Cristalino Lodge

intimate hosting, lovely rooms and elegant dining

Set 36 km (20 miles) to the northeast of Alta Floresta, Cristalino Lodge is a high-quality conservation-focused property.

This lodge is tucked away amongst rich tropical rainforest, alongside the small Rio Cristalino.

It is centred on a very stylish main building, with separate lounge and dining areas, leading out to extensive decking, with a central campfire and a floating deck above the river.

There is also a gift shop and an unusually cool and stylish conference hall, which is often used for private nature lectures, as well as upmarket corporate events, functions and weddings.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Cristalino Lodge is in 18 rooms.

All rooms have private bathrooms, fans and forced ventilation which takes advantage of naturally cool air during the night. There is no air-conditioning.

• Special Bungalows : 80 sqm / 850 sqft

A detached bungalow in a forest setting, with a master bedroom containing a king or two single beds, plus an ante-room with two sofa beds for children.

• Bungalow : 75 sqm / 810 sqft

A detached bungalow in a forest setting, with a master bedroom containing a king or two single beds, plus an ante-room with two sofa beds for children. Private verandah with outside shower and hammock.

• Junior Bungalow : 60 sqm / 650 sqft

A detached bungalow in a forest setting, with a king or three single beds. Private verandah.

• Superior Rooms : 53 sqm / 570 sqft

These rooms are arranged two to each bungalow, with a king or two single beds. Private garden with outside shower and hammock.

• Standard Rooms : 22 sqm / 240 sqft

These rooms are arranged four to each bungalow, with king or three single beds. Much smaller and with simpler decor.

Activities

Cristalino Lodge offers a range of guided activities…

• canoe safari
• walking safari
• bird-watching
• motorboat safari
• night motorboat safari

The biodiversity in this part of the Amazon is surprisingly good, arguably greater than in the more central areas around Manaus.

Notably the lodge has two enormous 50 metre (165’) towers from which to observe the prolific life up in the tree canopies.

The Alta Floresta region of the Amazon is almost always visited in combination with the Pantanal, a vast wetland to the south which is the strongest safari area in South America. The two areas are connected by flights between Alta Floresta and Cuiaba.

Cristalino Lodge is usually visited for 3-4 nights. Most guests deploy a further 5-12 nights in Pantanal, typically adding up to a combined stay of one to two weeks.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Alta Floresta is generally considered to be during the Jun-Oct dry season.

There is a common misconception that, because the Amazon is classified as having a tropical rainforest climate, conditions are constant year round. This is most definitely not the case, the seasons here are very strongly defined.

Getting there

The area is reached by scheduled flights into Alta Floresta Airport (AFL), with regular connections from Cuiaba Airport (CBG), which lies 650 km (405 miles) to the south and is the main point of access for the northern side of the Pantanal (with which it is usually combined).

Cuiaba Airport (CBG) is generally accessed via São Paulo Airport (GRU) or Rio de Janeiro Airport (SDU).

From Alta Floresta Airport it’s a road transfer of around 35 minutes to the northeast, largely passing through farmland, then entering forest for the last couple of kilometres to reach the Rio Teles Pires.

From there it’s a motorboat ride of around 30 minutes, around 6 km down the main river, then turning north into the much smaller Rio Cristalino for 3 km north to reach the jetty at Cristalino Lodge.

almost always combined with the Pantanal