The Brazilian Amazon How to experience the rainforest in style By Lucy Bryson The Brazilian Amazon How to experience the rainforest in style By Lucy Bryson Copyright © 2015 Matueté Published by Horizon Travel Press PO Box 9531 Denver, CO 80209 http://horizontravelpress.com/ By Lucy Bryson Layout & design by Simon Ross-Gill The Brazilian Amazon: How to experience the rainforest in style Contents Foreword ........................................................................................pages 6-7 Welcome to the Brazilian Amazon ..............................................pages 8-11 Amazon highlights ........................................................................pages 12-13 Myths and misconceptions ...........................................................pages 14-15 How to travel the Amazon ............................................................pages 16-19 The Amazon in style: Private yacht charters ............................... pages 20-21 Family Friendly Amazon ...............................................................pages 22-23 Rio Negro and Manaus Introduction to Rio Negro and Manaus ..................................pages 26-27 What to do in and around Rio Negro ..................................... pages 28-33 Exploring the Rio Negro region ...............................................pages 34-35 Accommodation .......................................................................pages 36-37 Getting there and away ..........................................................pages 38-39 Rio Tapajos Introduction to Tapajos ........................................................... pages 42-43 MAZON Exploring the Tapajos region ...................................................pages 44-45 MAZON A A Getting there and away ...........................................................pages 46-47 Belém & Marajó Introduction to Belém and Marajo ..........................................pages 50-51 Exploring Belém and Marajó ...................................................pages 52-53 Other Destinations THE BRAZILIAN BRAZILIAN THE BRAZILIAN THE Xingu National Park .................................................................pages 56-59 Tefé and Uakari lodge ..............................................................pages 60-63 Alta Foresta ..............................................................................pages 64-67 Resources Responsible travel ....................................................................pages 68-69 Climate and when to travel ......................................................pages 70-71 Nature and wildlife ..................................................................pages 72-75 Recommended packing list ......................................................page 76-77 Eating and drinking ................................................................. page 78 Useful phrases ..........................................................................page 79 About Matueté ..............................................................................pages 80-81 44 5 Foreword Martin Frankenberg Founder - Matueté When I first set foot in the Amazon eighteen years ago, I knew I had discovered a special place: The lungs of the world, the heart of South America, the soul of Brazil. And since then, despite having organized hundreds of trips to the region over many years, the effect this place has on visitors never ceases to amaze me. There aren’t many travel destinations in the world that come with so many preconceptions as the Amazon rainforest. Some of them are correct - yes it’s hot, and yes it’s often pretty rainy! But much of the received wisdom couldn’t be any further from the truth - it’s only when you set foot in the jungle that you realise how much you had wrong. The near total absence of mosquitoes in vast regions of the forest; the glorious white sand beaches and tranquil crystal waters; the joy of swimming in the rivers free of piranha and all the other creepies you might expect; I could go on and on... But it’s the subtle things that make the Amazon truly unique. The immensity MAZON of the rivers; the absolute silence of the nights; the singing of the birds and the MAZON A overpowering beauty of a sunset over a deserted beach. A For my family, the Amazon has formed the backdrop of many of the most memorable holidays of our lives. And for this reason alone, it makes it so precious for me and for so many families I have had the pleasure of planning trips to the region. Welcome to the jungle! Enjoy. THE BRAZILIAN BRAZILIAN THE BRAZILIAN THE 66 7 MAZON MAZON A A Welcome to the hectare of the Amazon than in all of jungle’s most compelling attractions sand beaches spring up alongside Europe, and the jungle is home to are within the reach of travellers who rivers that are so broad they’re more Brazilian Amazon around a quarter of all the planet’s want to experience the world’s largest like inland seas, making the Amazon living species. tropical forest without abandoning a surprisingly perfect location for a THE BRAZILIAN BRAZILIAN THE Often referred to as the lungs of There are some 1,000 rivers and their creature comforts. beach holiday, and with a sense of BRAZILIAN THE the earth, the Amazon rainforest is tributaries - enough to circle the Earth And if you’re imagining hacking your splendid isolation that you won’t find the largest on earth and the Amazon twice over if joined together - in which way through impenetrable forest, anywhere on Brazil’s more famous itself is the world’s mightiest river. swim an estimated 3,000 species of machete swinging wildly, it might be coast. Covering almost half of Brazil’s fish. Some 300 species of mammal time to think again. Foodie travellers will be in their landmass and extending into eight have been identified in the jungle, While the Brazilian Amazon offers element, too, thanks to nature’s other South American countries, along with close to 2,000 types of great scope for rugged jungle bounty. The trees hang heavy with the Amazon region is a rewarding butterfly. adventures, a trip here needn’t be colourful tropical fruit - many of which destination for anyone looking for The sheer scale of the Amazon an endurance test of your wilderness don’t even have names in English - that trip of a lifetime that will linger rainforest can be both awe-inspiring survival skills. Today’s visitor can also while the rivers teem with edible fish. long in the memory. and intimidating to the visitor. When find high-end jungle lodges offering Superfoods such as energy-boosting The Amazon exists on a scale that planning a trip here it makes sense impeccable cuisine, while luxury yachts guarana and acai are found in is difficult to comprehend and its to concentrate on one region. The provide a floating base to explore the abundance. biodiversity is mind-boggling. There Brazilian portion alone is mind- jungle in style. Fish baked in a Brazil nut crust, are more species of plant in just one blowing in scale, but many of the During the dry season, pristine white potent caipifrutas made with sugar 88 9 cane rum and fresh fruit, and rich ice has a population close to two million creams, mousses and sorbets made - and Belém. Manaus is a buzzing, with tropical fruit such as creamy bustling city deep in the heart of the cupuacu are among the many culinary jungle, where visitors can admire treats to be discovered. the architecture of the city’s famous What you see and experience Opera House and take in a lively depends entirely on where and drinking and dining scene before when you visit, and how you prefer embarking on a trip down the Rio to travel. The Amazon River itself Negro as it flows out of the city. is the ‘expressway’ of the jungle. Meanwhile, the port city of Belém The communities that live on the is a foodie hotspot, with some truly banks of the legendary river are high-end restaurants serving highly long accustomed to enormous ships imaginative dishes made from native passing by - with no roads linking it to ingredients. the south of the country, all freight into the main city of Manaus is carried The jungle’s cities and large towns by river. owe much of their grand architecture In contrast, travelling down the to the rubber boom of the late 19th Amazon’s countless tributaries is a and early 20th centuries. Surrounded much more laid back affair, more by rubber trees, these cities thrived, akin to taking a quiet country road. becoming the richest and most MAZON But the scale can still be vast! The developed in Brazil until seeds were MAZON A waterways range from relatively smuggled out of the country to A narrow to so wide that you won’t be establish plantations in Malaysia, thus able to see the shore on the other ending Brazil’s rubber monopoly. side. Today, Brazil’s Amazonia is a rich mix Villages along these shores are of untamed nature, barely-contacted usually very small, populated by indigenous villages and busy cities. It is THE BRAZILIAN BRAZILIAN THE communities who lead largely perfectly possible to enjoy exuberant BRAZILIAN THE subsistence lifestyles, living off the wild nature while traveling on river and the land. Schooling is a luxurious yachts, or take in an opera challenge here, and many children after exploring some of the most take a boat for miles to reach class. remote regions of the jungle. The jungle is home to a staggering The region offers almost limitless collection of flora, colourful birds and opportunities for accessible, even butterflies, and while the larger land luxurious, adventures, and trips can