Amazon

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By Mark Stratton

MAY 17, 2024

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A lifetime of voyages into the Amazon basin would be required to comprehend its staggering biodiversity and rich cultural landscapes. Spanning 7 million square kilometres, this vast rainforest biome covers over 35% of South America’s landmass across multiple countries. During the river’s 6,500km journey eastwards from the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic Ocean, it spawns a thousand tributaries and is so wide in places that its riverbanks are sometimes out of sight.

My most recent Amazon cruise was on Ecuador’s Rio Napo tributary. Ecuador hosts just 2% of the Amazon basin, yet my five-day riverboat sailing from the city of Coca towards the Peruvian border was an epic adventure. The MV Anakonda riverboat skirted Yasuni National Park and introduced me to thrilling encounters with the indigenous Kichwa people and remarkable wildlife encounters.

Days typically commenced as steam rose from the riverbank rainforest at first sunlight. After breakfast, excursions by motor launches took us to watch cavorting pink river dolphins and Jatun Lake, where a family of river otters slumbered on a fallen tree. The birdcalls electrified the forest, red-bellied macaws noisily announced their presence, and near a Kichwa settlement, we tracked the world’s smallest monkey, a pygmy marmoset. At sunset, I joined fellow passengers for cocktails and conversation before dinner as we moored for the night. The starry constellations seen from the top deck simply dazzled.

Choosing the right Amazon river cruise can seem a daunting undertaking. Where do you start? Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, or Peru? My first introduction years back was a six-day public boat from the Amazon’s mouth at Belem to the interior city of Manaus in Brazil. It was rough and ready, and even back then, the selva (jungle) had been cleared for cattle ranching. Nowadays, the choice of boats and itineraries has burgeoned, and cruises reach more pristine parts. Vessels, as do prices and itinerary lengths, come in all shapes and sizes. You can dip your toe in the water (piranhas rarely bite) for a few days cruising out of Manaus or travel further afield for 7-10 days. Voyages are always all-inclusive.

The two key cruise hubs are Manaus, which accesses the mighty Rio Negro, and the Peruvian city of Iquitos, where voyages head into the Amazon’s headwaters. From Manaus, a particular highlight is the phenomena of the ‘meeting of the waters’ – where the dark blackwater Rio Negro flows alongside the tan-coloured Rio Solimoes, creating a two-tone effect.

Larger vessels cannot easily navigate the Peruvian headwaters, so river expeditions there are quieter, more wildlife-soaked affairs that take in the wondrously biodiverse Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.

Colombian and Bolivian river cruises have yet to be discovered. The Colombian Amazon hub is Leticia, from where voyages depart to the beautiful Puerto Nariño region. Even less known, despite having one-third of its territory within the Amazon, Bolivia’s river hub is Trinidad. The lovely twelve-cabined M/V Reina de Enin voyages along the 1500 kilometres Rio Mamoré tributary, home to pink river dolphins.