to Nauta with a mission: Deliver 22 new uniforms for a local soccer team composed mostly of young people. The name of this team is “ACD El Milagro”. ACD stands for Asociación Cultural Deportiva or Cultural and sports association. “Milagro” is a miracle in English. This soccer team is from the neighborhoods where Wolfers (one of Amazon Experience founders) was raised as a child. Our good friend Alex, in charge of sports delegation in ACD El Milagro, had commented us that this team was looking for sponsorship to get new uniforms without luck. Even after coming very close to winning the 2017 local championship (they came up in second place). We felt we could help there. This is the design they chose. Cool eh? As we entered the club’s headquarters we saw most of the players gathered there along with Alex. It was inspiring to say the least seeing them with the uniforms and hearing what they had to say. We left feeling that differences can be made with our actions. We are very thankful for this opportunity to support them and we encourage everyone reading this to think of ways how to potentiate your local community. PS: Go ACD El Milagro! This is your year, we are gonna be rooting for you. Your fans: Luis and Wolfers.
In November of 2017, we, as Amazon Experience, went to Nauta with a mission: Deliver 22 new uniforms for a local soccer team composed mostly of young people.
ACD El Milagro. Young soccer talents from Loreto region.
The name of this team is “ACD El Milagro”. ACD stands for Asociación Cultural Deportiva or Cultural and sports association. “Milagro” is a miracle in English. This soccer team is from the neighborhoods where Wolfers (one of Amazon Experience founders) was raised as a child.
This is Wolfers (Yes, he was a child too at some point, many years ago)
Our good friend Alex, in charge of sports delegation in ACD El Milagro, had commented us that this team was looking for sponsorship to get new uniforms without luck. Even after coming very close to winning the 2017 local championship (they came up in second place). We felt we could help there.
Our friend Alex
This is the design they chose.
FrontBack
Cool eh?
As we entered the club’s headquarters we saw most of the players gathered there along with Alex. It was inspiring to say the least seeing them with the uniforms and hearing what they had to say. We left feeling that differences can be made with our actions.
We are very thankful for this opportunity to support them and we encourage everyone reading this to think of ways how to potentiate your local community.
ACD El MilagroThe team with its 2 new members. ACD El Milagro + Amazon Experience
PS: Go ACD El Milagro! This is your year, we are gonna be rooting for you. Your fans: Luis and Wolfers.
Hello wild people! We have a quick question for you: Are you into bird watching or birding? Would you like to learn about the birds of Peru, especially about birds of the Amazon jungle? If you answered yes, then this post is for you. Peruvian Ornithology Congress This year, 2018, the “Congreso Peruano de Ornitología” (Peruvian Ornithology Congress) it’s gonna be organized in Iquitos. This is the first time this Congress is available outside of Lima, so we decided to sponsor it and help with spreading the word. With more than 900 bird species present in Loreto region (where Iquitos is located), this area is especially sought after for birdwatchers all over the world. The “Congreso Peruano de Ornitología” (Peruvian Ornithology Congress) it’s going to take place between 23th and 28th of July, including one day (27th of July) with on-terrain training on bird recognition and other related topics. You can check the program here (Spanish). This extract is taken, and translated, from the official website: Imagine a moment and a place, where you will find people like you. The Peruvian Congress of Ornithology, is a space designed for you, for your passion, for your desire to learn and above all, for your desire to grow. Imagine an event where you can share with scientists, businessmen, artists, students and the general public that pleasure for BIRDS that motivates you so much. Imagine a meeting, where you can listen to Magisterial Speakers of the highest academic level, representatives of the most prestigious universities in the world. The time and place is already a reality: IQUITOS, the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, is the city chosen for this important ornithological event in 2018. Our slogan: "Let the birds fill your life with joy", shows our interest in making the event, a real
Hello wild people!
We have a quick question for you: Are you into bird watching or birding? Would you like to learn about the birds of Peru, especially about birds of the Amazon jungle?
The “Congreso Peruano de Ornitología” (Peruvian Ornithology Congress) it’s going to take place between 23th and 28th of July, including one day (27th of July) with on-terrain training on bird recognition and other related topics. You can check the program here (Spanish).
Slate-colored Hawk – Buteogallus schistaceus
This extract is taken, and translated, from the official website:
Imagine a moment and a place, where you will find people like you. The Peruvian Congress of Ornithology, is a space designed for you, for your passion, for your desire to learn and above all, for your desire to grow. Imagine an event where you can share with scientists, businessmen, artists, students and the general public that pleasure for BIRDS that motivates you so much. Imagine a meeting, where you can listen to Magisterial Speakers of the highest academic level, representatives of the most prestigious universities in the world. The time and place is already a reality: IQUITOS, the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, is the city chosen for this important ornithological event in 2018. Our slogan: “Let the birds fill your life with joy”, shows our interest in making the event, a real party. Come and enjoy Iquitos!
Capped heron – Piherodius pileatus
List of speakers at the Congress
The list of speakers for this Ornithology event in Perú is:
Amanda Rodewald, Ph.D.
Garvin Professor of Ornithology and Director of Conservation Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Bette Loiselle, Ph.D.
Director, Tropical Conservation & Development Program | Center for Latin American Studies Professor
John Marshall Bates, Ph.D.
Associate Curator, Birds Head, Life Sciences Science, and Education – Field Museum of Natural History
Scott Robinson, Ph.D.
Katharine Ordway Professor of Ecosystem Conservation at the Florida Museum of Natural History
Gustavo Bravo, Ph.D.
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology & Museum of Comparative Zoology – Harvard
Kevin McCracken, Ph.D.
Department of Biology, College of Arts & Sciences Marine Biology & Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
Stuart J. Marsden, Ph.D.
Prof. Stuart J Marsden. Professor of Conservation Ecology. Division of Biology & Conservation Ecology
Silverio Duri Valdivia
Guía Naturalista – Aves y Fotografía – Perú. Comunidad Nativa de Infierno – Madre de Dios – Perú
Great Black Hawk – Buteogallus urubitinga
How can I attend the Congress?
You can reserve your spot on the official webpage. The price is 250 soles. There is a discount for students (both local and international). If you cannot make international bank transfers or just plainly want to avoid the hassle of a wire transfer, contact us at booking@amazonexperience.net so we can help you out.
What else can I do while I’m in Iquitos?
We encourage you to explore this beautiful city, get to know the people that live here, share some time with them and listen to their stories. Also, we recommend you go out of the city to explore the Amazon jungle.
Large-billed Tern – Phaetusa simplex
One of the best places for bird watching is the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, located approx. 180 kilometers to the South of Iquitos. We invite you to check out our tours, hop into a motorboat with us and prepare for an adventure of a lifetime, camping and looking out for birds and wildlife in one of the most pristine rainforests on Earth.
All of the pictures in this post have been taken in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
Hello, wild people! How are you? Lately, we’ve been very busy organizing tours, improving on logistics, consolidating partnerships and overall improving as much as we can Amazon Experience for you. We are very happy with the feedback we are getting, the friendships we have formed and the smiles that people give us after exploring the Jungle. All of this wouldn’t be possible without you, the visitors, so please accept a big Thank You from our team. *standing ovation* To be able to welcome visitors from all over the world to Iquitos, and show them the beauty and magic of the Amazon Rainforest, it's truly a blessing for us. Here you can see from where people visit our website: And the Top 5 countries with more visitors (up to this date): Big news and updates We wanted to share with you some important news and milestones we have reached: Solar panel and solar battery in the Amazon Jungle Since the end of 2016, we are equipped with a solar panel and a solar battery for our expeditions. This is a starting point for us in our journey towards more sustainable tourism practices in the Amazon. It also facilitates things for our visitors, making for them easier to charge their cell phones, cameras or video cameras while in the jungle. All our permits are up to date When you book a tour or an expedition that goes into a Natural Reserve (Pacaya Samiria for example) in Peru, it is wise to check if the agency you are going to trust has its SERNANP permit up to date. You can check authorized agencies for entering Pacaya Samiria National Reserve here We started supporting Rainforest Trust and being part of their Roots program We strongly believe in supporting organizations that are committed to the
Hello, wild people! How are you?
Lately, we’ve been very busy organizing tours, improving on logistics, consolidating partnerships and overall improving as much as we can Amazon Experience for you.
We are very happy with the feedback we are getting, the friendships we have formed and the smiles that people give us after exploring the Jungle. All of this wouldn’t be possible without you, the visitors, so please accept a big Thank You from our team. *standing ovation*
To be able to welcome visitors from all over the world to Iquitos, and show them the beauty and magic of the Amazon Rainforest, it’s truly a blessing for us.
Here you can see from where people visit our website:
Map of visitors – amazonexperience.net
And the Top 5 countries with more visitors (up to this date):
Peru, United States of America, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Chile
Big news and updates
We wanted to share with you some important news and milestones we have reached:
Solar panel and solar battery in the Amazon Jungle
Since the end of 2016, we are equipped with a solar panel and a solar battery for our expeditions. This is a starting point for us in our journey towards more sustainable tourism practices in the Amazon. It also facilitates things for our visitors, making for them easier to charge their cell phones, cameras or video cameras while in the jungle.
Solar power!
All our permits are up to date
When you book a tour or an expedition that goes into a Natural Reserve (Pacaya Samiria for example) in Peru, it is wise to check if the agency you are going to trust has its SERNANP permit up to date. You can check authorized agencies for entering Pacaya Samiria National Reserve here
Pacaya Samiria entry permit by SERNANP, Peru
We started supporting Rainforest Trust and being part of their Roots program
We strongly believe in supporting organizations that are committed to the environment. That’s why we decided to be part of the Roots program and support the work that Rainforest Trust does protecting areas around the world for endangered species. If you wanna join too, you can do so in this link
Roots program – Rainforest Trust
We have received over 50 reviews on TripAdvisor
We are super happy with your feedback! As of today, we have over 55 reviews in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Greek. We believe in taking an active part when it comes to seeking feedback from our visitors, and we really appreciate the time everyone that gave us their honest opinion put into it. We will keep adapting, learning and optimizing along the way so we can offer you the best experience in the Amazon jungle. That’s our commitment.
Our Facebook community keeps growing, more than 11.000 friends!
Not long ago we celebrated our 10.000 friends in Facebook with a giveaway. Thanks to all of you who participated.
10.000 Facebook friends!
If you wanna see some pictures of Amazon adventures, see what we are up to or engage with us just jump in!
Partnering with Santa Maria de Fatima.
At the end of March of this year, we started working together with the Santa Maria de Fatima community. This community, composed of around 65 families, started developing an ecotourism project in conjunction with NGO “Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional” to protect the biodiversity of the area while at the same time create jobs for the local community.
Amazon Experience and representatives of Santa Maria de Fatima in March 2017
They have built a massive 3-floor wooden tower in the heronry (Garzal) to look for wildlife and enjoy the landscape.
Santa Maria de Fatima’s wooden towerThis view only gets better when you are standing there.
Recently, on August 22nd, we were part of an extraordinary meeting in Santa Maria de Fatima, along with representatives of public institutions like Maynas tourism division and local municipalities of Belen and Indiana, to discuss and engage in the future development of this community. The local newspaper “Diario La Region” made an article about this. You can read it here (Spanish)
If you wanna visit them you can do so in our 3d/2n, 4d/3n or our new 5d/4n tour for the Amazon river itineraries.
Awarded LTG Service Excellence 2017
This year we received the LTG “Service Excellence” 2017 award. We felt great! *high fives*. You can find more details in this post along with our own definition of luxury and luxury travel here.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies accepted here
We started accepting payments for any of our tours using Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Litecoin, DASH, Lisk, Ark, PIVX, among others. If you wanna see a list of all cryptocurrencies supported please check our FAQs or contact us directly.
Pay your Amazon tour with Bitcoin!
Web updates
We’ve been adding some common questions we receive from people wanting to visit Iquitos and the Amazon Jungle. Here you can check the FAQs (Frequently asked questions). Also, we added our new tour 5 days/4 nights on the Amazon lodge, with one more day focused on deep Amazon jungle trekking and survivor skills.
Final words
All in all, we are delighted! Stay tuned for more posts, we have a couple of interviews in the oven, like the one we did with Don Julio and some exciting things coming up later this year.
Thanks again for all your support, you really make us love our work. Peace out and…
How do people live in the Amazon rainforest? What it's like to live in the Amazon jungle? On March, 2017 we went to Santa Maria de Fatima community, located in the Amazon river and we talked with Don Julio to share how Amazon rainforest people live. Don Julio is part of a group within the community that is in charge of developing this area in the context of sustainable ecotourism. He shared some insights with us in how people live in his community. What is your full name? My name is Julio Cahuachi Sanda. How old are you? I’m 67 years old. How long have you been living in the Santa Maria de Fatima community? I’ve been living here my whole life, since 1950, the year I was born. I’ve lived my childhood, when i was young and, well, now I’m an elder. I’m permanently here, I haven’t been out that much, just to work in some other places. Mostly I dedicate myself to my community. What is your role in the community? I work permanently with my group, we are about 20 people working in this paradise -I’m going to just call it like that, he says-. We have an environmental conservation area and we love that our tourist friends visit us and go deep into the Amazon jungle. Usually they enter in the afternoon and they come back in the morning after staying in the jungle. Which animals can we find in the surroundings of Santa Maria de Fatima? The jungle here is really charming. Many times you find animals like monkeys. We have 2 types here, the mono ardilla (squirrel monkey) and the cervecerita (pichico pardo, saddle back tamarin), that has a white mouth. By night while walking you can find snakes in some ocassions, frogs like
How do people live in the Amazon rainforest? What it’s like to live in the Amazon jungle?
Don Julio, member of the Santa Maria de Fatima community On March, 2017 we went to Santa Maria de Fatima community, located in the Amazon river and we talked with Don Julio to share how Amazon rainforest people live. Don Julio is part of a group within the community that is in charge of developing this area in the context of sustainable ecotourism. He shared some insights with us in how people live in his community. What is your full name? My name is Julio Cahuachi Sanda. How old are you? I’m 67 years old. How long have you been living in the Santa Maria de Fatima community? I’ve been living here my whole life, since 1950, the year I was born. I’ve lived my childhood, when i was young and, well, now I’m an elder. I’m permanently here, I haven’t been out that much, just to work in some other places. Mostly I dedicate myself to my community. Don Julio and his house What is your role in the community? I work permanently with my group, we are about 20 people working in this paradise -I’m going to just call it like that, he says-. We have an environmental conservation area and we love that our tourist friends visit us and go deep into the Amazon jungle. Usually they enter in the afternoon and they come back in the morning after staying in the jungle. Surroundings of Santa Maria de Fatima, a true paradise Which animals can we find in the surroundings of Santa Maria de Fatima? The jungle here is really charming. Many times you find animals like monkeys. We have 2 types here, the mono ardilla (squirrel monkey) and the cervecerita (pichico pardo, saddle back tamarin), that has a white mouth. By night while walking you can find snakes in some ocassions, frogs like the sapo hualo and others. Of the birds you can see here, the Herons are the most known? Yes, the herons and the shansho (hoatzin). In the season you can find snowy egrett (garza blanca), white and brown boat billed herons (huapapa blanca y huapapa marron) and others. 3 floor wooden tower. Built by the community to enjoy the landscape and look for herons. When it’s the best time for seeing Herons? The best season it’s from May until September. How many people live in Santa Maria de Fatima? In the community we are 65 families. Older than 18 years are considered part of the community. Counting childs and adults we are 232 persons. What do you do for a living? Here the work we have is the agriculture and fishing. We sow so we can produce banana, yuca, corn and other vegetables. What do you like the most of living here? I like my community a lot. I love living here and that is why I stay here. Santa Maria de Fatima community: Blue buildings are the school What are the problems that your community has? We need many things here to improve. For example, an infrastructure to receive our friends that visit us like a community house, between other things that we have permanently delayed because we just can’t. Do you feel supported by the regional government? No. We belong to the Belen district but politically we belong to the Indiana district. In election times we go to Indiana, and to the Belen district, only 2 or 3 people go. For example, in front of my house, there are documents for making a new local building but that has been like that for 3 years. The thing is we don’t have support. What is the thing that visitors most like when they come? I’m one of the local guides, when the visitors come I come with them and show them the jungle. They say to me that this place is charming. What message would you like to give to the world, to the people who read this? I would give a message to our tourist friends:
Visit our community, we will be glad to welcome you.
Thank you, Don Julio Thank you, good day.
We are in the process of updating our tours in the Amazon river to include this destination. If you wanna visit them just send us a message. We strongly believe in the development of communities throught practices of self leadership and sustainable eco tourism. That’s why we support them. If you wanna contact Santa Maria de Fatima community you can do so through their Facebook page This is the first post of a series showing some perspectives from Amazon rainforest people. Interview by Luis Bustamante
What does luxury mean to you? What do you think it means to others? What constitutes luxury travel? We’ve been pondering on this question lately so we started researching different sources and brainstorming around this concept. Definitions usually helps us grasp the meaning, features and limits of a word. So we will start with 5 definitions from across the web. Definitions of luxury 1) Wikipedia Running a search on mighty Wikipedia we get no definition for luxury, but a series of disambiguations, being the most prominent: Luxury goods: "An economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises" Wow, take it easy Wikipedia. Next. 2) Webster’s NewWorld Dictionary Luxury: "a) the use and enjoyment of the best and most costly things that offer the most physical comfort and satisfaction b) anything contributing to such enjoyment, usually something considered unnecessary to life and health c) the unusual intellectual or emotional pleasure or comfort derived from some specified thing or something producing such pleasure or comfort" Why the “best and most costly things” produce only physical effetcs, while some apparently different “specified thing” (independent of the price) can bring intellectual and emotional pleasure? I get the point of not being necessary for life as in being vital. That luxury is not a basic need for survival. But unnecessary to health? Not entirely sold on this definition. The use of the word “unusual” sparked some fire in our brains. Why does it need to be unusual? Besides from that it gets the award to most confusing luxury definition. 3) Cambridge Dictionary Luxury: "a) Great comfort as specially provided by expensive and beautiful things b) Something expensive that is pleasant to have but is not necessary c) Something that gives you a lot of pleasure but cannot be done
What does luxury mean to you? What do you think it means to others? What constitutes luxury travel?
Does an all-natural-mud skin treatment count as luxury?
We’ve been pondering on this question lately so we started researching different sources and brainstorming around this concept.
Definitions usually helps us grasp the meaning, features and limits of a word. So we will start with 5 definitions from across the web.
Definitions of luxury
1) Wikipedia Running a search on mighty Wikipedia we get no definition for luxury, but a series of disambiguations, being the most prominent:
Luxury goods: “An economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises”
Wow, take it easy Wikipedia. Next.
2) Webster’s NewWorld Dictionary
Luxury: “a) the use and enjoyment of the best and most costly things that offer the most physical comfort and satisfaction b) anything contributing to such enjoyment, usually something considered unnecessary to life and health c) the unusual intellectual or emotional pleasure or comfort derived from some specified thing or something producing such pleasure or comfort”
Why the “best and most costly things” produce only physical effetcs, while some apparently different “specified thing” (independent of the price) can bring intellectual and emotional pleasure? I get the point of not being necessary for life as in being vital. That luxury is not a basic need for survival. But unnecessary to health? Not entirely sold on this definition. The use of the word “unusual” sparked some fire in our brains. Why does it need to be unusual? Besides from that it gets the award to most confusing luxury definition.
3) Cambridge Dictionary
Luxury: “a) Great comfort as specially provided by expensive and beautiful things b) Something expensive that is pleasant to have but is not necessary c) Something that gives you a lot of pleasure but cannot be done often”
Okay. So we have comfort, expensive, beautiful, pleasant, not necessary, not often. Nothing new over the horizon so far.
4) Investor Words Dictionary
Luxury: “A good or service that is not considered a necessity but is considered as something that brings pleasure and happiness”
This is a cool one. It doesn’t restrict it in frequency (have as many luxurious experiences as you want) and states one amazing word that was missing: Happiness
5) Merrian-Webster Dictionary
Luxury: “A condition of abundance or great ease and comfort”
Abundance. Nice word. And it doesn’t restrict it to physical plain only.
Putting together all those definitions we get our new one:
Luxury: “A good, service or experience that brings a condition of abundance and happiness without being a necessity for life. Could be associated to beautiful, expensive and scarce things.”
Having delicious fried bananas while camping in the jungle must be a luxury
The evolution of the word luxury: From sex to time
The first recordings of the word luxury (in English) are from 1340. It comes from France, imported by the Normans and it meant “lust” or sexual desire.
It can be traced back to the ancient Romans and the latin word “luxuria”, meaning “extravagance, excess”. It was used to describe chaotic and wild living. For wealth and splendor, they used the word “luxus”.
Going forward to Elizabethan times the word was associated with adultery. Look at this Shakespeare extract from that time:
Would you not swear, All you that see her, that she were a maid. By these exterior shows? But she is none. She knows the heat of a luxurious bed. Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty. —William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, 1600
Over time, the word luxury kept evolving. From “sumptuous living or environment” to “nonessential” or “indulgent” practices, goods or activities.
In material goods, it started moving away from the cost of the materials and, in the present day, being more about the time spent in the making, the craftsmanship, and resourcefulness. Hand made things started to be appreciated as more luxurious in an attempt to get away from mass production.
Luxury today
I think that now, in this modern living, people are shifting their view in what constitutes luxury. Marcin Rusak exemplified this in the installation “Time for yourself” inside the “What is luxury?’ exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This piece consisted in a compass spinning in random directions and a watch without a dial. Rusak describes it as:
“It is almost impossible to get truly lost these days. It would take a lot of effort to experience this luxury”
We certainly agree with that.
Getting lost in the jungle as a luxury
According to Skift34% of people from the United States didn’t take a break in 2016 and 2/3 of all surveyed people said they took less than 10 days off in the same year.
Wow.
So maybe having some time off could be considered a luxury today if we assume that this would bring happiness and abundance to all these people.
Luxury travel
We think it is equally important to consider what do you make of that time off, if you truly engage in activities that bring you happiness and abundance.
That’s the aim we have in mind when we think about luxury travel.
Travel luxury at its best. Experiencing our connection with nature.
For us this means:
Caring for our visitors as people, not numbers.
Treating them with respect and giving them not only quality food or equipment, but quality experiences.
Making them feel safe and welcomed.
Sharing with them our passion and showing them we know the jungle and our craft.
Helping people feel more connected with nature.
Being widely available in a variety of channels and respond in a timely manner.
Being willing to customize itineraries according to the visitor needs (including food choices, activities, etc)
We used to think that luxury was associated with 5 stars hotels. Now we know that it’s more related to enjoying a clear-sky night view of 5 thousand stars in the middle of the jungle. And being damn happy about it.
Discussion
We don’t attempt to provide a definitive answer on what is luxury or luxury travel today, but rather to engage in this opportunity to reflect and share our views with you.
What do you think? What are your views on the term luxury? When was your last luxurious experience?
Share with us on our Facebook or drop us an email at booking@amazonexperience.net.
We will love to hear from you. Have a luxurious day!
After being nominated and shortlisted for the LTG Awards 2017 (Luxury Travel Guide Awards), a few days ago we received an email that made us jump and high-five everyone in our office: Yes! We won. That LTG Awards recognizes our work is great because it means that all the effort we put into caring for our visitors is being reflected not only in raving excellent reviews but by being recognized by International standards in Service Excellence. In their own words: All winners of the Holiday & Tour Specialist awards are subject to the same rigorous assessment criteria, carried out by our experienced in-house professionals as well as several celebrity guest judges. This ensures that only the most deserving teams, businesses, and individuals walk away with one of these prestigious accolades. All Luxury Travel Guide Award programs represent the pinnacle of achievement, championing the best in their respective fields, therefore to come out as a clear winner is an achievement to be proud of. Indeed we are very proud of this achievement and it encourages us to continue delivering a quality service with a smiling face to all our visitors. Thanks for tuning in, the Sloth will now play the celebration song.
After being nominated and shortlisted for the LTG Awards 2017 (Luxury Travel Guide Awards), a few days ago we received an email that made us jump and high-five everyone in our office:
Amazon Experience – LTG Awards 2017
Yes! We won.
That LTG Awards recognizes our work is great because it means that all the effort we put into caring for our visitors is being reflected not only in raving excellent reviews but by being recognized by International standards in Service Excellence.
In their own words:
All winners of the Holiday & Tour Specialist awards are subject to the same rigorous assessment criteria, carried out by our experienced in-house professionals as well as several celebrity guest judges. This ensures that only the most deserving teams, businesses, and individuals walk away with one of these prestigious accolades.
All Luxury Travel Guide Award programs represent the pinnacle of achievement, championing the best in their respective fields, therefore to come out as a clear winner is an achievement to be proud of.
Indeed we are very proud of this achievement and it encourages us to continue delivering a quality service with a smiling face to all our visitors.
Thanks for tuning in, the Sloth will now play the celebration song.
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