Forage Wild Foods on a Forest Walk in Pontal, Paraty

Summary: This was unique and super fun and educational. You will love it. Jorge is amazing: we felt so lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from him!

Summary: Jorge and Rodrigo were incredible people. They have completely changed our conception of what food is. This experience is not about finding food as we know it in the forest but rather traveling back in time rediscovering the lost knowledge of what forest can provide. To fully enjoy this experience you’ll need to keep an open mind because during the walk you will be discovering things that are edible and consume them. The experience will vary depending on what you happen to find in the forest. There might be a tour or two on the same day so in this case the early birds definitely get the worms. If you have the chance, ask Jorge for restaurant recommendations. He consults with chefs from Paraty and that can definitely enhances your gastronomic experience!

Summary: This is, by far, the most exciting and interesting trip I have ever done. For someone who lives and breathes food and drink for a living I was absolutely blown away by the knowledge, the expertise and the passion that Jorge has. Michael is a fantastic interpreter and is clearly as interested in learning about the forest’s bounty as anyone. It also shows that Jorge doesn’t just do cookie cutter tours, every walk is different, in fact, it’s almost like Jorge is just off collecting things that interest him and you’re being narrated through him collecting his lunch, it’s utterly wonderful. (Posted for my wife, a beer & food writer)

Summary: This is really a enjoyable trip, really different from lots of standard excursions on offer. Micheal picked us up in the morning from our accomdation and we drove up into the rainforest picking up Jorge on the way. The walk is through the old gold trail and is really nice without the added value of being with Jorge Jorge is a local guy who is an expert in the plants around the area. He picks and explains via translation into English from Micheal as you walk. Sometimes you taste on route, other times he saves in his bag what he picks. It is really safe and no-one is forced to try anything they don't want to. However what he picks is really quite tasty. At the end of the trip you eat at a local place in beautiful countryside. Jorge pops into the kitchen and makes a few dishes to add to the food with what he has picked. What also makes it special is the attention and obvious passion of Micheal and Jorge - they are really nice guys

Summary: We had an amazing experience together with Jorge and Michael of the biodiversity in the Mata Atlantica and were introduced to a huge variety of plants, fruits and flowers and their gastronomic possibilities by the very prepared forager Jorge. "Tasting the Mata Atlantica" was great and the walk happened in surprisingly beautiful and pleasant natural surroundings!

Summary: Had an amazing day with Jorge and Michael getting to know the forest from a new perspective. At first, I thought it would only be a bit different tour from what is usually recommended for turists. It’s not only about tasting new stuff, but connecting with nature, raising awareness of man and forest relation, and most of all respect and responsibility. I’ve been telling everyone about this tour since then. What I also really liked is they make it very clear you don’t need to try anything you don’t feel comfortable with. They’re also really nice people to talk to. Thank you very much for the experience! Seen you soon!

Summary: The "Wild food walk" was excellent and one of the highlights of our trip. The day was very well organised by Michael (who also translated) and was relaxed and informal. It was a great experience to trek through the forest, learn about edible plants and fungi and taste them too. Georgie the forager has extensive knowledge of the natural world and is clearly passionate about what he does. At the end of the walk we enjoyed a swim at a waterfall whilst Georgie made a salad from plants he had collected on our walk which we then enjoyed with our meal at the local restaurant. After lunch we visited a local cachaca distillery where we learnt about the process and were able to sample the end result. A very enjoyable day and would thoroughly recommend.

Summary: Thank you so much for this experience. George and Michael introduced us to the magical world of senses.

Summary: My family and I went on the forest forager tour with Jorge and Gabriel, and what an amazing tour!! It was so interesting to learn from them about the forest, insects, birds, trees and even my daughter, who was at first somewhat skeptical about going to the forest ended up being dazzled by it. At lunch, we had all the green stuff we had picked and tasted on the tour except leaf cutter ant heads. This tour is highly recommendable.

Summary: Rodrigo from Paraty Explorer invited Georgie for this tour who was grown up in the middle of the national park, where his father used to built his house. Georgie became the expert of flora and fauna, he knows almost every plant in the jungel. Throughout the walk of the gold trail, we tasted leaves, flowers, mushrooms (event the head of an ant!) from which he made a salad at the end of the walk while we were enjoying the water fall bath. Even we had a tasting of localy made cachaca. This was an excellent introductory day of the jungle for me and my daughter. Easy walk, lots of experience.