Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon

Early this morning, all guests board the motor yacht Tucano and departed upstream on the Rio Negro. Through the morning, cruise through the world’s largest river island system, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. From the observation deck, you scan the magnificent tangle of vegetation at the water’s edge. By mid-afternoon, the vessel has gone beyond the frontier of settlement and entered a wilderness area. Both shores are covered by dense rainforest. Though you cannot predict what you can see, you likely observe pink river dolphins, primates, and a large collection of exotic birds. Most certainly, you are treated to magnificent forest vistas and the spectacular trees themselves. In the late afternoon, embark on the launches and go in search of wildlife.

Early this morning, guests divide into small groups to explore the rainforest by launch or kayak, accompanied by a naturalist guide. Listen for the deep calls of howler monkeys and the lively morning chorus of toucans echoing through the trees. After breakfast, embark on a guided forest walk to gain deeper insight into the Amazon’s complex ecosystem. Around midday, return to the vessel for lunch as it continues upstream through this vast wilderness. In the late afternoon, venture out again by launch to experience the rainforest at sunset, surrounded by the calls of birds, frogs, and howler monkeys. Weather permitting, an evening excursion offers the chance to observe the nocturnal wildlife that thrives in the Amazon after dark.

This morning, there will be an early exploration of the waking forest. Keep your eyes open for sloths on most trips, as you're likely to see them often. Return for breakfast followed by either a walk in the forest or an excursion in the launches. The M/Y Tucano will travel during the middle of the day and stop in the afternoon for an excursion. Tonight, the vessel may travel a bit more as you marvel at the night sky crowded with stars.

After your morning excursions, the M/Y Tucano will navigate along the heavily forested shore, scouting for wildlife. You may stop for a visit at a settler’s home carved out of the forest. In the early afternoon, you should be near an extraordinary river called the Rio Jaueperi. Here, you can see a kind of forest known as the varzea—Scout along the shoreline for some of the extraordinary creatures found only in this unique environment. Weather permitting, you have a night excursion to observe nocturnal creatures.

Today, the vessel will head southeast and begin its course to the Amazon River. Continue to scout in your launches and walk through the forest as you explore the estuaries of deep forest rivers that flow into the Rio Negro. Weather and water depth permitting, explore areas rarely visited by anyone else. Tonight, the M/Y Tucano continues downstream and explores deep into the rainforest on this magnificent river.

Begin the day with a dawn excursion in search of waking wildlife, followed by a full Brazilian breakfast. Conditions and navigation permitting, you then go into the forest one last time. In the mid-afternoon, you begin to journey downstream.

You should arrive late in the day at the “Encontro das Aguas” - a stark, several-mile-long line where two of the world’s largest rivers, the Amazon River and the Rio Negro, join in a turbulent maelstrom. Here, the dark water of the Negro runs beside the opaque brown water of the Amazon. This is often a good place to fish for the legendary scourge of the Amazon, piranhas, which might just become hors d’oeuvres.

At sunset, the M/Y Tucano will once again turn her bows upstream on the Rio Negro and journey to your overnight anchorage. As you pass in front of Manaus, marvel at the scale of one of the world’s largest and most vibrant port cities, over a thousand miles from the sea. As you pass the glittering lights on shore, you can have a small party, as you say in Brazil, a festazinha, your “Caipirinha Night”. Tonight, you have a farewell dinner and prepare for an early departure in the morning.

Early this morning, after a hearty breakfast, disembark from the M/Y Tucano.

Optional City Tour of Manaus: This three hour and one half tour of Manaus is available at the end of the cruise and is operated by the ground staff. Among other sites it includes the boisterous Mercado Municipal of Manaus, the Teatro Amazonas - the famed opera house of the Amazon, and the historical birthplace of Manaus, the Praça Dom Pedro II. Included are the services of a bilingual guide, a commercial vehicle and commercially licensed driver, entrance fees and transportation. Please note that museums may be closed on holidays. Kindly inquire for rates.