This local guide is eager to show off the Amazon

 

Would Percy Fawcett and his companions have returned from Brazilian jungle hale and hearty had they had one of Josue Basilio’s forefathers as a guide? Well, given the Basilio family’s ability to find its way around in the Amazon that might well have been the case.

Fawcett was a retired British army officer-turned-explorer who spent a lot of time in Brazil in the early 20th century, eventually becoming fascinated with tales of an advanced but abandoned city hidden deep in Brazilian jungle. Fawcett, who first arrived in Brazil after being asked to map a sparsely populated Amazon region, eventually set out to find the city that he labelled Z, returning in defeat more than once.

Undaunted, Fawcett sent off on another expedition with two companions in 1925 and none of the three were ever seen again. His story was told in the 2016 movie The Lost City of Z, which starred the likes of Sienna Miller and Tom Holland.

Basilio, a guide with Amazon Brazil travel company Katerre Expedition, which is based in the Amazon community of Novo Airao, reports that he never gets lost in the jungle, and his father and grandfather were equally at home in the world’s largest expanse of rainforest. “This is my house,” Basilio says of the wilderness.

The adventurous Basilio routinely leads Katerre Expedition guests into the jungle, happily demonstrating his wilderness skills, which are often dependent on his ever-present machete.

A recent Amazon waterways cruise on Katerre’s Jacare-Acu vessel had Basilio showing visitors how to make rubber, with his region once enjoying great affluence during the rubber boom. Basilio cheerfully made an incision in a rubber tree, then had a container catch the sap (area monkeys like to tip the containers so sap gatherers should keep a watchful eye on their area, he confided) and then quickly turned that sap into rubber.

Other tours had the multi-lingual Indigenous guide coaxing a large tarantula from its nest while cautioning his group to get somewhat but not overly close to the venomous creature; luring some bullet ants — known for their fearsome stings — into view; skillfully imitating the sounds of jungle birds; plucking a a smallish  but carnivorous caiman from the water and then showing it to the tourists he shared a boat with before releasing the seemingly relaxed reptile unharmed into river water; and using his machete to fashion a vine into a type of rope that he used to quickly scale a branchless tree trunk.

“The machete is very important in the jungle. If I have my machete, I can survive,” says Basilio, who dubs his machete a “pocketknife.” Basilio’s sprawling, untamed backyard is home to many creatures, some seemingly cute, and others which likely wouldn’t earn that description from visitors.

“On one side you have alligators. On the other side you have piranhas,” the affable Basilio jokingly told those he was recently sharing a boat with. Basilio says the jungle serves as his pharmacy, providing plants that can be used to successfully treat a variety of ailments.

Those at home in the jungle will certainly find food if they know what to look for, says Basilio, who notes that he’s eaten bullet ants, which he describes as lacking in flavour; and hearts of palm, which were delicious. Basilio’s own jungle track record leaves him to believe that an individual can learn adequate wilderness survival skills within six months and after two years be totally okay wandering deep into the Amazon unaccompanied. “They can throw me from a helicopter (well, into the jungle). I will survive,” Basilio confidently states.

More information can be found at katerre.com/us. The company can also be reached by emailing patricia@ourwholevillage.com

STORY AND PHOTOS BY IAN STALKER

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Latest

Sand, sun and self care: today’s wellness resorts go way beyond the spa

If your idea of a dream vacation includes IV drips, cryo chambers and gut microbiome analysis, you’re not alone. According to the latest ILTM Altiant travel survey, more than half of affluent travellers have already taken a wellness-focused trip, and 59 per cent are curious about how tech and AI can help improve their health. Booking.com’s 2025 travel predictions also

Viking has added its very first river voyages through India

Viking has announced its first river voyages in India on the Viking Brahmaputra, a new 80-guest vessel designed specifically for the Brahmaputra River. Currently under construction and scheduled to debut in late 2027, the Viking Brahmaputra will set a new standard for modern river voyages in India. The ship will sail between Guwahati and Nimati Ghat in the northeastern state of Assam

Air Canada just resumed non-stop service to Lima, Peru

Air Canada is further expanding its winter 2025-26 network by resuming non-stop service to Lima, Peru with twice weekly flights from both Montreal and Toronto. The airline is also adding three new routes to Central America and Mexico including, Montreal-Belize, Toronto-Puerto Escondido*, and Vancouver-Tepic, Riviera Nayarit*, building on its recent Latin America expansion announcement.  Flights are now available for sale at aircanada.com,

This 17-night Canadian Arctic expedition travels from Greenland to Newfoundland

Atlas Ocean Voyages has launched a brand-new polar expedition for 2026: the Canadian Arctic Discovery 17-night expedition aboard World Voyager, sailing September 21 from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland to St. John’s, Newfoundland. This journey offers explorers a rare opportunity to traverse the remote regions of the Canadian Arctic and Labrador, highlighting the untamed wilderness, rich cultural diversity, and unforgettable wildlife encounters. This newly unveiled Arctic itinerary