zAmazon Expedition Cruise

You’ll be met at the airport for your private car transfer to the inviting Tropical Hotel, a deluxe resort set against a lush rainforest backdrop. After time to refresh, your private car, driver and guide will be waiting to take you on an afternoon city tour. Surrounded by miles of Amazon rainforest in every direction, this vibrant and energetic Brazilian city still retains the spirit of a true frontier town. Your sightseeing here in Manaus explores its colorful past when turn-of-the-century rubber barons made their fortunes and commissioned ornate buildings like the Amazon Theater and Customs House.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and a free morning to relax as you wish or to explore colorful Manaus at your own pace. In the early afternoon, you’ll step aboard your choice of river expedition vessel. The double-deck MV Amazon Clipper offers 8 outside cabins and 360-degree views from the Observation Deck. With three decks, the 32-passenger MV Amazon Clipper Premium has an air-conditioned lecture room, outside cabins with lower berths and shaded outdoor spaces plus two whirlpools. As your vessel begins her voyage up the Rio Negro, enjoy a ship’s briefing and refreshing fruit juices. Later in the afternoon, informative lectures will provide a great foundation of the Amazon exploration to follow in the coming days. After dinner, a canoe safari offers the possibility of observing nocturnal species including frogs, snakes and caimans. Meals B,D

Arise early this morning to explore by canoe along the densely vegetated riverbanks, a natural habitat for colorful fruit-eating birds like parrots and toucans. Enjoy a naturalist-guided mid-morning jungle walk before returning to ship for lunch. The afternoon finds your vessel charting a course through the 400 islands of Anavilhanas, the world’s largest freshwater archipelago. In the late afternoon, you’ll step aboard canoes to explore this fascinating labyrinth of waterways. Meals B,L,D

Early risers can try their hand at piranha fishing before breakfast. Afterward, step off ship to visit a local rainforest community. Along the way, our experienced naturalist guide will point out the amazing diversity of fruit trees and flowering plants which thrive along these jungle trails. Enjoy lunch back onboard and a leisurely afternoon – a great time to swim with the possibility of sighting pink River Dolphins. A late afternoon canoe safari promises another chance to observe more wildlife. Meals B,L,D

This morning finds you exploring along the swift Amazon currents that flow through the pristine Lago Janauari Ecological Park, renowned for a diversity of wildlife and its enormous water lilies. A bit later this morning, your ship will navigate the Meeting of the Waters, an extraordinary phenomenon where the dark inky currents of the Rio Negro join the brown waters of the Amazon and flow together for miles without mixing. You’ll arrive back at the river pier in Manaus shortly before midday. Upon disembarkation, you’ll find our private car and driver waiting to escort you to the airport for your onward journey. Meals B