Policies

All activities require the client to sign an indemnity and responsibility terms once on location.

We strongly recommend all clients hire also a “From Scene of Accident Medvac Insurance” before arrival. The Company is not responsible for Medical Evacuation costs.

We strongly recommend securing insurance that covers medical contingencies while abroad and cancel for any reason travel insurance. Click here to purchase travel insurance with our partner, Global Rescue.

Fishing for peacock bass in the Amazon jungle represents one of the last frontiers in the fly fishing world. As with any such hyper-remote destinations, there can be challenges associated with offering a first-class experience in the ‘back of beyond’. In the Amazon, water level conditions will, on occasion, present such challenges. The Amazon River annual water level cycles are not a simple equation, even for the most experienced local experts. Normally, high and low water levels here follow a fairly predictable monthly cycle, but climate changes and the effects of stronger or weaker El Nino and La Nina cycles can directly and immediately affect those levels.
 
Specifically, these El Nino and La Nina events tend to impact the amount of rain in the headwaters of Amazon rivers, which in turn affects the entire Amazon basin. Water levels are important when fishing for peacock bass, and understanding how to work around them is a key component to success. Low water does not always result in the best fishing, just as high water is not always the worst thing. More important is to understand where and how to fish as the water fluctuates.

The Rio Marié system has more than 650 kilometers of rivers, tributaries and lagoons from its headwaters down to its merging with the Rio Negro. This unique and extensive water system allows for incomparable flexibility; the yacht and anglers can move up or downstream throughout the season - every week or even daily - to reach the best water levels in which to find trophy fish. This is useful when mitigating less than ideal water conditions. Though the Rio Marie season has been chosen to coincide with the best water conditions annually, it’s difficult to predict water levels, and this is one of the risks associated with fishing the Amazon.

If you are not comfortable with the risk of the river levels being too high or low during your trip, then it is probably not the trip for you. You will not be refunded for water conditions that may not meet your expectations.

All visitors must read and agree this term for Native Land entrance authorization. You must sign the term provided on you arrival in Brazil prior departure to Rio Marié.

1. Respect Indigenous customs, practices, beliefs, and traditions, and comply with all other applicable provisions of the Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988 (Articles 231 and 232), Federal Law No. 6,001/1973 (the Indian Statute), and International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 (incorporated into Brazilian law by Decree No. 5,051/2004).
2. Comply with the requirements established by Federal Law No. 9,610/1998 (Copyright Law), FUNAI Ordinance No. 177/2006 (concerning Indigenous copyright and image rights), and FUNAI Normative Instruction No. 3/2015, which establishes rules and guidelines for visitation activities on Indigenous lands.
3. Carry an official photo identification document and my individual entry authorization at all times while on Indigenous land.
4. Not remain on or travel through Indigenous land unless accompanied by the responsible Indigenous representatives designated by ACIBRN, and not follow any route other than those previously established in the Visitation Plan.
5. Not remove any material from Indigenous land, except for waste generated during the visit.
6. Not engage in hunting, fishing, resource extraction, including fruit gathering, or any other activity that infringes upon the Indigenous peoples' exclusive usufruct rights or is otherwise prohibited by law.
7. Not publish or otherwise disseminate photographic, video, or audio recordings without the Indigenous peoples' prior authorization, even for non-commercial purposes, in accordance with applicable law.
8. Not record or disclose sacred rituals, techniques, or traditional Indigenous knowledge without the community's prior authorization, in accordance with applicable law.
9. Not carry or consume alcoholic beverages or illegal substances during sport fishing activities, particularly in the presence of Indigenous persons.
10. Not carry firearms.
11. Not conduct research, religious proselytizing, commercial or journalistic activities, or any other activity not included in the approved visitation itinerary.
12. Respect the traditional calendar of the Baré, Baniwa, and Tukano Peoples, including the fish spawning season (beginning in January) and all other sociocultural cycles described in the Visitation Plan.
13. Not engage in harassment, romantic or sexual relationships, or any other form of disrespect toward the community, under penalty of immediate revocation of my authorization.
14. Engage exclusively in catch-and-release sport fishing under the Community-Based Tourism model, with mandatory continuous environmental monitoring as authorized by IBAMA and FUNAI; all other forms of fishing are prohibited.
15. Ensure that every speckled peacock bass (Cichla temensis) is measured, regardless of size.
16. Not use treble hooks under any circumstances.
17. Use the proper measuring board recommended by IBAMA to measure fish. If a potential record fish is caught, also use the official IGFA (International Game Fish Association) measuring device.
18. Allow fish to be weighed only by the Indigenous monitor or fishing guides, never by the visiting angler.
19. Follow proper fish-handling practices, primarily using hands and/or gloves, or, only when necessary, aluminum fish-gripping pliers to remove the hook quickly. Any handling that causes unnecessary injury to the fish is prohibited.
20. Use landing nets for all large fish.
21. Not hold large fish (specimens over 80 cm, locally known as "velhões") vertically with a Boga-style fish gripper for photographs.
22. Respect and follow all instructions given by Indigenous guides and monitors regarding fishing procedures, authorized areas, and conduct during fishing activities.
23. Not leave the fishing boat or hotel boat unaccompanied at any time while within the territory.
24. Not take photographs or record videos without the Indigenous monitors' express prior authorization.
25. Not bring your own, or consume alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs during sport fishing activities. Controlled consumption of alcoholic beverages is permitted during meals aboard the boat.
26. Respect the maximum limit of six (6) fishing skiffs operating simultaneously on the Marié River. Each skiff must be accompanied by one (1) Indigenous monitor and one professional guide, whose directions regarding procedures and fishing areas must be strictly followed.
27. Not stop or disembark at unauthorized locations outside the daily itinerary established for each fishing boat, with particular respect for turtle nesting areas and wildlife feeding areas.
28. Not use "Live View" sonar or any other electronic equipment that actively locates fish and interferes with recreational sport fishing.
29. Observe the scheduled departure time for fishing (8:00 a.m., or exceptionally 7:30 a.m. for more distant locations), take the mandatory lunch break, and observe a total of approximately eight (8) hours of fishing per day.
30. Fish exclusively in the following areas authorized for sport fishing:

Middle Marié (between the Ueni River and the Turi River);
Upper Marié (upstream of the Turi River);
Turi River;
Rubo River.

1. Respect the zoning that reserves the Lower Marié (from its mouth to the Ueni River) exclusively for community use. Sport fishing is expressly prohibited in this section.
2. Keep and use all safety equipment provided (life jackets are mandatory on every vessel) and follow all safety instructions issued by the crew.
3. Not leave behind or discard waste within the territory. All solid waste generated during the visit must be stored aboard the hotel boat/barge and disposed of outside the Indigenous Land. Waste is separated aboard into organic waste, cans, plastics, paper, glass, and sanitary waste.
4. Immediately report any medical emergency, accident, or health incident to the Indigenous monitor or responsible guide.

I ACKNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTAND THAT:

1. I will be exposed to risks inherent in entering an environment containing external elements that may cause bodily harm, including insects and wild animals, as well as the possibility of contracting tropical diseases or experiencing gastrointestinal complications from consuming untreated water or foods that differ from an urban diet. I further acknowledge that drinking water aboard the vessel will be treated through filtration and reverse osmosis, and that I must follow the team's recommendations to minimize risk.
2. Visitation may be provisionally suspended at any time, without prejudice to the subsequent commencement of due legal process, in any of the following circumstances:

I – violation of Indigenous rights;

II – imminent land-related or social conflict on Indigenous land;

III – impairment of public service delivery;

IV – any situation posing a risk to the life, health, or safety of visitors, the Indigenous community, or its partners;

V – administrative or judicial proceedings for the removal of non-Indigenous persons from Indigenous land;

VI – confirmation of the presence of isolated Indigenous peoples within the area covered by the Visitation Plan;

VII – environmental offenses related to tourism activities; or

VIII – breach of any provision of the Visitation Plan, including the supplementary provisions of this Agreement.

1. Visitation authorization may be revoked at any time at the request of the consenting Indigenous community or the project proponent.
2. Without prejudice to any other penalties provided by law, the individual authorization to enter Indigenous land will be revoked if the visitor engages in any conduct prohibited by this Agreement or by FUNAI regulations.
3. This authorization to enter Indigenous land for tourism purposes does not replace any specific authorization required to conduct research, religious, commercial, journalistic, or any other activities governed by separate regulations.
4. At FUNAI's discretion, the entrant may be required to provide a medical certificate confirming that the entrant does not carry any infectious or communicable disease, or to present a vaccination record.
5. FUNAI supervises visitation activities and assumes no responsibility for providing any services related to the approved Visitation Plan.

I further declare that I have received, read, and fully understood the Visitor Code of Conduct for the Rio Marié Sport Fishing Tourism Project, attached to the Visitation Plan app.

U.S. Embassy in Brazil (In Case of Emergency)
Emergencies include: death, arrest, stolen or lost passports.
Emergency services do not require an appointment.

Brasilia: 24 hour emergency assistance:
(61) 3312-7000 during Embassy’s working hours (8:00 AM to 5:00 PM)
(61) 3312-7400 after hours 
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Manaus Hostess and Logistics: Debora Motta
Cellular and Messages: +55 (92) 99403-4631
Email: [email protected]

Customer service: Allan Pereira
Cellullar and Messages: + 55 (14) 99106-2625
Email: [email protected]