Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon

Board the Motor Yacht Tucano

Board the Motor Yacht Tucano and depart upstream on the Rio Negro. Cruise through the world's largest river island system, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. Watch the magnificent tangle of vegetation as the boat enters a wilderness area covered by dense rainforest. Keep your eyes peeled for pink river dolphins and a large collection of exotic birds, while taking in magnificent forest vistas and the spectacular trees themselves. In the late afternoon, hop on a launch (a smaller boat made for exploring) to look for wildlife from the water's edge.

Explore the Amazon Rainforest

Hear a morning serenade of toucans and howler monkeys and explore the shoreline from a launch. After breakfast, go for a walk in the forest and get a good start on understanding Amazon ecology. If you like, opt for a guided short, easy kayaking excursion. Around midday, return for lunch as the vessel gets underway, perhaps stopping at a place to swim. In the late afternoon, explore the forest in our launches and listen to the sunset chorus of birds and frogs.

Forest Walks & Wildlife Watching

Explore the waking forest in the early morning light, keeping your eyes open for the monkeys that are frequently seen along the shore. Return for breakfast, followed by either a walk in the forest or an excursion in a launch. M/Y Tucano will travel during the middle of the day and stop in the late afternoon when most animals come out to feed. As the vessel travels a bit farther, marvel at the night sky crowded with stars.

Explore Rio Jauaperi

After two morning excursions, scout for wildlife while the M/Y Tucano navigates along the heavily forested shore, where it's possible to stop for a visit at a settler's home carved out of the forest. In the early afternoon, cruise near an extraordinary river called Rio Jauaperi, where you'll 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. Observe nocturnal creatures during a night excursion (weather permitting). The night shift of Amazon wildlife often includes Giant Potoo birds, with eyes glowing like coals in our headlamps, Amazon crocodiles, caiman, and cavort in the shallows of the darkness. Nighttime is also the high time for Bulldog fishing bats.

Continue on the Rio Negro

Voyage to the west side of the Rio Negro and set out to explore areas of the rainforest rarely visited by anyone else. At night, sip the national drink of Brasil, the Caipirinha, and perhaps try a bit of samba on the top deck as we glide through the starry darkness towards the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River.

Cruise Lago Janauari Ecological Park

Observe wildlife in the Lago Janauari Ecological Park, where the thick brown water of the Amazon flows swiftly through the forest. Around mid-day, travel to the Encontro das Aguas, a stark, several-mile-long line where the Amazon and the Negro rivers join in a turbulent maelstrom. In the afternoon, scout one of the hidden streams in the area to try to see more of the Amazon's beautiful and bizarre creatures. In the evening, join the group for a farewell dinner and prepare for an early departure in the morning.

Disembark from the Motor Yacht Tucano

After a hearty breakfast, disembark from the M/Y Tucano.