Bonnetts Abroad

AmazonCruise

Arrive

Manuas city – the furthest navigable port on the Amazon – some 1,000 miles from the ocean, sprang up as a centre for rubber exports from the Brazilian plantations and became a focal point for trade. Taking its name from the Manaos Indians who inhabited the region, the city became a huge boomtown at the end of the 19th century, as more and more rubber was harvested from the surrounding rain forest. As the economy thrived, the locals erected monuments to their success. The most flamboyant being the huge golden–domed Opera House, which was imported, stone by laborious stone, from Europe. At its height, it also boasted palatial mansions and a hedonistic life–style. Nowadays, the rubber industry has died away, but the city, with its vast crumbling civic building, remains a fascinating gaudy metropolis, set amidst a sea of dense rain forest.

Trip Booked

Rainforest Walk

A scenic 1 hour–long ride on a regional riverboat will take you up the majestic Rio Negro River. During the boat ride, your guide will brief you about the eco–system and the dynamics of the region. Arriving at Lake Guedes, you'll disembark at the local wooden pier and walk to the main shelter for a talk about the rainforest and what, you may see along the trail.

Your local guide will lead you on foot into the jungle for your 1–hour long walk. Feel the intensity of the rainforest first–hand as you walk through the thickets of trees and dense vegetation. The vegetation of the Amazon Basin is probably the most richly varied on earth and you'll have plenty of time to absorb these surroundings. Your guide will introduce you to some of the survival techniques of the native people, such as how to build a shelter or construct a trap for small animals. 

Your return to Manaus will be a 1 hour transfer by regional riverboat, during which fresh fruits and fruit juice will be available for you to enjoy.  

Duration: 3.75 Hours

Evening Trip Booked

Caiman Spotting

You'll take a moonlit riverboat cruise into the dense jungle backwaters, where you'll cross a short gangplank to a small–motorised canoe. Under the expert direction of a native guide, you'll glide silently into the flooded forest and its countless overgrown tributaries. Armed only with a flashlight, your guide will attempt to locate caimans.

While the bright light hypnotizes the caiman, you'll slowly approach it until your guide is close enough to attempt to catch the caiman with his bare hands and actually lift it out of the water for all to see. When you have taken photographs, the young caiman will be returned, unharmed, to the water.

After the thrill of this incredible hunt, you will transfer back to the riverboat for your return to the Manaus floating pier.

Duration: 3 Hours