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We are camping in the
worlds greatest wilderness! The first day we will travel in our boats up the Rio Negro and set up camp where we can swim and walk in the forest. At night we'll marvel at the uncountable stars in the heavens untainted by light from the city. The second day as we plunge deeper into the forest, the igarapé will get narrower and narrower and we will begin to navigate sharp “S” shaped curves as we weave into the hills of the primitive forest. |
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Giant trees overhang both banks and toucans and macaws will glide across the opening of sky above us. Macaws shriek together in a circling mob overhead and toucans perch at the very tops of trees and whistle in a dignified melody. We should see some squirrel monkeys leaping across the stream catching themselves on the slender overhanging limbs. In the late afternoon we will pass the last house on the river, and enter the true wilderness. Before us stretching for thousands upon thousands of square miles is uninhabited rainforest. We could walk for months and months and not see another human being. For the next days we will explore the depths of this forest where all the fantastic beasts of the Amazon still roam as they have for millions upon millions of years. Exploring! Our Group What is an Igarapé? The banks of the igarapés are covered with tall rainforest trees draped with vines. The trees often have wide buttresses like a cathedral or a rocket, and the thick canopy is 150 feet from the ground. After spending a few days in the tall forest, we will become accustomed to forest sounds and it will become second nature to identify individual animals. The screaming piha, also known as the alarm bird, loudly announces his presence with his high pitched and LOUD whistle. Howler monkeys growl and moan in the mornings and evenings, declaring their territories. The Expedition Plan Our small group will first go upstream on the Rio Negro in large motorized canoes, and then head due north on one of the small tributaries into the vast primitive rainforest. we'll enter an igarapé and continue on as the stream gets smaller and smaller and more and more primitive. Our overall plan is to go as far into the rainforest as we can and to walk in the forest observing wildlife along the way. We will go at a pace slow enough to explore the small streams and hidden lakes that we encounter and set up campsites in the afternoons. More than half the fun is getting there! Degree of Difficulty Though we will be camping, the program does not require extensive outdoor experience, since the campsites we create are moderately comfortable micro environments. We have quite spacious and airy tents and after an evening chorus by nocturnal frogs, we sleep soundly through the night. After the naturalist, the cook is our most important and highly paid staff member. He prepares good, though not fancy, meals from the giant ice chests we bring with us. We usually have wine with dinner and enough other amenities to make our stay in the forest a very pleasurable experience. We may be in the rainforest, but we are here to enjoy ourselves! We go swimming off beautiful beaches, take night walks, and generally enjoy the fun of being in a small group deep in the wilderness.
Day 1 On arrival we'll transfer to a simple family run hotel and get together in mid-morning to get acquainted and plan our departure the following day. Lunch and dinner are to the account of the passengers. (B) Day 2 Today will be a day to cover distance and travel as much as we can so that in the remaining days we will have time to explore. we'll pack the expedition boats and depart going course west-north-west on Rio Negro. Though the river is quite wide, we will stay close to the shoreline which is covered with rainforest. In the afternoon we'll swim and explore some of the islands of the world’s largest group of river islands, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. By mid-afternoon we will turn into one of the tributaries off the main river, an igarapé, and the banks will be much closer together. We will travel into the forest until about an hour before sunset when we will set up our camp at a clearing of a settler, and time permitting, walk in the forest. (BLD) Day 3 Very early this morning we'll go for a bird watch along the edge of the forest and listen for monkeys. After a full breakfast we're underway upstream weaving in and out of the trees of a flooded forest known by Amazonians as the igapó. The water flows right through the forest and we'll see bromeliads and orchids up close. we'll keep exploring upstream until the afternoon when we'll set up camp and go for a walk in the forest. In the evening we can either drift downstream in the moonlight looking for nocturnal animals or take another walk in the forest. There should be an evening serenade by howler monkeys with accompaniment by a tropical screech owl or two and the leitmotif of tree frogs. (BLD) Day 4 After daybreak we'll walk in the forest, as quietly as possible, in order to observe wildlife and hear other creatures rustling about in the leaves in the canopy and on the forest floor. After a good walk we will return to camp for a full breakfast and pack up camp. Into the mid-afternoon we will push on farther and farther on the igarapé deep into the forest beyond the frontier of settlement and into the wilderness. We will set up a campsite on the river bank where we might stay for some days. (BLD) Days 5-6 We are exploring! The plan for the next two days depends on what We've found and where we happen to be. But certainly the next days we will walk in the forest, explore along the rivers edge looking for animal tracks, listen, and observe some of the world’s most exotic birds and marvel at the fantastic creatures that inhabit the Amazon rainforest. (BLD) Day 7 This morning we will pack up and begin exploring downstream on the igarapé. Our objective is to work our way down to the Amazon River itself where we will spend a few days exploring this very different environment. Departing in the early morning, we will wind our way downstream through the narrow channel scanning the treetops for primates and sloths. we'll stop when we see interesting creatures and to swim in what may be the world’s most refreshing water. We will camp somewhere along the way. (BLD) Day 8 This morning we'll continue downstream on the Negro. By mid-afternoon we will arrive at an area of giant trees that grow right out of the water. We will be in one of the richest of all Amazon environments, the varzea. We will be near the Amazon River itself, and we'll set up camp in the forest. In the evening we hunt for nocturnal animals like bulldog bats that feed on fish which they pluck from the water, and caiman, close relatives of crocodiles. There will also be a large collection of night birds to see in our spotlights. (BLD) Day 9 This morning very early we will explore Lago Janauari Ecological Park, a large park at the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River. With our small boats we can penetrate into the deep recesses of the park to places rich in some of the strangest creatures found in the Amazon...like horned screamers with their “Model T” calls and bizarre horns growing out of their foreheads. In the afternoon, if there is land to be found, we will hike in the varzea. It is rare that we do not see at least three species of monkeys in this environment. Mid-afternoon we will go to the actual meeting of the world’s two largest rivers to observe the stark 7 mile long division between the white water of the Amazon and the black water of the Negro. Here the surface boils up in giant plumes of café au lait water and whirlpools as large as basketball courts spin along the dividing line between these two oceans of water. In the late afternoon we'll return to Manaus transfer to the hotel and relax. we'll get together in the early evening to go to a restaurant. (BL) Day 10 This morning would be a good time to buy Indian crafts, to visit the bustling municipal markets or perhaps to buy some magic potions. Mid-morning we transfer to the international airport for our flight to the United States. (B)
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Amazon Nature Tours