EXPLORE! The Adventure Travel Experts

Destination of the month:

Photo by Горящий тур

The Amazon

EXPLORE! The Adventure Travel Experts

Discover the Amazon Rainforest on an Explore Tailormade holiday

T

he Amazon is the biggest rainforest in the world, with over half of it’s area located in Brazil alone. The river flows through seven countries, so the variety of flora and fauna on offer is vast. Home to around 30% of the world’s animal species, the Amazon can be explored from comfortable jungle lodges to simple or luxurious houseboats. Look for toucans, macaws, caiman, giant river otters, pink river dolphins, tiny lizards, frogs and much, much more. It is also a year-round destination due to it’s location near the equator, although some seasons are wetter than others; it is the rainforest after all.

Our Tailormade Regional Specialists have ventured deep into the jungle and have a wealth of knowledge to share. Here’s a short guide to our Amazon highlights:

Puerto Maldonado is the starting point for Tambopata Reserve and Manu Biosphere Reserve. There are good budget options and a few comfortable lodges available, so there’s something for all budgets here. Guests can explore on foot in the jungle to learn all about the trees and plants, and their medicinal values, or take to the meandering rivers by boat to look for monkeys, sloths and giant river otters. One of the main sights here are the clay licks which attract hundreds of colourful scarlet and blue-and-yellow macaws – just a couple of examples of the parrots and parakeets that are found in the area. Iquitos is the gateway to explore the northern reaches of the Amazon and its small tributaries. An area only accessible by water this is where river boat cruises depart. Staying on a boat is a relaxing way to observe daily life along the river and spot pink river dolphins, while the small motor boats afford the opportunity to get up close to some of the area’s wildlife, from tiny frogs to well-disguised caimans and sloths. Destination of the month: the Amazon

Peru – The two main destinations of the Peruvian Amazon are Puerto Maldonado in the south and Iquitos to the north.

EXPLORE! The Adventure Travel Experts

Brazil – The city of Manaus is the gateway to the Brazilian Amazon, where the yellow waters of the Solimoes River flows side-by-side with the black waters of the River Negro. This fascinating spectacle goes on for over 6 km when they finally merge, known as the ‘meeting of the waters’ and the starting point of the Amazon River.

The Brazilian Amazon can be explored on foot on guided walks or from boats that can weave down the smaller tributaries in search of caiman, monkeys and toucans. There are a range of river cruise boats or jungle lodges that you can base yourself while here. Ecuador – The Ecuadorian Amazon is relatively untouched in comparison to other regions and therefore provides a more authentic experience. Yasuni National Park is located to the north of the country. Howler and spider monkeys hide in the dense tree canopy while colourful butterflies flit in and out of view.

The steamy rainforest is abundant with wild orchids, bromeliads and strangler vines attached to enormous and ancient trees; visitors will be able to discover more of the jungle’s vegetation on guided walks. Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, located not far from Yasuni, is also a wonderful area to go in search of macaws, toucans, kingfishers in addition to over 10 species of monkey and many reptiles, including anacondas. Spend an afternoon cruising the backwaters while fishing for piranhas or go for a swim in one of the calm lagoons.

If wildlife is your main interest why not combine a few different Amazon locations with your South American holiday? Alternatively you could add a few days at the Pantanal to the Brazilian ‘meeting of the waters’ or the incredible Galapagos Islands to an Ecuador Amazon cruise.

If you choose to cruise down the Amazon, you could be boarding some of our favourite boats, like the Queen Violeta (above) and the M/V Cattleya (below).

Call and speak to our Tailormade Regional Specialists, Hanna Holmes or Maria Bazzigalupi, to discuss your Amazon adventure today. Destination of the month: the Amazon