The Amazon Odyssey
The Essence of the Amazon in a Four Night Cruise
The Amazon Odyssey cruise visits the most essential areas to observe the wildlife and culture of the rainforest. Our journey especially concentrates on the Amazon River where we walk in towering rainforests, glide along narrow streams deep in the forest, and explore flooded grasslands that stretch from horizon to horizon. Though a compact cruise, the Amazon Odyssey is able to experience the many different environments of the Amazon, teeming with life.
We embark in Manaus, Brasil and travel on the classic and elegant MOTOR YACHT TUCANO. Though not a luxury vessel, the M/Y TUCANO is comfortable and is designed to enable us to explore small tributaries and hidden channels where wildlife can be found but where larger vessels cannot go.
Our cruise experience is much more authentic than the typical or luxury Amazon tours. All aspects of the cruise are designed to help us enjoy the best that the Amazon has to offer. We have a small group size, highly trained guides, a talented crew, a comfortable boat, and with 21 years of cruise operations, our activities are thoughtful and detailed. Another important advantage is that our cruises appeal to travelers who are looking for a fun but also very genuine experience. All these features combined enable us to discover and enjoy an authentic Amazon that eludes almost all other travelers.
Exploring The Amazon River
This compact voyage endeavors to capture the spirit of the Amazon on two of its greatest rivers, the Rio Negro and the Amazon River. Over three and one half days we walk in the forest, explore in our launches, and visit local communities along the edges of these magnificent rivers.
There are three or four excursions off the vessel every day. Early mornings we usually glide along quiet channels in our launches among giant rainforest trees draped with vines and orchids. The silence is broken only by the rustling of leaves by Squirrel Monkeys feeding or by the occasional piercing shriek of a Screaming Piha bird. During the day we walk in the forest and sometimes visit a small community. Some nights we search for nocturnal creatures in our launches out in the star filled darkness.
The Amazon Odyssey takes us to a variety of environments including dark flooded forests, dense high forest with towering trees and dense undergrowth, and vast open plains of waving grass which are home to some of the most spectacular wildlife of the Amazon. On lazy afternoons we may fish for the famous Amazon resident, the Piranha, some of whom we may see again on an appetizer plate. During our voyage we are treated to the ever changing vistas of travel on the mighty Amazon River itself. Most travelers are astonished by the scale and grandeur of this majestic waterway that drains a continent.
On the Amazon Odyssey we not only focus on the rainforest, but also on the culture of the people who live in this vast wilderness. We visit small fishing villages perched on the river bank where the traditional life is still guided by the rhythms of the rise and fall of the river. We also visit the homesteads of families who make and grow almost everything they need. For many travelers these visits with local settlers, whose lives are so dramatically different from ours, are some of the most memorable experiences of the cruise. Another fascinating visit is a stop at one of the bustling river trading towns. Here a vibrant river trade continues as it has for centuries. The last evening of the cruise we will coast along one of the greatest ports in the world, the Porto de Manaus. At our farewell dinner we will have the opportunity to reflect on our extraordinary experience and offer a toast to one of the most remarkable places on Earth.
Accommodations and Staff
The Motor Yacht Tucano is not a luxury vessel, but is comfortable, safe, and very well suited to exploring the Amazon wilderness. The vessel was built in the elegant style of a classic river steamship, but it is actually a modern and fully certified commercial cruise vessel. While we are able to travel in comfort, we are not insulated from the forest. We remain focused on the flora and fauna of this magnificent wilderness. The voyage is quite active and we spend most of every day exploring the forest on foot or in our boat’s launches.
The most successful Amazon cruise vessel is not the most luxurious, but instead the one that enables travelers to experience the wild beauty of the Amazon in the most full and authentic way. This is the guiding principle of both the design and operations of the M/Y Tucano. The vessel is designed specifically to explore the Amazon in the most thoughtful and sustainable way. All of the cabins are outside cabins with air-conditioning and private bathrooms. Some cabins are smaller than others, but they are considered by most travelers to be comfortable.
The staff of the M/Y Tucano are highly trained mariners who bring years of deep forest exploration to our cruises. Our guides are bilingual naturalists who not only help us spot creatures, but also help us make sense of the riot of plant and animal life of the rainforest. Our cooks prepare elaborate meals always from fresh local ingredients and our sailors safely navigate us into some of the most fascinating waterways in the world.
Itinerary: Amazon Odyssey (5D/4N)
Day 1 This afternoon we embark on the Motor Yacht Tucano in Manaus, Brasil. We depart on the Rio Negro and as the vessel glides upstream we will have our first talk about Amazon environments. By late afternoon we enter one of the world’s largest river island systems, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. The boat will weave along a winding channel with rainforest on both sides in a riot of brilliant vegetation. Weather permitting, we will go for an excursion in the gnarled and dense flooded forest known as the Igapó. Along the river bank we may see some Squirrel Monkeys and we may hear the other-worldly growls of Howler Monkeys echoing through the primitive rainforest. The Amazon has one of the greatest collection of birds in the world and we are sure to see some of these brightly colored jewels perched in the treetops.
We return to the M/Y Tucano for hors d’oeuvres on the observation deck and a toast to the rainforest sunset. Following dinner we will embark in our launches in search of nocturnal creatures such as the Caiman, the Amazon’s crocodilians. We may also see one of the large night birds such as a Potoo with its bulging eyes and large mouth adapted to swallow the huge Mariposa Moths, (D)
Day 2 Shortly after sunrise this morning we explore the strange environment called the Igapó, the black water flooded forest. At mid-morning we should go for a walk in type of high Amazon forest known as the Terra Firme. Today we will also have a late afternoon excursion weather permitting we will have a night excursion in our ship’s launches. Later this evening our vessel will weigh anchor and we will voyage downstream through the night to the Xiborena Peninsula that divides the two of the world’s most storied rivers: the Rio Negro and the Amazon River.
Day 3 Rising early, we will excursion in the Lago Janauari Ecological Park, a dense forest that is flooded with the coffee colored water of the Amazon River. We explore a labyrinth of small channels overhung with gargantuan trees and vines. Listening to the chatter of creatures in the undergrowth we also keep our eyes open for monkeys, Three Toed Sloths, and the occasional Collared Anteater. By mid morning we return to the M/Y Tucano for a hearty breakfast and some time to relax. By late morning we foray off the vessel again to explore this environment rich in life.
Near midday, following lunch, we navigate downstream to the “Encontra das Aguas”, the several mile long joining of two of the world’s greatest rivers, the Rio Negro and The Amazon. The dark and light waters run side by side for several miles without mixing. Often Pink River Dolphins and also Grey River Dolphins leap and cavort along this stark line of contrasting currents. We then will begin to navigate upstream on the Amazon River until the late afternoon. On Brasilian maps this river is given the name Rio Solimões - but it is the same vast, turbulent, mighty river that we know of as the Amazon. At this point in its course it has truly become the most magnificent river on the planet and carries fully 20% of all the fresh water on Earth.
We will travel upstream on the Amazon River into the late afternoon destined for a channel on the south bank of the Amazon where, conditions permitting, we can access a large lake called Lago Janauacá. Here we encounter a new and fascinating environment known as the Varzea. In our launches we glide down narrow channels where we expect to see creatures found only on the South side of the Amazon River. Tonight we will foray out in our launches to hunt for nocturnal life. In the beam of our powerful spotlights we should see the glowing eyes of Caiman, the Amazon’s crocodiles. (BLD)
Day 4 This morning we will scout for more of the bizarre creatures of the Amazon. On our mid-morning excursion we visit a local homesteaders and walk through their gardens and learn how traditions help families survive in the remote interior. Time permitting we will also visit one of the river towns where trade still thrives in goods that have been grown, caught, or collected in this vast rainforest.
During lunch we turn the bows of the M/Y Tucano downstream on the Amazon River and we will navigate east with the swift current. Through the afternoon we weave in and out of islands that dot the North bank of the river and we will enjoy vistas of forest and homesteads along the river banks. In the late afternoon we should be near the Rio Negro and we will venture out for one more excursion along a narrow channel called Parana Xiborena or we will return to Lago Janauari Ecological Park. At sunset we slowly ascend the Rio Negro, cruising along but not stopping at the Porto de Manaus, one of the world’s great ports. More than a thousand miles from the sea, Manaus is the major port for much of the entire Amazon. We will see boats of every imaginable shape and purpose that serve this continent sized forest. Tonight we will sample the national drink of Brasil, the Caipirinha and have a farewell dinner. (BLD)
Day 5 Early this morning travelers will disembark the vessel at the riverside dock of the Hotel Tropical. (B)
Meal Codes: B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner.
Please note that the day to day schedule must be considered approximate. Due to changing river levels and weather considerations, features and vessel course are altered and adapted to fit existing circumstances.
Degree of Difficulty: Good health is necessary. Though the trip does not include endurance hiking, participants should be able feel comfortable walking at a leisurely pace for 2 to 3 hours at a time.
Where This Trip Begins and Ends
Embark: Monday, Day 1: Passengers meet our guide at 04:00PM in the reception area of the Hotel Tropical, Manaus, Brasil.
Disembark: Friday, Day 5: Passengers disembark at the Hotel Tropical at 08:00am. It is possible by prearrangement for guests to disembark the previous evening to catch early flights.
2012 Trip Dates: Jan 16-20, Jan 30-Feb 03, Feb 13-17, Feb 27-Mar 02, Mar 12-16, Mar 26-30, Apr 09-13, Apr 23-27, May 07-11, May 21-25, Jun 11-15, Jun 25-29, Jul 09-13, Jul 23-27, Aug 06-10, Aug 20-24, Sep 10-14, Sep 24-28, Oct 08-12, Oct 22-26, Nov 05-09, Nov 19-23, Dec 03-07, Dec 17-21
2013 Cruise Dates: Jan 14-18, Jan 28-Feb 01, Mar 04-08, Mar 18-22, Apr 01-05, Apr 15-19, Apr 29-May 03, May 13-17, Jun 17-21, Jul 01-05, Jul 15-19, Jul 29- Aug 02, Aug 12-16, Aug 26-30, Sep 09-13, Sep 30- Oct 04, Oct 14-18, Oct 28- Nov 01, Nov 11-15, Nov 25-29, Dec 16-20, Dec 30 - Jan 03 (’14)
Cruise Cost, Rack Rate, 2012:
Green Category Cabins (per person, double): $1,650
Yellow Category Cabins (per person, double): $1,850
Cruise Cost, Rack Rate, 2013:
Green Category Cabins (per person, double): $1,750
Yellow Category Cabins (per person, double): $1,950
Price Includes: The price above is per person, double occupancy. Included are accommodations, guided excursions, and meals as indicated in the itinerary. Bottled water served free of charge on the M/Y TUCANO. On joining the group on Day One, passengers board the vessel on a short walk from the lobby of the Hotel Tropical. Prices and itineraries are subject to change without notice.
Prices Do Not Include: Not included are airfare, departure taxes, visa fees, soft drinks or alcoholic beverages, or items of a personal nature. Airport transfers available at additional cost.
Single Travelers: No single supplement is charged if the passenger is willing to share with another same sex passenger. Guests may request single occupancy with a fare supplement of 50% of the cruise cost. Single accommodations may not always be available. The single cabins are the smaller cabins on the vessel.
Discounts for Children: On regular departures children 12 years and under who share a room with an adult are eligible for a discount of 50% off the Cruise Rate, subject to cabin availability.
Triple Cabins: Some of the cabins on the M/Y TUCANO can accommodate three travelers. This is helpful for families. These are cabins "3" and "4" where a third narrow bed can be placed between the single beds and cabin "0" which has a queen size bed and also a single bed. There is no discount for triple occupancy; passengers pay the double rate.
Why Choose Our Amazon Cruise?
We Spend More Time Exploring
Ours cruises are planned so that we can experience as much of the wildlife and culture of the Amazon as we can. Starting early in the morning, we have many excursions off the boat, often as many as four every day. Our cruises have many more excursions that other cruises, and this is the best way, and really the only way, to successfully experience this exotic locale.
Small Groups Are Essential
On the Amazon Odyssey group size is limited by the nine cabins on the vessel which averages from 16-18 travelers. In a small group it is much easier to stay focused on nature and get the very most out of our journey. Larger groups make it hard to see wildlife. Several times a day we make excursions into the forest in our launches and on forest walks. On these excursions we divide into still smaller groups, each with a naturalist guide. In a small group our guides can satisfy the curiosity that makes travel worthwhile. Our voyage is the opposite of mass tourism; each departure is an extraordinary exploration where we experience the wild nature of the Amazon that is hidden to most visitors.
Highly Skilled Guides
Our naturalist guides are some of the very best in the Amazon. Their knowledge of flora and fauna help us to observe and understand the secrets of the forest. They not only help us find wildlife, but they also share their knowledge of the astonishing habits of these fabulous creatures of the rainforest. One of the great pleasures of visiting the rainforest is not to just observe the creatures, but also to learn their feeding habits, how they reproduce, and how they fit into this magnificent environment. Because our guides grew up in the forest, they have endless stories to tell about life in the greatest wilderness on Earth.