Visiting the Amazon is always a surprise, there is no bad weather. There are moments when the rivers are fuller and the chance of rain increases and there are moments when the rivers are not so full, then the beaches and trails previously hidden by the waters become visible. During these months the chance of rain is not as great, but it is still there, as we are, after all, in the middle of the world’s greatest tropical rainforest.
We embark at 10:00 am at a port in Manaus, and we begin this expedition with a safety briefing and the introduction of the crew and guests. To get to the vessel, a short walk across the beach will be expected, as the rivers are less full and a bit farther from the docks.
Our first glimpse of the famous Amazon waters are the dark-colored ones from Rio Negro. Following the strait of Tatu, we arrive at a region known as Jacaré Ubal, where our journey through the Amazon begins. Here, our first official meeting with the one that holds so many legends and tales, the Boto, a freshwater dolphin unique to the Amazon area, with coloring that can be pink or gray. In this area, it comes very close to the visitors, creating an amazing opportunity of interaction with contemplation and photographs to be taken.
Sailing the Negro river for a few hours, contemplating the beauty of the areas nearby, eyes and ears ever so focused to whatever we might find as we pass by the different sceneries. In the Amazon, meeting fauna and flora up close is always a welcoming event, even the ones that happen by chance, as nature always tends to bring forth pleasant surprises. In the afternoon, we go on a motorized canoe tour for discovering and observing the area of the mouth of Rio Ariaú, and with our tour guides' well-trained eyes, finding interesting species is always a fun challenge as they search through leaves and trunks for them.
By the end of the day, when the moon is in a favorable position, we will go for another outing as we search for the wild life that lives in the jungle and, where night fall, gives away their hiding spots to venture the woods. Our eyes, and focus will be on those lives we were unable to see during the day, and those of nocturnal habits.