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Short itinerary
Day 1 -
Depart from your home
Day 2 -
Arrival - Manaus - City Tour
Day 3 -
Manaus - Amazon River Adventure
- Meeting of the Waters - Piranha Fishing - Caiman
spotting
Day 4 -
Amazon River Adventure -
Bird-watching and rainforest exploration
Day 5 -
Amazon River Adventure -
Anavilhanas - Return to Manaus
Day 6 - Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1
-
Depart from home town
Departure to Manaus on an
overnight flight.
Day 2
-
Arrival - Manaus - City Tour
Arrival in Manaus and transfer to hotel. Manaus is
the jungle capital of the Amazonas state and lies
near where Rio Negro and Solimões rivers meet to
form the mighty Amazon itself. Manaus has its
origins as a trading center for local denizens and a
piece of civilization for the lost souls of the wild
jungles; there's even an opera house and a handful
of museums. Check into the hotel; our guide will
brief us on our Amazon jungle program, familiarize
us with some of the wildlife we'll spot as well as
speak about some common-sense precautions to take.
Enjoy a city tour of Manaus to see the Teatro
Amazonas opera house, a museum or two such as the
Indian Museum and the open-air markets. Overnight in
Manaus.
Day 3
-
Manaus - Amazon River Adventure
- Meeting of the Waters - Piranha Fishing - Caiman
spotting
The wonders of the Amazon jungle await! We'll board
our vessel and leave at approximately 9:00 AM,
setting out from the Floating Docks on the Rio
Solimões. The floating docks, which can accommodate
oceangoing vessels, are an engineering marvel; their
giant buoys rise and fall with the water level.
Leaving Manaus, we can see powerful lumber mills,
floating markets, and other regulars who make their
living on or near the waters of the Amazon. Life
here is very different from just about anywhere else
in the world - locals, or caboclos, live in river
villages in modest houses on stilts (to keep them
dry in the flood season). Our riverboat will head
for the so-called Meeting of the Waters where the
Rio Negro and Rio Solimões rivers meet a little over
6 miles (10 km) downstream from Manaus. On our
voyage, we'll have a chance to spot Amazon river
dolphins, a species of cetacean found in the Orinoco
and Amazon River basins. They are known locally as a
boto. We'll continue to the Lake January Ecological
Park to see the giant water lilies (Victória Regia,
the largest aquatic plant in the world) as well as
the Indian handicraft market here. Lunch on board.
We'll navigate to Paricatuba Creek on the Rio Negro,
an ideal place to take a peek into the hinterlands.
Later, we'll have the opportunity to go piranha
fishing. Dinner on board. After dark, we can go on
an "alligator flashing" trip - we'll see alligators
up close as they stare into the lights of the
guide's flashlight (yes, this is safe, for us and
the alligators). In the nocturnal world of the
jungle, a completely different array of wildlife
appears - you'll never forget your experience here.
Overnight on board the vessel.
Day 4
-
Amazon River Adventure -
Bird-watching and rainforest exploration
This morning we will awake to have breakfast on
board the boat. We will dock and take a jungle walk
from the banks of the Rio Negro to see some of the
varied species of trees and medicinal plants of the
rain forest. One of the main attractions of the
Amazon is its seemingly limitless abundance of
wildlife, and we will surely see a wealth of
aquatic, terrestrial and avian species. What we'll
actually see depends upon local conditions, the time
of day, time of year, and our tour guide's advice
and guidance. Mammals include several species of
monkeys like wooly, squirrel, spider; jaguars and
peccaries to name a few. Avian life to be spotted
includes beautiful morpho butterflies, colorful
macaws and potentially hundreds of bird species.
Aquatic and amphibian creatures run the gamut from
frogs to caimans, and from river dolphins (see
above) to various subspecies of piranha. Lunch will
be on board. In the early afternoon, we'll proceed
up the dark waters of the Rio Negro to Araras. We
will take a canoe ride on the igarapé³ (creeks or
small tributaries) which at times of high water are
excellent routes into the jungle. We'll have dinner
on board the vessel. After dark, an optional
spear-fishing trip on the Igapó³ ·ill be organized.
Overnight aboard the vessel.
Day 5
-
Amazon River Adventure -
Anavilhanas - Return to Manaus
Breakfast on board the vessel. During the dry
season, we continue on to the Arquipélago das
Anavilhanas (Anavilhanas Archipelago) where
approximately 400 islands are concentrated in the
middle of the river. We'll have the chance to
explore the beaches and islands and go ashore. In
the rainy season, we can take a refreshing plunge in
the river. We can take a canoe ride into the islands
to get a closer look at the native fauna. Lunch will
be served on board. We return to Manaus around 5:00
PM. Say goodbye to your captain and crew as we
disembark and proceed to our hotel. Your evening
will be free to go out on the town and brag of your
jungle exploits! Overnight in Manaus.
Day 6
-
Departure
Today we say farewell as we take our departure
flight home. Depending upon the flight option you
have chosen, you'll either depart to the airport for
your morning flight back to the States, or transfer
to the airport in the evening for an overnight
flight back.
The ecobrazil family wishes you a great expedition!
Tour package includes
- Hotel accommodations in Manaus
- Local ground transportation
- Standard air conditioned cabin on riverboat.
- Manaus city tour
- All meals in the riverboat
- Breakfast in the Manaus Hotel
- Selected expeditions
- Bilingual guide services
NOTE
Prices,
as listed in our rates pages, are subject to availability and may vary by
time of year. All prices are based on double
accommodations and subject to change without notice.
Package does not include International airfares, airport taxes, optional
tours, tips or items of a personal nature. |
