Short itinerary:

Day 1 - Departure from MIA to Manaus
Day 2 - Ecopark - Cabloco visit, piranha fishing and alligator spotting
Day 3 - Ecopark - Jungle walk and survivor course
Day 4 - Ecopark - Meeting of the waters
Day 5 - Manaus - Hotel Tropical - City tour
Day 6 - Return Flight to Miami or other international airport


Detailed itinerary:

Day 1 - Depart on TAM or Varig Airlines flight from Miami International Airport to Manaus.

DAY 2 - Your adventure in the wilds of the Amazon are about to begin! You'll see some truly amazing things on your trip. The Amazon Ecopark lies just over 30 minutes up the river from the hustle and bustle of Manaus. As you arrive at the airport an English-speaking guide will transfer you to Tropical Hotel, where you will board our vessel at approximately 5:30 AM. The Tropical Hotel docks lies on the banks of the Rio Negro in Manaus. Our guide, trained in the biology of the Amazon, will brief us on our Amazon jungle program, familiarize us with some of the wildlife we'll spot as well as discuss some common-sense precautions to take. Leaving Manaus, we see powerful lumber mills, floating markets, and other folks who make their living on or near the waters of the Amazon. On our journey, we will have a chance to spot Amazon River dolphins, a species of pink dolphin found in the Orinoco and Amazon River basins. They are known locally as botos. At the Amazon Ecopark Lodge, we'll have a reception complete with local fruit juices, after which you will be shown to your bungalow, which is outfitted with a/c and hot shower. The Lodge serves excellent meals, has a natural pool and a private beach, accesses six miles of jungle trails and a hosts a unique monkey rehabilitation park. After settling in, we'll go on a visit to some of the Amazon's residents, the caboclos, who live in river villages in modest houses on stilts (to keep them dry in the flood season). Mestizo descendants of rubber boom workers, the caboclos live subsistence life on the riverways of the Amazon. They make their living harvesting latex (the raw material for rubber), Brazil nuts and from small-scale farming, primarily the cultivation and processing of manioc. Adaptation to their riverbank surroundings is a way of life for them. Later, we'll have the opportunity to go fishing for piranha. After dinner, we will 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 at the Amazon Ecopark Lodge.

Day 3 - This morning we will awake to have breakfast at the lodge. We will take a jungle walk to see some of the varied species of trees and medicinal plants of the rain forest. Free afternoon or take an optional tour where we will have the chance to go on a jungle survival course, where hotel staff (with military training and extensive survival knowledge) will lecture on how to build temporary shelter, forage for food and water, start a fire and build a trap, among other essential survival skills. 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. Our guide will point out the interdependence of the jungle's many life forms. 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; sloths, deer, jaguars and peccaries to name a few. Avian life to be spotted includes beautiful 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. Dinner and overnight at the Amazon Ecopark Lodge.

Day 4 - Breakfast at the lodge. We will board our vessel around 9 - 10 am, which will take us on a full day tour to the "Meeting of the Waters," where the Rio Negro and Rio Solim?rivers meet but do not mix for a just over 6 miles (10 km) downstream from Manaus. This photogenic phenomenon occurs because the dark waters of the acidic Rio Negro do not readily mix with the muddy Solim?stream due to differing speed, temperature and density. We'll stop to have lunch at a floating restaurant, where river travelers fill their hungry stomachs with local specialties. We return to Ecopark around 5:00 p.m. Your evening will be free! Dinner and overnight in Ecopark Lodge.

Day 5 - Breakfast at the lodge follow by a visit to the Monkey Jungle Project which houses several species of monkeys, and nurses sick or injured ones back to health. After the visit we'll return to Manaus at the pier of the Hotel Tropical around 12:00 p.m. Say goodbye to your captain and crew as we disembark and proceed to our hotel. Manaus has its origins as a trading center for local denizens and a piece of civilization for the lost souls of the wild jungles. After checking in to our hotel, we'll go on a private city tour of Manaus to see the Teatro Amazonas opera house, the Old Town, Mercado Central, local zoo, and the government palace. Your evening is free. Overnight in Manaus.

Day 6 - Departure Today we say farewell as we take our departure flight home. You will be transfer to the Manaus International Airport for our returning flight to Miami or your final destination.

The ecobrazil family wishes you a great expedition!