IT IS THE FOREST PEOPLE WHO TEACH US ABOUT RESPECT FOR THE EARTH, THE WATER, THE FOREST, AND HOW ALL BEINGS CAN LIVE IN HARMONY.
KAIARA's purpose is to promote authentic experiences with forest hosts who generously open the doors of their lives, villages and communities, so you can learn about their stories and the nature that embraces and nurtures them.
ENCOUNTERS THAT TRANSFORM US, AWAKEN US TO OTHER WAYS OF LIVING, BEING, AND THINKING ABOUT OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD.
IDEALIZERS
PURÃGA PESIKA
Maria Teresa Meinberg, Martin Frankenberg and Ruy Tone welcome you in the Nheengatu language.
"KAIARA was born from our work to promote conscious tourism. The type of tourism that generates wealth, enables the preservation of the forest, values knowledge, and strengthens the identity of riverside communities in the Amazon. The type of tourism that we know is key to ensuring the preservation of planet Earth's biodiversity's largest reserve. With Kaiara, we wish to welcome you to meet our great master and humanity's last frontier with nature. See you on board!"
MARIA TERESA MEINBERG
The Amazon rainforest has always been part of my childhood. As soon as I finished college, I embarked on an endless journey through the region, traveling in its rivers for days and discovering every corner of the exuberant Amazon. My trip gained a new purpose with the NGO Vagalume, which I founded in 2002. We implemented dozens of libraries in villages and riverside communities. In 2009, to encourage responsible tourism and help bring more people from the city to discover the beauty of the forest and its people, I founded the operator Turismo Consciente.
Over the years, I have built a relationship of friendship and trust with the communities, especially in the Alter do Chão region. "TC" became Kaiara, with Martin, Ruy, and our brilliant crew putting their heart and soul into creating the best navigation experience in this Amazon that I am so passionate about. I believe that responsible, conscious, and well-done tourism has enormous potential to bring benefits to nature and people.
MARTIN FRANKENBERG
I was in the Amazon of Pará for the first time in 2003. It was on that trip that the seed of Kaiara was planted in me. I was swept away by a forest that was powerful and, at the same time, extremely gentle. Diving in fresh waters, feeling the constant breeze of the boat gliding over the rivers (without being bothered by insects) goes far beyond what you imagine a trip through the Amazon rainforest.
It was the desire to understand the Amazon that made me want to return again and again, bringing people from the city to connect with the people there. After all, there is no one better to tell about the forest than the people who live there. On my journey, I co-founded Matueté and had the honor of being elected Top Travel Specialist by Condé Nast Traveler and Travel and Leisure magazines for more than 10 consecutive years, and also served as president of BLTA - Brazilian Luxury Travel Association. Taking people to be amazed by the sweet Amazon has been, since 2022, my beautiful mission at Kaiara.
RUY
TONE
To preserve, one needs to have knowledge. I like to repeat this sentence and tell people in the city that there is a universe in the forest of immeasurable wisdom. But to understand its potential, one has to feel, see, hear, smell, be in the Amazon. I can consider myself a veteran of tourism in the region. I believe in the positive link of partnerships with local communities and entrepreneurs as the key to creating sustainable and creative businesses, always based on respect for the culture and objectives of the people of the Amazon. In addition to Kaiara, I take the helm as a founding partner of Expedição Katerre, a company that organizes expedition trips along the Negro and upper Solimões rivers, the Hotel Mirante do Gavião in Novo Airão, near Manaus, the Caxiri restaurant in Manaus, and the Fundação Almerinda Malaquias, which is implementing 27 new schools in riverside communities on the banks of the Negro river. Seeing the forest shine in the eyes of travelers is the best retribution for years and years of dedication to our Amazon.
TEAM
