Cruise Down The Amazon
Ticked off in February 2016
A river so vast it floods the forest each year, with pink dolphins surfacing beside your canoe among the treetops.
The adventure
The Amazon doesn't so much flow as breathe. In the wet season the water rises by as much as 10 metres and pours into the forest, so you glide by canoe between the treetops while monkeys crash through the branches overhead and pink river dolphins surface beside the boat with a soft puff of breath.
Days are an assault of heat and green: macaws flashing red, the sweet rot of the forest floor, a guide pointing out a sloth you would never have spotted. Night brings a wall of sound from frogs and insects, and a torch-lit search for caiman eyes glinting at the water's edge. Near Manaus, the black Rio Negro and the sandy Solimões run side by side for kilometres without mixing, a sharp line in the river you can trail your hand across.
Why it’s epic
- The Amazon carries around a fifth of all the fresh water that rivers pour into the world's oceans.
- Pink river dolphins, giant otters, sloths, caimans and hundreds of bird species.
- The Meeting of the Waters near Manaus, where dark and pale rivers flow side by side for several kilometres.
- Jungle lodges where you can fish for piranha, sleep in a hammock and paddle the flooded forest.
What it is
The Amazon is the largest rainforest on Earth and the river carries more water than any other.
How to do it
Popular bases are Iquitos in Peru, Manaus in Brazil, Leticia in Colombia and Rurrenabaque in Bolivia, from where river boats and jungle lodges run tours.
Top tip
Check vaccination advice for yellow fever and malaria before you go.
Need to know
- Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for most of the Amazon and some countries ask for the certificate; get malaria advice too.
- High water (roughly December to May) is best for canoeing through flooded forest; low water opens up jungle trails and river beaches.
- Choose a licensed lodge or boat with qualified naturalist guides, as standards vary widely.
Do it yourself
- Tours and ticketsGetYourGuide
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Cruise Down The Amazon” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.