In the first week of March 2025, the most-watched movie on Max is The Lord of the Rings. No, not Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, or The Return of the King, or any of his Hobbit films. It’s The War of the Rohirrim, director Kenji Kamiyama’s anime prequel that underperformed at the box office but has clearly found an audience on streaming.
The War of the Rohirrim is the last The Lord of the Rings movie for a bit, but the next one will be worth the wait. Here’s everything we know about The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Gollum himself, Andy Serkis.
Plot
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum announcement came with a statement from Andy Serkis, who provided the motion-capture performance and voice for Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning The Lord of The Rings trilogy. He will direct the new film, with a script from Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou.
“Yesssss, Precious,” Serkis wrote. “The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran, and Philippa. With [Warner Bros. executives] Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”
Here’s what Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens had to say:
“It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker — Gollum! As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy, and the team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
No official plot details were provided, but according to The Playlist, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will take place around the events of Bilbo’s 111st birthday party, as depicted in The Fellowship of the Ring.
“Yes, it’s deliberately the bridging film and the story we wanted to tell,” Boyens told the publication. “It does center on Gollum/Smeagol, so it’s a little bit of an origin story going on, but when you delve into it, as you do with anything Professor Tolkien wrote, you see the layers and layers of story that’s underneath there and how interconnected they all are.”
Does that make it The Lord of The Rings version of Rogue One? Rogue One Ring, if you will.
Cast
The only confirmed cast member is, well, Andy Serkis as Gollum. However, there’s a strong possibility of seeing some familiar faces again.
Last September, Ian McKellen (Gandalf) shared to Big Issue that he’s “been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him. When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!” Viggo Mortensen is also up for reprising his role as Aragorn, as long as he’s “right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth,” the actor told GQ UK. “I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise.”
As you might imagine, Serkis isn’t giving up the goods until every “i” (of Sauron) is dotted and every “t” is crossed. “I don’t want to commit anything right now. I mean, because it’s so raw and so raw and wriggling, and we are just literally having very early state script discussions and ideas of exactly where and how we’re going to drop anchor with the character and his journey and how he is or comes into contact with other characters, and the characters that we know and don’t know,” he said. “I would hate to say anything that’s going to commit us at this point, because it’s literally all up for grabs.”
Release Date
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was originally scheduled for 2026, but since they’re still “at the beginning of the writing process,” the release date has been pushed back to December 2027. Also out that month: “Untitled Star Wars film” and “Untitled Warner Bros. Pictures family sequel.” I’m hearing strong Oscars buzz for “Untitled Warner Bros. Pictures family sequel.”
Trailer
There’s no trailer yet, but here’s Gollum’s fish song.
Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.
This Miles Teller and Anya Taylor Joy-starring film is proof that damn watchable movies can head straight to streaming as a matter of course. It doesn’t hurt matters at all that the score was crafted by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and this also doubled as a Valentine’s-season release that gets the job done, genre style. This creature feature leans hard into sci-fi with Sigourney Weaver boosting those vibes with hefty action scenes and some horror vibes to boot.
Did Demi Moore get robbed at a recent ceremony? Perhaps, but real ones know what she went through in this movie that also reinforces Margaret Qualley as the most adventurous young star in Hollywood today. Director Coralie Fargeat has not yet revealed what her next project will be, only that it won’t be a sequel, and she’s busy writing. If you haven’t caught wind of The Substance yet, please stay away from food in the process.
You’ve never seen Jesse Plemons look more well-groomed and ambitious and unlike his Breaking Bad “Meth Damon” character than here, but let’s get real: Lizzy Caplan steals this series from beneath the entire ensemble cast. Don’t be too afraid of the subject matter, either, even if you are looking for escapism rather than anything semi-political. Narcos creator Eric Newman knows how to walk that line while still delivering entertainment, and he somehow pulled that off with Robert De Niro as an ex-president who helps trace a cyberattack.
The Peaky Blinders movie cannot come soon enough, but while we wait, Steven Knight has a new gangster show. This pre-Tommy Shelby series dives into the underground boxing in 1880s Victorian London, but equally important will be a showcase for another historically reigning gang, the Forty Elephants. This entirely female crime syndicate shoplifted, blackmailed, and seduced to gather loot, which they sold while amassing riches, but plenty of testosterone will also be on display, including a slight Peaky crossover with Hayden Stagg actor Stephen Graham on hand as formidable fighter Sugar Goodson. Did Graham bulk up for the role? You’d better believe it, and one of the more promising aspects of Knight writing a historically-based series is that he will not sacrifice story for the sake of nitpicky accuracy.
Following Matt Murdock’s cameo in last year’s Echo miniseries, Hornhead becomes the first of Marvel’s The Defenders to surface in his own series on Disney+. Then again, he is not alone, and the viewers will reap the benefit of not only Daredevil but his frenemies, too. That includes Charlie Cox’s Murdock sitting down with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin for intellectual dueling, and Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher is back to spread some mayhem, too. Is Jessica Jones next for a Disney+ series of her own? Please.
The third The White Lotus breakout actress Aimee Lou Wood co-stars (alongside Doctor Who‘s Jodie Whittaker and The Diplomat‘s Rory Kinnear) in this sobering series about a based-on-real-life poisoned British town (known collectively as the Corby poisonings that collectively evoked references to the “British Erin Brockovich“). In response, mothers rose up to battle those responsible for industrial pollution that shattered generations of lives.
Last week changed everything. That’s evergreen when it comes to this series, but Dichen Lachman was fully realized as Gemma Scout, wife to Mark, rather than simply Ms. Casey, and nothing really ever will be the same again. Additionally, we’re coming into the home stretch of this second season, which will surely end with another cliffhanger, but the creatives on this series know that three years would be too long to find out what happens next. Innies and Outies and reintegrations and goats and foot shots be damned, anybody who’s into this series cannot look away, and this is how you do weekly rollouts of streaming television, people. Kudos to all involved.
Creator Mike White has been forthright about this season being death-themed (which is saying something, considering that at least one body bag appears every time that these people visit a resort), and he wasn’t messing around. This season feels downright Old Testament, complete with snakes and the sh*t talking between supposed friends and what not. At this point, I just want Patrick Schwarzenegger’s insufferable Saxon to receive lasting comeuppance, but he’s got stiff competition in the “must croak” department. Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, and Jon Gries (freaking Greg) can join that club at any moment, and to be frank, nobody would want to spend time with the characters portrayed by Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, and Michelle Monaghan either. Horrible people. Good show.
A common refrain among fans of this Alan Ritchson series is that it grew too outlandish by the time that helicopter finale aired, and the third season does take some steps back from that vibe with a more grounded approach. Still, this is Reacher, so the camp will reign supreme, and this season, the humor is mainly focused upon clashes between the Big Guy and the Bigger Guy. Oliver Ritchers’ Paulie and Alan Ritchson’s Reacher first clashed over the idea of bench-pressing records, and their chemistry as rivals carries this season, but do not count out the power of Maria Sten’s Neagley, who makes the most of her late-season screen time to convince any skeptics that her booty-saving character is capable of carrying her own spin off. That show’s currently filming, by the way, and it cannot come soon enough.
Mindy Kaling seems to have the magic Netflix touch. Her latest series hails from Warner Bros. TV with Kaling executive producing with Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen, and Netflix pulled an immediate renewal move after subscribers couldn’t resist Kate Hudson as a reformed partier who is suddenly inserted as head honcho of her family-owned pro hoops team. Hudson portrays Isla Gordon, who is a parody version of Los Angeles Lakers current President Jeanie Buss, son of late owner Jerry. Brenda Song and Chet Hanks co-star, and as already stated, there will be more.
Back in September 2024, thousands of North Carolinians were impacted by Hurricane Helene–including MJ Lenderman. Months later the “Rudolph” singer and countless other Asheville residents’ journey to rebuild has waged on.
We Love It Here is a 12-track project organized by Lamplight AVL showcasing the music works cut at the local recording home for so many, Drop of Sun Studios. While the compilation was previously released on vinyl for a limited time, it can now be enjoyed on digital streaming platform Bandcamp.
In a statement Drop Of Sin’s founder Adam McDaniel spoke about the sentimental project. “The remarkable breadth of these previously unreleased tracks reflect Drop of Sun’s core principle of fostering an environment for artists to freely and boundlessly create,” he said. “Being a resource to the Asheville arts community has yielded wonderful, long-lasting relationships, amazing songs like these, and a platform to communicate and cope during hard times. We are thrilled to share these exclusive songs with you.”
All proceeds raised from We Love It Here will go directly to artists and arts organizations who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. Continue below to view the official tracklist and cover art.
Tracklist
1. Hello Mary – “Take”
2. MJ Lenderman – “Bury The Dog”
3. Nightlands – “MGD”
4. Fust – “Sebastian”
5. Green-House – “Crestfallen”
6. Animal Collective – “Collision Deep”
7. Sophie Thatcher & Maral – “Sad & Beautiful World”
8. Squirrel Flower – “Stick (Alt Version)”
9. Reggie Watts – “Left Side”
10. Horse Jumper Of Love – “Anger Is An Arch (instrumental)”
11. Floating Action – “Xomfort”
12. Animal Collective – “Better Things To Come” (only appears on vinyl release)
Artwork
Drop of Sun Studios
We Love It Here. A Benefit Compilation For Lamplight AVL is out now. Find more information here.
Yesterday (March 7), Doechii and her collaborative partner and DJ Miss Milan put their friendship to the test during an appearance on Hot Ones Versus. During the pair’s round of questions, Doechii revealed her biggest dating red flag was being a straight man.
“Strike one, you’re a man,” Doechii joked. “And you’re a heterosexual.”
While Doechii and DJ Miss Milan laughed after the confession. Her response has stirred up a heated debate online. Many heterosexual men have slammed Doechii for the remark. Some have disgustingly questioned Doechii’s queer identity. Ironically, heterosexual women seemed to overwhelming agree with Doechii.
“Welp, she just lost the male audience LMAO,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter).
“Hilarious and the comments are proving why she is right ,” penned one user.
“Most straight ppl don’t date queer ppl what’s the issue with her dating only queer ppl,” argued one user.
Doechii has not chimed into the frenzy online. But DJ Miss Milan did take a moment to thank supporters for coming to Doechii’s defense. “Seeing y’all tear those haters up… we win again ,” she wrote.
Watch Doechii and DJ Miss Milan’s full episode of Hot Ones Versus above.
Now, fans believe they’ve found something interesting hidden the background vocals on Lady Gaga’s new album Mayhem. After diving into the project, supporters flocked to X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Lady Gaga’s latest song “How Bad Do U Want Me” secretly featured Taylor Swift.
Although both singers super fan bases (Little Monsters and Swifties) are unified in the now viral theory a new both claims otherwise. In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, an insider has debunked the report.
Still, fans are not giving up without a fight. Many have gone on to reference instrumental and production similarities between Gaga’s “How Bad Do U Want Me” and Swift’s 2017 track “Gorgeous.” However, as the outlet points out, Gaga did not even sample Swift’s tune. Instead, “How Bad Do U Want Me” uses an interpolation of Yazoo’s 1982 track “Only You.”
While the pop titans are overdue for a chart-topping collaboration, Mayhem was not the vehicle for the musical meetup.
Judge for yourself. Listen to Lady Gaga’s new song “How Bad Do U Want Me” above.
Mayhem is out now via Interscope Records. Find more information here.
Jennie could use a quick refresher in her discography–both as a solo act and a member of Blackpink. In a new viral clip, the “Handlebars” singer confuses herself while thinking back on her catchy versus.
Yesterday (March 7), Jennie sat down with Variety to discuss her debut solo project Ruby. During the outlet’s video segment (viewable here) titled Does JENNIE Know Her Lyrics From Her Biggest Songs?, the entertainer was tasked with making breakout lines to the appropriate song. By a shocking turn of events, Jennie blank on multiple questions forgetting the lyrics to several of her past verses. This has sparked a hilarious response from fans online.
As the trivia starts, Jennie easily knocked about references to songs “Mantra,” “Love Hangover” and Blackpink’s “Lovesick Girls.” But things take a comedic route when she recites the lines to “Solo.”
“Is this a song of mine,” she asked. “Is this like Korean translated to English. No? There is no way I’d sing this line.”
She then realizes it was in fact something she vocal performs. “Wait,” she yelled. “Ok, I take that back. Guys, cut. This is the rap to ‘Solo.’”
When lyrics from “You&Me” are put in front of her, she replied: “I know these are my lyrics because this is something I would say.” But still, she struggle to remember its musical origins.
While rappers would be crucified for flubbing a line, it appears the same standard isn’t applied to singers considering Jennie’s fans laughed off the brain fog.
“She been so focused on her new stuff she forgot she was Jennie from BLACKPINK,” wrote one user underneath an unofficial fan page’s Instagram reshare.
“When she ask is this a song of mine? Yes Jennie it’s your song!!! ,” chimed another.
Despite her raved about role in Wicked, Ariana Grande has turned up empty-handed following the conclusion of the 2025 awards season. Through it all, fans of the “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” singer have been unwavering with their support. Seemingly as a way to thank them, soon Grande will share a token of her appreciation.
Today (March 8), Ariana Grande shared a video teaser subtly confirming her long-awaited Eternal Sunshine Deluxe album is officially on the way. In the clip (viewable here), momentous of innocence including a teddy bear and other sentimental items are boxed then incinerated. The video quickly cuts to the debris scattered on the pavement as a figure makes their way through the rubble.
Although the uploaded lacked a caption confirming such, the updated pre-save link and the post being shared with account Brighter Days Inc. (a call back to the initial Eternal Sunshine) all point to such.
Still, fans expected more was on the horizon. During an appearance on Penn Badgley’ Podcrushed podcast, Grande confirmed that, saying: “It’s funny because I really thought that it was just a very concise body of work that it what it is, and I think, forever in my head, Eternal Sunshine is that album. But, with time, I’m like, Oh, maybe there are some new ideas that could be included […] But yeah, I’ve been writing a lot, and maybe there’s some more, but I would like to do a deluxe at some point.”
While the pre-save and pre-order link (accessible here) is live, a tentative release date has not yet been shared.
Director Guy Ritchie has temporarily set aside his fixation for gentlemen and ungentlemen, but he’s still going gangster. In doing so, he’s teaming up with Pierce Brosnan as a mobster (duh) in MobLand. He will be accompanied by a Shakespearean Helen Mirren and Tom Hardy as an enforcer, for whom he has [sigh] ditched the Venom voice and the squirrelly nature of Alfie Solomons from Peaky Blinders. Let’s not waste any more time because this show is coming soon, so here’s what to expect.
Is There A Trailer?
Sure is. Tom Hardy’s mobster muscle even drops an “I think we have a situation developing.” He cannot stay away from the crime dramas, and we thank him for it.
Plot
Paramount Plus
Well, you’ve surely heard this one before. Mob families will come to blows (never go against the family, as Michael Corleone once warned and has been echoed by countless figures including the Kardashian crew) that could not only take out their empires but also the families themselves.
Let’s do the synopsis thing first:
Power is up for grabs as the Harrigans and Stevensons, two warring London crime families, clash in a kill-or-be-killed battle that threatens to topple empires and ruin lives. Caught in the crossfire is Harry Da Souza, the street-smart ‘fixer’ as dangerous as he is handsome, who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide. As kingdom goes up against kingdom, lines will be crossed – and the only saving grace is a bet-your-life guarantee: family above everything.
Hardy will portray the aforementioned loyal fixer, Harry, who is employed by Conrad Harrigan, portrayed by Pierce Brosnan. He recently told GQ that his is a “robust character” and a “mangled man who has charisma, but he’s someone who is dangerously on the edge.” Conrad’s wife, Maeve, is portrayed by Helen Mirren, and Brosnan views them as “business people who deal, sometimes, with violence” rather than the more straight-up label of “gangster.” Within that rough and tumble family will be Paddy Considine, who will surely be drawing upon his Irish heritage as part of this clan.
Also expect Ritchie to lean hard into “the vernacular, the colloquialisms, of Shakespeare,” and this particular family kingdom will make its home base in the English Cotswolds.
Cast
Paramount Plus
In addition to Hardy and Brosnan, Mobland stars Helen Mirren, Paddy Considine, Lara Pulver, Joanne Froggatt, Mandeep Dhillon, and Anson Boon.
George R.R. Martin appears to have moved on from House of the Dragon. He’s much more excited about the next Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which will be a grounded series focused on practical effects. His shift away from HBO’s Fire and Blood adaptation might ease his stress level due to the many changes made by HotD Showrunner Ryan Condal in the second season, which culminated in a muted finale (but the overall audience is still in it, unlike GRRM).
Those head-scratching shifts included toning down the “Blood and Cheese” episode and leaving a vital-to-the-book dragonseed, Nettles, out of the show. Additionally, viewers grew visibly weary at watching Daemon (such a rogue prince/mover and shaker in the first season) do nothing but be haunted and confused while endless strategy sessions took place at Dragonstone. A key clash (the Battle of the Gullet) was also postponed for budgetary reasons, but finally, the third season is promising that long-awaited action. Let’s look at what we can expect from House of the Dragon‘s third season.
Plot
HBO
Bad news first? Although the third season will begin with the Battle of the Gullet HBO creatives have not confirmed whether the Battle Above God’s Eye, involving aerial fighting between Daemon and mini-me Aemond, will surface soon. Yet this might really be good news. Although Helaena already prophesied about this clash, it’s hard to imagine Ryan Condal wanting to blow that battle out of the water (er, sky) before the fourth season. After all, this meeting between the show’s pettiest rivals is going to be brutal on a storytelling level. If you’ve read Fire and Blood or dug into Helaena’s angst on the battle, then you know that this fight will be positively climactic.
The better news is that the Battle of the Gullet will bring warring fleets to screen and put words into action with this show. This battle follows the alignment of various houses with Team Green and Team Black, and Lord Corlys/Sea Snake will make good on his vow to do everything possible to advance Rhaenyra’s cause so that she can claim King’s Landing and her rightful place on the Iron Throne. Expect a great loss of life in this fight that will extend through sea and sky, and if the show sticks with a key death in the book, both audience and main characters will be shattered.
HBO’s Head of Drama Series and Films Francesca Orsi told Deadline that this battle will “surprise” viewers, which should be music to the ears of an audience who are craving more energy. Much of the battle’s vitality will come courtesy of a Titanic producer joining the series:
“You know what, it was worth the wait,” Orsi said about the upcoming battle scene. “I was just on set and saw all the elements and what was behind it. I’m so glad we waited because it’s going to be better than ever, and I don’t think we had the time at that point to do what it is that we’ve achieved now this season.
“It’s just so massive, we needed the time to build it,” Orsi continued. “One of the lead producers on it [Kevin de la Noy] worked on Titanic, so all that he brought in terms of acumen of what happened on the Titanic and how that entire experience is built, he brings that expertise to it.”
Additionally, we will see Rhaenyra do something more than languish in policy discussions while moving in on King’s Landing. Emma D’Arcy teased Gold Derby when quizzed on the subject of leaping into action: “I got what I wanted, folks.” Meanwhile, Ryan Condal declared, “[T]he goat is back.” (I’ll just leave that right here for speculation’s sake, but damn, it would be nice to see Stepstones Daemon again.)
The third season could also bring the Butcher’s Ball battle to the screen. If that happens, it might not end well for a despised character. Yay!
Cast
HBO
Returning cast members include the following:
– Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen)
– Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower)
– Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen)
– Ewan Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen)
– Steve Toussaint (Corlys Valeryon)
– Phia Seban (Helaena Targaryen)
– Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II Targaryen)
– Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty)
– Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria)
– Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower)
– Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen)
– Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen)
– Matthew Needham (Larys Strong)
– Fabien Frankel (Criston Cole)
– Harry Collett (Jacaerys Velaryon)
– Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin)
– Freddie Fox (Gwayne Hightower)
– Tom Bennett (Ulf White)
– Hugh Hammer (Kieran New)
This season, we will also meet Daeron Targaryen (rumored to be portrayed by Harry Gilly), the youngest son of Alicent and Viserys.
And will Paddy Considine be back as full-fledged Zombie King Viserys? Please.
Release Date
Ryan Condal has confirmed that scripts are complete, and filming will resume “in a few weeks.” House of the Dragon will then return sometime in 2026.
Trailer
No footage has been released yet, but at least we can look forward to more of the below excellence in battle form:
I’ve traveled to Easter Island, deep into the rainforests of South America, trekked to see the gorillas in Rwanda, and swam with sharks around the globe. I’ve also hiked through the rainforest in other Central and South American countries, but it’s been high on my list for a while to experience the rainforest of all rainforests: the Amazon.
I finally made it happen a few months back, planning a trip with Expedição Katerre, traveling to the Brazilian Amazon to explore the plant life, local communities, and of course, the wildlife like scorpion spiders, tarantulas, toucans, sloths, and the mysterious pink dolphins, making my 90s Lisa Frank dreams a reality.
When choosing who to travel here with, it was important to me to choose a company that allows their guests the chance to immerse themselves in nature, with a few modern luxuries, while still being off the grid, truly experiencing adventure living on a boat for the week. Expedição Katerre has multiple itinerary options that range between three, four, and seven nights. I signed up for the National Parks Anavilhanas and Jaú for four nights and one night at the Mirante do Gavião Amazon Lodge in the rainforest to recoup after the boat, beginning with 2 nights in Manaus.
The trip begins by flying into Manaus, Brazil, a major jumping off point for those looking to visit the Amazon Rainforest. When booking your hotel, give yourself plenty of time to get to the area and book a transfer car in advance. I chose a basic room with a view at the Juma Opera. The rooms had a comfortable king bed, a sizable bathroom, nice views of the garden, some storage space for your bags, a desk to get a little work done, and all your basic amenities like plenty of powerful AC to battle the intense Brazilian humidity and heat. The rooftop pool overlooking the Opera House was what really did it for me. The pool is open from early in the morning, until about midnight, so you can enjoy a beautiful night swim under the stars, listening to the music from live bands playing at the bars around the neighborhood.
Caxiri Amazônia
If you feel like venturing out from the restaurant attached to Juma Opera, this is a great place to try some local cuisine. It’s about a three minute walk from the hotel, so easy to get to.
Transfer from Manaus to Novo Airão
You’ll board the boat in Novo Airão, about a 3-hour drive from Manaus. I went with Cooperativa de Taxistas de Novo Airão and their driver, Fernando. The transfers ended up costing about $150 total, so not bad at all for two 3-hour transfers. From there, the group meets at Mirante do Gavião Lodge, where the boat is docked. The amazing team takes care of all the bags, so you can just take in the rainforest views as you make your way down to the dock.
PART ll — Itinerary For The 4 Night, 5 Day Adventure
Board the Jacaré-Tinga Boat to Begin Your Adventure
Photo by Jessica Kelly
The Jacaré-Tinga boat gives travelers a view into the regional, local style of boats. Of course, you have a little bit more comfort like air-conditioning in the rooms, but the two-story, 53-ft boat is still a rustic way to experience the river. Each room within the wooden boat has a private bathroom and shower head, a bed, and AC, so everything you need. There’s even WiFi on board to check in occasionally with family, but for the most part, you’ll be off the grid. The small motor boats provide a way for the group to explore the flooded forests, and there’s a dining room with space for hammocks, tables, and chairs to relax and socialize. Every meal on board celebrates local, traditional cuisine. We tried fresh, regional fish, Brazilian barbecue, traditional desserts like creamy caramel pudding, fresh tropical fruit, acai, and even piranha.
Amenities:
Home cooked meals
Energy and AC in all cabins
1st-aid kit, pharmacy, experienced and trained staff
Full kitchen with oven, freezer, refrigerator, utensils
Equipment for the jungle
Powerful flashlight for spotting alligators, walkie-talkie radio for trails
Binoculars for bird watching
Multiple leisure areas
Card games, dominoes, checkers, chess and backgammon
Heading into the UNESCO “natural world heritage site,” the boat makes its way to the Jau National Park. It’s known to be the biggest freshwater forest park in the world. Home to natural beauty, waterfalls, plant life, and of course, plenty of wildlife. My trip was in early July, which is within the wet season. Visitors will have different experiences during the wet and dry seasons, allowing the chance to see various animals and experience different terrain. The wet season floods the Igapó Forests, so we explored a lot in a smaller motor boat that accommodated our small group of 5 and our guide, Noah. If you choose the Rio Negro itinerary, you’ll notice the lack of mosquitoes. When you think about the rainforest, many people think of bugs, and believe me there were plenty of those, but to my surprise, there were not a lot of mosquitoes. This is actually due to natural bug repellent within the water on the Black River.
Photo by Jessica Kelly
Day 1: Manaus / Novo Airão / Anavilhanas
Photo by Jessica Kelly
On the first day of the expedition, the focus will be getting guests from their hotel in Manaus to Novo Airao. Once everyone arrives in the afternoon, the expedition begins with Katerre Expeditions through the Anavilhanas Archipelago with lunch on board and a briefing of what to expect. After lunch, there’s time on the first day to enjoy a swim in the river, a.k.a. the “big tea,” nicknamed that because the black river is a color resembling tea thanks to the tannins from the submerged plants. As we were in the water, tucuxi freshwater dolphins swam by! We took the speed boats out to explore the local flooded forests in the evening before heading to the Madadá lookout.
Day 2: Anavilhanas / Madadá
Photo by Jessica Kelly
The next morning, we woke up early with our flashlights to head back up to the Madadá lookout, the perfect place to watch the sunrise and listen to the sounds of the rainforest. Before it got too hot later in the day, we took a three-hour hike into the virgin forest to the Madadá Caves to explore various plant life and look for animals like bats, crab tarantulas, scorpion spiders, and more. In passing, we saw a vibrant pink home along the river that our guide, Noah, pointed out was his grandmother’s home. After the hike in the heat, we went for a refreshing swim in the river before coming in to get ready to go out on a night speedboat ride to look for caiman.
Day 3: Jau National Park
Photo by Jessica Kelly
We woke up bright and early to take the boat out and explore the flooded forest, looking for animal life. We saw ringed kingfishers, hoatzin and howler monkeys before stopping inside the flooded forest to use the bamboo fishing poles to catch piranha. We each caught a piranha and saved them to eat back on the boat! Once we were back on the boat, we made our way to the IBAMA base at the Park’s entrance by the Jaú River with steady, mirror-like waters.
Photo by Jessica Kelly
After zipping through the vines and tilted trees of the flooded forest, we made our way to a waterfall where we were able to cliff jump into the water and cool off. After a long swim, we made our way back to the boat to head to the Aturiá Community to see how they live and visit with the locals. That night, we went searching for nocturnal animals and came across caiman and snakes like the calloselasma rhodostoma and the vine snake!
Day 4: Jaú National Park
Photo by Jessica Kelly
On our last full day, we visited the Cachoeira Community to learn about local practices, play soccer with the kids, and browse the fruit orchards. We hiked to visit a giant tree around the community and ventured out on the aquatic trail with regional canoes, looking for animals. We came across many birds and a sloth!
Photo by Jessica Kelly
After a Brazilian BBQ lunch on board, we explored the ruins of an abandoned city that peaked during the rubber cycle, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. After tapping rubber trees and coming across a golden orb weaver spider with a web so strong people have been known to use it for fishing line, we trekked past the Brazil nut trees back to the boat to return to the IBAMA base. One thing that has really shocked me is the size of the bugs! Praying mantises and locusts the size of mice, massive caterpillars and moths that I thought were bats!
Day 5: Novo Airão / Manaus
Photo by Jessica Kelly
Heading back towards Novo Airão, we took the smaller speed boat to explore the river in an attempt to see the mysterious Amazon Pink River Dolphins (which we were fortunate enough to see)!
After an incredible moment spotting the pink dolphins, we made our way to the Mirante do Gavião Lodge. The crew handled getting the bags to our rooms while we enjoyed a tour through Novo Airão, shopping for local art, wooden goods, beauty products made with materials from the Amazon and crafts.
Photo by Jessica Kelly
Beleza Da Natureza is ran by our guide Noah’s mother and wife, selling chocolates filled with castanha (Brazil nuts) and cupuaçu (a chocolaty fruit) made by Noah’s mother (they were on the boat, as well, and so delicious) in addition to soap using local plants and clay, among other skin care products. We purchased wooden jewelry boxes, games, and boards using colorful, natural wood from Fundação Almerinda Malaquias and had a lovely lunch at Flor do Luar, a floating restaurant at Anavilhanas National Park serving fresh fish, where locals were swimming and enjoying the hot weather.
PART lll — Overnight Stay at Mirante do Gavião Lodge
After some fairly tight accommodations on the boat, it was so refreshing to have a night at the Mirante do Gavião Lodge to recoup before flying home. I stayed in one of the treehouse rooms — which had all of the modern luxuries like air conditioning, a sizable shower, a minibar, and WiFi, but my absolute favorite part was the wraparound balcony completely surrounded by dense, rainforest foliage.
Photo by Jessica Kelly
The wildlife adventure didn’t stop once we checked into the Mirante do Gavião Lodge. There were huge, pinktoe tarantulas in the trees, tree frogs, iguanas scaling the treetops, and sloths, as well!
Photo by Jessica Kelly
It’s all open, so various animals can come and go as they please. There’s an infinity pool that plunges into the flora, overlooking the river and a restaurant on the property, making it easy to grab a last-minute bite. Designed by Atelier O’Reilly, the Mirante do Gavião have developed activities within the dense jungle, tying in the local communities.
Photo by Jessica Kelly
The excursions included in the stay are meant to have a purpose! From the opening of the hotel a decade ago in August 2014, they’ve employed just under 50 people from local communities to ensure their guests are having an authentic introduction to the Amazon.
Photo by Jessica Kelly
Amenities:
Meals included
Spacious rooms with wrap around balcony
Excursions available with specific hotel packages
AC
Wifi
Options to pay an all-inclusive fee to have activities included
Great cocktails
Beautiful pool
Room Rate:Prices range drastically, but a 2 night package starts at about $1200 per person for a DBL base room. This includes the transfers in and out from Manaus, all jungle excursions, three meals a day (excluding drinks)
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