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Mathieu Pelletier Poirier- Owner and Expedition Manager
Mathieu, owner and expedition manager of Amazon Mystery Tours, is the heart and soul of the company. He is originally from Quebec (Saint-Laurent’s Island), Canada and speaks fluent English, Portuguese, and French. During his long career, he has safely guided over 20,000 guests through the Amazon jungle and has been recommended by Conde Nast’s magazine (Gold list edition) !
Upon arriving in the Amazon almost 15 years ago, Mathieu instantly fell in love with the rainforest and its people. He became one of the few foreign jungle guides in the region and eventually became the head jungle guide at a prestigious jungle lodge. However, after many years, Mathieu tired of showing tourists the Walt Disney version of the Amazon (i.e. viewing the same sights on groomed paths and traveling just minutes away from the lodge for “jungle excursions”). He yearned for a way to share with clients a more authentic jungle experience. In 2001, after spending years exploring new territories and rivers in the Amazon, Mathieu decided to follow his dream and founded Amazon Mystery Tours!
Based on his years of exploration of the area and intimate knowledge of the Amazon jungle, Mathieu hand selected the secluded rivers that Amazon Mystery Tours currently travels on. Most rivers are unique places that only we visit and, due to our low impact ethics, we have gained exclusive access to some private reserves!
Mathieu is an adventurer in the true sense of the word. In his free time, he loves heading into the rainforest to search out new areas for the company. His motto is, “Nothing makes me happier than sharing with visitors the real, pristine Amazon forests sights, sounds and smells.” In the future, Mathieu hopes to establish himself as the Amazon adventure expert. His goal is to build a private reserve, as part of an ecological corridor project, and help preserve the forest and community he loves.
Jean Claude- Business manager/City Tour Guide
Jean Claude is our first point of contact for Amazon Mystery Tours so when you fill in our contact form or send us an email, he is the friendly person that will respond to you. He is originally from Canada, he speaks English, French, and Portuguese fluently, and has spent over 15 years in the Amazonas state. Jean Claude has extensive customer service experience and works hard to provide you with information so you have total peace of mind before your trip to the jungle.
In addition to his business managerial duties, Jean Claude is Amazon Mystery Tours’ city and area guide. He has custom tailored each program to provide guests with the best experiences of the city. He enjoys sharing his love of the city, but what really lights him up are visits with the beautiful Amazonian people and their culture. His maxim is "If you really want to know a country, get to know its people".
Rinaldo- Bilingual Guide
Rinaldo, one of Amazon Mystery Tours’ best guides, is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He has been a guide for 6 years in the Amazon area and has extensive knowledge of Manacapuru, Urubu, Jatapu, Uatama, and Negro Rivers. Rinaldo is an expert at identifying the flora and fauna of the jungle. He can catch caimans/alligators and tarantulas barehanded (no exaggeration!). He loves to share his knowledge with people that come to the Amazon rainforest with an open mind and active curiosity. Rinaldo is very in tune with nature and his laid-back attitude will inspire confidence in the most timid adventurer!
Josue (aka Smiley)- Guide
Josue has over 6 years of experience in the tourism industry and has been working with Amazon Mystery Tours from its inception. He’s usually the first one up in the morning and always has a smile on his face. As a son of rubber latex collector, Josue grew up in the forest, but moved to the city in his later years. This explains why he has shed the shyness most guides express. While on expedition, Josue is one of the most experienced guides and is very skilled in all areas including camp set-up, jungle treks, boating, and fishing. However, his best qualities are that he is an excellent cook and makes everyone laugh!
Junior (aka Dog)- Jungle Survival Trainer/ Guide
Junior was an army survival trainer for several years and has been a rainforest guide for over 3 years. (In Brazil, the true authorities on the jungle come from Indian tribes or the military).He is an expert orienteer and, like our local guides, he doesn’t even use a map or compass! He can also demonstrate unbelievable feats like climbing a 20-foot tree using only a branch for assistance. With Junior’s unique blend of technical knowledge from the army and practical skills from the Indians, you can confidently follow him anywhere. While on expedition, he assists in all areas including camp set-up, jungle treks, boating, and fishing. He is the perfect guide for your optional jungle survival excursions as well.
Valente- Tree Climbing and Adventure Sports Expert
Valente is an Air Force rescue specialist and a high official in the army. For the past 10 years, he has specialized in jungle, sea, and air rescues and is part of an elite group in Brazil. He is Amazon Mystery Tour’s adventure sports and tree climbing expert. In line with our ecotourism creed, we do not put up permanent, structures for our exclusive tree climbing activities. Instead, we will mount a rope system and build a small platform of tree branches. He has set up almost 200 tree climbing structures and guided over 700 people safely into the rainforest canopy. Safety is very important to Valente and he is always investing in new equipment. He only uses equipment accepted by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation’s, or UIAA, safety standards. This organization is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Local guides
Our local forest trackers are native guides from the areas we visit. Each one is an expert in hunting and animal tracking and is capable of facing any creature day or night. The reason we use hunters as our guides is that they are navigational experts and one of a handful of people that can bring you into the deep jungle and make sure you get out safely. Some people may wonder why we don’t use electronic equipment for navigation. There are two reasons… first is that signals from these types of devices are unable to pass through the forest canopy and mountainous territory! Second, we strive to employ local guides on each expedition in order to stimulate local economy growth and to encourage the preservation of the forest surroundings by its native inhabitants.
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