Cruising the legendary Amazon River and its tributaries brings you into one of the most unusual and bio-diverse places on the planet, a tropical rainforest region where one in ten known species on earth can be found. Vying with the Nile as the longest river in the world, the Amazon waters flow more than 4,000-miles, from high in the Andes all the way down to the Atlantic. You can't cruise the whole river.
Big ships, including select ships from the fleets of Princess, Holland America, Silversea, Oceania and Crystal, tend to explore from January to March, from the Atlantic to Manaus, the port city that is capital of Brazil's Amazonas state. These large ships tend to stay on the main river due to their size, but there are shore excursions or overnight tours that go deeper into the rainforest.
Small expedition ships — such as those operated by Lindblad Expeditions, in partnership with National Geographic, and Aqua Expeditions — cruise year-round from Iquitos or Nauta in Peru's Upper Amazon, about 2,400-miles from the Atlantic. Passengers on these small-ship cruises head by skiff into the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, a flooded forest covering millions of acres at the headwaters of the Amazon basin.
After cruising for a week on the 28-passenger Delfin II, chartered by Lindblad, here are our 10 favorite things about an Amazon River cruise.
Pink dolphins. Dolphins are easy to spot in the Amazon, especially where creeks or lakes and rivers meet. These playful, freshwater mammals show off various shades of grey and pink and can grow to up to eight feet in length.
Monkeys. Swinging on vines, playing monkey/see, monkey/do following each other across tree limbs, and screeching from the treetops, you'll see (and/or hear) an incredible variety of these clever creatures, including squirrel monkeys, capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys and tamarins.
Birds. It will come as no surprise that the Amazon is nirvana for those who love bird-watching, but it's still a shock to see entire flocks of kingfishers and egrets, parrots and macaws, vultures and hawks. Look out for such species as the plum-throated catinga, which is such a startlingly bright shade of blue it looks like it's made of plastic.
Villages. In tiny communities along the Amazon, villagers fish (sometimes from dugout canoes), practice substance farming and may or may not have electricity. Shy but friendly, the locals greet visitors with smiles, and you may find yourself constantly followed by kids as you explore a village. The villagers may produce souvenirs including colorful baskets and rustic blowguns.
Creepy crawlers. From anacondas (snakes!) that hang out in shallow waters to red-eyed caimans (alligators!) that can be spotted at night by their red eyes, to tarantulas (spiders!), to King toads the size of rabbits, the jungle is full of, well, creepy surprises.
Sloths. Maybe it's their cute little white faces or their legendary laziness, but among the 600-some species of mammals in the Amazon, everyone gets particularly giddy when a three-toed sloth is spotted lounging on a tree.
Exotic fruits/flora. Naturalist guides share wisdom from jungle doctors while you taste Amazonian fruits that go way beyond the now familiar papaya and mango. Try Vitamin C-rich Camu Camu, the tomato-like Cocona and spiky melon-like Annona (which has sweet, custard-like flesh). As you explore the rainforest, keep an eye out for the astonishing plant life, including strangling figs, stilt-like walking trees and giant water lilies.
Weird fish. There are piranhas in the Amazon, but fish with sharp teeth are just the beginning of the oddities. You'll hear about, if not see, fish that "walk" in the flooded forest, leaping into trees to eat wood and nuts, fish with hard-shell armor and even giant, air-breathing fish.
Sounds. The cacophony of birds, frogs, crickets, monkeys and more is so intense — especially at sunrise and sunset — that the forest sounds at times like a tape track is playing or a generator is running. Do yourself a favor and stop and listen.
Sense of discovery. You'll cruise in upscale style (even expedition cruises in the Amazon are equivalent to "Glamping" or an upscale safari) but there is still a sense of exploring a path less traveled — especially when your guide takes out a machete to clear the way through vines and logs so your skiff can float further along into the flooded jungle. It's Tarzan meets Teddy Roosevelt's "River of Doubt," with large cabins, picture windows, hot showers, good food and other creature comforts.