vOLUNTEER AT AN eco-lODGE IN THE aMAZON rAINFOREST
Colombia and Brazil
GoEco describes the project with ‘as far away from society as possible’, which is precisely what Heliconia is – a very, very remote location in the middle of the jungle somewhere between Colombia and Brazil. I enjoyed it tremendously, since in my ‘normal’ life I’m quite involved…
The Amazon Rainforest is a beautiful and peaceful place.
The lodgings themselves are basic, but quite nice and well-kept, the food is excellent and the people there are just great!
- One of the huts in nestled in the jungle
- Peace in the Amazon
The main transportation is via boat. With a fast boat you can reach the Eco-Lodge only after a three to four-hour boat trip; a slower boat will take at least six hours.
Whether you wish to visit one of the local communities or the 400-year old massive tree, everything’s done with boats.
- 400 year old tree!
Walks in the jungle – recommended only with guide – are a completely different experience. You enter a world of greenery and wilderness, and you immediately know you are just a tolerated guest. To watch wildlife, you need a lot of patience. Man is not deemed good company for most of the bigger animals, so they tend to avoid us loud and clumsy visitors.
- Into the jungle…
I immensely enjoyed the rivers, sitting in an old wooden canoe, watching the sun creeping over the trees, birds everywhere, fish jumping out of the water and surrounded by peace rarely available in our modern society. And above all – no mosquitoes on the river! 
- Some of the animals are friendlier than others
- Piranhas for dinner!
Overall it was an amazing experience and I can recommend it to everyone not afraid of all kinds of critters, spiders, snakes and piranhas (not as dangerous as Hollywood would make us believe, at least not the ones I met, caught and ate 
.