Travel the Amazon, Brazil

Everybody has, at one point in time, dreamed of traveling up the mighty Amazon in search of indigenous tribes, wild animals, and dense jungle. You see pictures and video of this living beast all over the Discovery Channel, but right now you need to throw out all of your preconceived ideas of what the Amazon experience “should” be, and just go experience it yourself and take it all in. This way you won’t be let down and you will have time to appreciate all of the small things, which will make your experience YOURS.

I’m sure you’ve already heard the astounding statistics of the Amazon, so here they are in a nutshell:

As the largest river system in the world, the Amazon really is its own living entity, and is often referred to as the “lungs of the planet.” At its height during the rainy season the river can measure 40km across and dump over 300 million liters of fresh water into the Atlantic Ocean per second.

The Amazon basin is twice the size of India and the region includes territory belonging to nine nations, but the majority of the forest is contained within Brazil. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Scientists looking for new species need to look no further than the fish market in Manaus – fishermen pull in a never before seen species (well at least not to people outside of the Amazon) almost weekly.

And although the Amazon is mighty enough to control worldwide climates and support the widest variety of life on the planet, it is still susceptible to life-threatening problems. Today, more than 20% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed and is gone forever. The land is being cleared for cattle ranches, mining operations, logging, and subsistence agriculture. Some forests are being burned to make charcoal to power industrial plants. More than half of the world's rainforests have been destroyed by fire and logging in the last 50 years. Over 200,000 acres are burned every day around the world, or over 150 acres every minute. Experts also estimate that 130 species of plants, animals, and insects are lost every day.

As a traveler you should know that the Amazon has two seasons, the wet season and the dry season. The wet season runs from December to June, with peak rain occurring in April and May when it can rain almost daily. The temperatures during the wet season generally stay between 23ºC and 30ºC (73ºF to 86ºF). The dry season lasts from July to November, with temperatures ranging between 26ºC to 40ºC (78ºF to 104ºF). Although it is called the dry season, showers are still a possibility. Also, because the Amazon is so large, regional differences can be drastic.

For your tour of the Amazon you will need to buy a hammock and lots of insect repellent. The five-day trip from Ilha de Marajó to Manaus will be by boat, where you will sling up a hammock and enjoy your ride up the mightiest river in the world. From Ilha de Marajó head up river to Monte Alegre to stop and see ancient rock paintings – the oldest known human creations in the Amazon, if not all of Brazil. The next stop will be Santarém where you can visit many nearby attractions such as Alenquer, which although rarely visited, is near a beautiful countryside and is a nice escape. You can also visit the nearby virgin rainforest of the Floresta Nacional do Tapajós. Also visit Alter do Chão, a picture perfect lagoon with white sand beaches.

From Santarém and the nearby attractions you will head to Manaus, Amazonia’s largest city. Here is where you can arrange jungle treks and experience fish markets like never before.