Special Offers available

Full Service Booking - Personal Trips

The Arapaima Paradise Lodge is now complete at the privately-owned Fazenda to accommodate a maximum of eight anglers, and we are taking bookings for the first time, with the key season being mid-summer to November. Four twin rooms with en-suite bathrooms, a dining room, fully stocked kitchen and bar and a large lounge area will find our anglers in complete comfort during their stay. 

Cold beers and soft drinks/water etc. are all included in the package, along with daily laundry, all meals, transfers, flights from Manaus, Brazil through Porto Velho into Guyamarin in Bolivia and onto the Fazenda.

We have a large comfortable boat with a 140hp engine for transfers to the ponds along the river each morning and anglers will fish from skiffs made especially for Arapaima fishing that will be in the lakes waiting and ready with your guides. There are also specialized boats for Catfishing, which in the main is done with baits, although you can catch some of the more predatory cats on lures. 

Arapaima Gigas

This mighty leviathan is the one fish that every angler wants to catch. It lurks in the many shallows ponds, lagoons and lakes here in on this Bolivian reservation. This beautiful fish is prehistoric in every sense. It’s an air breather, but it’s an incredibly delicate fish for its size at the same time. We have found many lake systems to fish for these huge Giants of the Amazon.

Arapaimas ‘roll’ on the surface to gulp air and they easily give their presence away. With our strict catch and release policy, ALL Arapaima are returned unharmed. They are revived carefully and released quickly to fight another day. 

These incredible river monsters grow in excess of 4.5m and reach over 500lb! The areas where we fish hold many Arapaima, more than we have seen anywhere else, and we target them using big lures and flies, lures or with live, cut or whole dead baits.

To catch an Arapaima on a fly must be up there with the ultimate fishing experience to be had by any angler in the world! Heavy 10-12wt. outfits and big flies are a must here. 

We also fish ‘lighter’ outfits with medium-sized lures to trigger amazingly strong and aggressive strikes from big Arapaima. A heavy or medium-heavy set-up with 65lbs braid provides some of the best sport fishing for these leviathans.

It’s breath-taking fishing that is simply unforgettable, as the skiffs drift silently through the shallow waters or hold up on poles waiting for one of these giants to show themselves within casting range. The rest is up to you, and the takes… well they are like no other on the planet.

An arapaima is a quite spectacular fighter too. Once this giant realises it’s hooked it sets off on huge, searing runs (you will need plenty of backing) and just when you think it might be tiring, even a 300lb plus arapaima will leap from the water shaking it’s huge head in a bid to throw the hook. Wow. 

Big Cats - More Amazon River Monsters

Huge Catfish, from the unusual up to big, bruising bullies are found in the deep holes of the river system proper. All can be caught on cutbait, livebait or whole dead fish. 

Two species of Surubim or Shovel-nosed Tiger Cats (including the easily-caught and very odd, elongated ‘Paletta’ or Firewood Shovel-nose) are both fast, sleek and strike hard. These hieroglyphically-marked predators are also caught on lures, and make for spectacular photographs. Growing to over 50lb, they are powerful fish to catch.

The Flat-whiskered Cat is a dynamite of a fish for its size. Averaging 15lb, they max out at about 25lb and are the tastiest fish in the Amazon. 

The express train Redtail Cats must be rated as the hardest-fighting catfish in the whole Amazon Basin for their size. An 80lb Redtail will take you all over the river and strip line in reel-smoking, screaming runs. 

Monster ‘Amarillos’ or Jau Cats to over 180lb are present here, way over the IGFA All Tackle record for the species. These Rottweillers of the river dwell in the rocks and fast water. They are dirty fighters and will try to take you deep in their caves! Gentle persuasion followed by brute force and a slice of Lady Luck is needed to land these giants.

The big Dorada Golden Catfish grows to over 150lb and when hooked, roars off at 100 miles an hour. A great adversary by any standards. 

The catfishing here in Bolivia is spectacular, and we have as yet just scratched the surface.  There are many, many other species to go at too using smaller lures, flies and baits – it’s really all up to you.

SEASON

Mid June - November

RATES

USD 4.500 pp for six full fishing days and 8 nights at the lodge

• Included: 9 nights, with one night at hotel on 1st day of arrival in Manaus, Brazil, return flights Manaus/Porto Velho/Guyamarin/Fazenda, seven nights at lodge with six full days guided Arapaima and Cat fishing, daily laundry, local transfers, all meals, water, soft drinks and beer.
• Not included: International airfares, tipping (suggested USD $250 per person to be divided between guides and lodge staff), meals and drinks other than in lodge or when fishing, liquor or other drinks other than above, costs associated with medical advice and medications for your trip, lures, fishing tackle etc.                                                                                             

SPECIAL OFFER FOR FFTC MEMBERS

 5% discount

Transfer - Schedules

• Day 1: Arrive in the city of Manaus, Brazil, transfer and overnight at Hotel. 
• Day 2: Transfer to Manaus Airport in Brazil early-morning and scheduled flight to Porto Velho. Onwards by private charter plane into Bolivia to Guyamarin Airport, go through immigration and onwards flight in same plane to the private Fazenda airstrip and lodge. 
• Day 3-8: Six (6) days guided fishing, overnight at lodge. 
• Day 9: Depart lodge early morning by charter plane back to Porto Velho and scheduled flight back to Manaus arriving late evening. Onwards journey home.

We help you to plan your trip - just contact us! We appreciate to help you to make your dreams about a real adventure trip become true.