I'll start by saying that this was an amazing trip and our guide, Victor was fantastic. He kept a chronically late group on schedule, yet paced the hikes perfectly for our group that included kids aged 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 years old.

The rooms were basic - as expected, but the first night the sounds of the jungle were deafening, given that the rooms have only screens for windows. Unless you absolutely cant manage one restless night, I would suggest that this was a big part of the adventure and not to be missed by selecting another lodge with air-conditioning.

The last night we were there we unfortunately got some noisy neighbours who insisted on talking very loudly.

The food was fantastic even for our very picky kids and when our kids weren't "digging in" Marina made up a basket of fries.

Our flight started with a 3 hours delay which put part of our group at the lodge ahead of us, and caused us to miss part of the planned tour. However, Victor made it up for us during the stay.

When one of our kids got sick and ran a fever the staff were truly caring, comforting and accommodating.

Don’t miss monkey island

And the hit for the kids was the pool, which made for great bribery as we were hiking through the jungle

I am fond of visiting Amazon River and livivng in Heliconia Lodge. Very good guide Victor!

We just came back from Heliconia and loved it. Our guide, Ricardo, was knowledgable and funny at the same time. He made our trip extremely enjoyable. Someone in my party got extremely sick and they made her tea and soups. We also had a birthday and they made her a huge cake and Freddy sang Happy Birthday in his guitar.

The food was excellent and I was surprised at the many choices and how delicious it was. The rooms are basic, but we knew this going into it. February is a hot month and the humidity was killer, especially after lights go out and there are no fans. Again, not a surprise and does not reflect poorly on their part. Their bar/lounge was nice with Freddy, the bartender, playing the guitar and joining us for a few games of Sapo. There's also a pool table and a hammock room to enjoy, all of which we made use of.

Our tours with Ricardo were great - we went on walks to see water lilies, to spot a few animals, learn about plants, visited two local tribes, went to a sugar cane distillery, piranha fishing and night tours (one to see the sunset and listen to the jungle at night which was great). A previous poster mentioned bringing school supplies and treats. We did this (and some other people on our tour read and did the same) and it was so worth it. They appreciated everything - jump ropes, stencils, hair scrunchies, candies. So worthwhile. The tribes performed dances for us and the Yaguas even let us try a blowdart.

Heliconia's service was fantastic, from booking, to tours, to helping us out when we were feeling sick (we got sick from Lima NOT the Amazon, we actually felt better there). Their detail to service was fantastic and we would DEFINITELY recommend people stay here. You just have to be aware of what this trip will entail, no frills or luxuries and you'll be fine.

Just returned from 3 days and 2 nights at the Haliconia Amazon River Lodge, and I have to say my expectations were exceeded. It was the perfect of blend of comfort while getting to enjoy a real jungle experience. The rooms are simple, but clean and comfortable. The food was fantastic: local, varied and delicious. All of the staff was fantastic. Very friendly, helpful and went out of their way to ensure it was a great experience. My guide, Vladimir (really, he is local), was friendly, knowledgeable and made a lot of effort to ensure that I (and the rest of my group) got the most of our visit to the lodge.