Brazil
The enriching Amazon wilderness
Meeting of the rivers
Waking to the sound of the rainforest
coming in through the open windows of
your hut, a mosquito net above your bed
and wilderness all around is what awaits
you in the Amazon. While staying at the
Amazon Eco Lodge you will experience
all this plus delicious tropical fruit
for breakfast like: açaÃ, cupuaçu,
mango, papaya, guava, orange,
passionfruit, pineapple, hog plumand,
and have direct access to the jungle and
the river.
A great trip is to cruise down the
Rio Negro, past Manaus to a point called
the meeting of the rivers, which is
where two different huge rivers of
opposing color and temperature (the
Negro and the Solemoes) merge to form
the enormous Amazon River. It is an
incredible sight, with one river like
black coffee and the other like milk
swirling together. You may expect to see
river dolphins there, skies filled with
vultures, and magnificent tropical rain
clouds. Take the extra tour exploring
the many tributaries of the river in a
speedboat instead of returning on the
double-decker riverboat. You will not
only get views of hard to access parts
of the river but a scrumptious Brazilian
lunch too. The small boat enables you to
gain up-close and personal views of the
jungle and its many animals. You will
also see houseboats distributed along
your way where locals live literally on
the river.
Another excellent trip from the lodge
is to take a very small canoe, after
sunset, and paddle around the local
shoreline and bayou spotting animals. A
powerful spotlight in the canoe will
help you find your way through the
thickly forested and water covered
bayou. You will see many critters and
when the light is turned off you will
find yourself in the very dark jungle
surrounded by tarantulas, parana, and
crocodiles. It is a truly scary and
enriching experience all at the same
time.
At night lying in bed encased by the
humid jungle air and your mosquito-net
will take some getting used to. The rain
in the Amazon is not just your average
rain shower it is full-on tropical
downpours. There is very often thunder
and lighting and buckets of rain for
extended periods.
No trip to this part of the world
would be complete without a hike in the
jungle with your local guide. The guides
are mostly native Brazilians and
extremely knowledgeable of the Amazon.
On your walk you will be introduced to
many different plants and shown how the
natives use them for medication and
nutrition. It is extremely hot and humid
walking, expect to be drenched in
perspiration, but it will be an
inspirational trek. Guides will often
show you how to climb and swing on
vines, how to use a blowgun, and how to
fire the native bow.
Jungle Trek Video
Join me to continue exploring Brazil in
my next article on this wild and
wondrous place.