Cristalino Jungle Lodge

I was amazed that this beautiful place existed in such a remote location. Food, service, accommodations, staff and excursions were great. They use sustainable practices to minimize the impact upon nature. We saw quite a few monkeys, macaws, agoutis and capybaras right at the resort. Highly recommend.

Cristalino lodge is a very special place tucked into a huge swath of privately protected Amazonian rainforest and nestled against a government protected area. After a pick up from the airport, lunch and a boat ride we arrived at the lodge. Truly wild and unspoilt. The accommodation is nicely tucked away in some manicured areas with a view of the surrounding forest. More vegetation around the Superior room would offer complete privacy. Our guide, Mauricio, and dedicated boat captain Sebastao were unparalleled in skill and knowledge. They were just as excited as we were for each and every animal/bird spotting. It was a joy to explore with them. The restaurant is phenomenal. We pre ordered our meals each day. There is a lot of variety. The cocktails are delicious. The staff is attentive and warm. The restaurant manager actually surprised my husband and I with a birthday cake - no easy feat in the jungle! The tours interesting every day and the wildlife plentiful. Vitoria, the founder/owner arrived with her family and I was so happy to meet such an inspiration. She is lovely and her adult children are continuing the work. I can’t say enough good things. It was a dream come true to visit the Amazon and we will visit again next year.

The lodge is isolated but that is a major reason why you would go there. It's location in the forest makes it a very peaceful place. Our room was very comfortable even though it was not air conditioned, the fan kept the air circulating. The bed was comfortable and there were good lights for reading in bed. The shower was strong and hot and well lit. The sink counter was large. Towels were plush. Fresh water was supplied and filled regularly and the room serviced twice a day. The food was excellent for all the meals. Breakfast was the best we had in our 1 month stay. The staff were wonderful. Friendly and very helpful. Bruno our nature guide was excellent. He had so much knowledge of the plants, amphibians,reptiles and birds and a very nice polite respectful young man who also helped with translating when the other staff were unable to understand what we wanted.

We arrived by boat on a very hot day, around 38C/100F. It was 2pm and, after a flight, a one hour car drive on a dirt road and 30min boat trip (with no roof) under the sun, I was yearning for a cold long shower in a fresh room. You won't believe this but when I entered the room, a bungalow in the rainforest, there was NO a/c at all, just two fans. The temperature inside the room was much higher than outside. I promise, it was like entering an oven!!! I just couldn't believe it! This is a place that charges $800/1.000 per night! I nearly had a claustrophobic breakdown thinking of being trapped in the place for days with no escape from the terrible heat. When I told the manager, with an interpreter because he only speaks Portuguese (...), he said it was a specially designed architecture with natural ventilation... I gave him a piece of my mind about that in no uncertain terms. The natural ventilation didn't seem to work very well as long as inside the room the temperature was at least 43C/110F. Of course any hotel can choose not to have a/c, but, being in a tropical country, they MUST advertise it in their website, so that people know what to expect. And that was not all: the following day, after a very poor sleep night, I discovered a communal room with a/c (switched off). They kept the information at the arrival briefing... Finally: the place has pretensions of fine dining, but you have to keep your dirty cutlery all the meal, in the bathroom there are just two towels per person, one middle size and one large, no hand towels, no tissues, no umbrellas in the room (this is the rainforest...), only at the restaurant, no phone to communicate with the communal areas quite far away, no fridge in the room. There is a floating deck, very different looking from the picture on the website, but no cushions on the wooden sun loungers, very hard and uncomfortable. In the evening, despite the very high temperatures, they lit a large smoky fire in the open restaurant, just to be a bit more cosier... Our guide, Francisco, a mine of informations about birds and all things about the Amazon, was by far the best thing of the lodge. Think twice before going to this place, unless you absolutely love birds and do not care about anything else. We had an early departure and I was glad to see the lodge fading away down the river...

We stayed for 3 nights in August - the dry season - and were incredibly impressed. The birdlife and wildlife is fantastic (we were particularly focused on birds - and there were good opportunities in the towers and in bird hides for particular species). Spending time on the river itself was fantastic, seeing many things come to the waters edge, as well as specific hikes and activities. The lodge itself was really impressive - all meals, the layout of it and the standard. We stayed in a Junior Bungalow and it was incredible. Probably the best type of rainforest lodge we have stayed in before. We would definetely go back - not least of which because we really got the sense the area was being protected well by the Foundation.

We spent 4 nights, 3 full days at the lodge. Our guide tailored the excursions to our interests while providing insight into the Amazon biome. Caio was incredibly knowledgeable and our boatman Thio was overflowing with knowledge from 23 yrs of guiding. The sunrise tower experience was our favorite. We loved the river excursions and kayaking. Our room was very comfortable and we were blessed to be upgraded to the only unit with a/c. The food is excellent tho a bit too gourmet for my taste. Be prepared for the heat. Few bugs when we were there but bring a spray with DEET. The Pia type is useless. Saw lots of wildlife and beautiful birds but from a distance. Very nice setting to unwind.