Pousada Natureza

Pousada Natureza sits on Igarapé Tiririca, a historic arm of the Rio Preto da Eva, in the Santa Luzia do Tiririca community about 80 km from Manaus (AM). Getting there combines road and river: by car along the AM-010 highway to the town dock in Rio Preto da Eva, then roughly a 30-minute boat ride through the more than 16 igarapé arms that surround the lodge, a maze of water that opens up varied fishing scenery without ever leaving the area.

Peacock bass is the house's signature target. About four years ago the local government of Rio Preto da Eva banned predatory peacock bass fishing on Igarapé Tiririca, and the community has kept up daily watch ever since, four years of catch-and-release that have rebuilt a stock of genuinely large fish. Beyond peacock bass, the base also reaches arapaima (a regulated-fishing species), tambaqui, wolf fish (traíra), redtail catfish, piraíba catfish, matrinxã and silver arowana.

Groups are closed and capped at 12 anglers (10 is the ideal comfort number), running in 15hp boats also fitted with electric trolling motors and piloted by native guides who know the igarapé's fishing spots. Fuel is unlimited for exploring the area, life jackets and a first-aid kit go on every outing, and natural bait for catfish species is arranged on request.

Lodging is in wooden rooms built on stilts, each with a private bathroom and air conditioning, in double-bed or bunk-bed layouts sleeping up to 3. The package is all-inclusive: a hearty breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee and dinner built around regional fish, plus mineral water, soft drinks and juices; Wi-Fi covers the common areas. A van meets the group for the overland leg, and the final stretch from the Rio Preto da Eva town dock to the lodge runs by the operation's own boats.

The closest river gauge with a continuous record (Jatuarana, on the Rio Solimões-Amazonas, about 21 km away) tracks the same seasonal pattern visible in the lodge's own photos: water rises to a June peak, then falls from July, bottoming out around October-November, when the wide sandbanks around the property are exposed and open up beach-style fishing before the river climbs again in December.