This expedition cruise endeavors to capture the spirit and essence of the Amazon in a relatively short amount of time. We mostly voyage on one of the most magnificent rivers in the Amazon basin, The Rio Negro. Over three and one half days we walk in the forest, explore in our launches, and visit local communities along the edges of this wild and largely uninhabited river. There are three or four excursions off the vessel every day. Early mornings we divide into small groups and glide along quiet channels in our launches or kayaks among giant rainforest trees draped with vines and orchids. The silence is broken only by the rustling of leaves by Squirrel Monkeys feeding or by the occasional piercing shriek of a Screaming Piha bird. During the day we walk in the forest and sometimes visit a small community. Some nights we search for nocturnal creatures in our launches out in the star-filled darkness. Into the Wild Amazon takes us to a variety of environments including dark flooded forests and high forest with towering trees and dense undergrowth. On lazy afternoons we may fish for the famous Amazon resident, the Piranha, some of whom we may see again on an appetizer plate. During our voyage we are treated to the everchanging vistas of travel on the mighty Amazon River itself. Most travelers are astonished by the scale and grandeur of this majestic waterway that drains a continent. On the cruise Into the Wild Amazon, we not only focus on the rainforest, but also on the culture of the people who live in this vast wilderness. We visit small fishing villages perched on the river bank where the traditional life is still guided by the rhythms of the rise and fall of the river. We also visit the homesteads of families who make and grow almost everything they need. For many travelers these visits with local settlers, whose lives are so dramatically different from ours, are some of the most memorable experiences of the cruise. Another fascinating visit is a stop at one of the bustling river trading towns. Here a vibrant river trade continues as it has for centuries. The last evening of the cruise we will coast along one of the greatest ports in the world, the Porto de Manaus. At our farewell dinner we will have the opportunity to reflect on our extraordinary experience and offer a toast to one of the most remarkable places on Earth. Day 1 - Manaus This afternoon we embark on the Motor Yacht Tucano in Manaus, Brasil. We depart on the Rio Negro and as the vessel glides upstream we will have our first talk about Amazon environments. By late afternoon we enter one of the world’s largest river island systems, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. The boat will weave along a winding channel with rainforest on both sides in a riot of brilliant vegetation. Weather permitting, we will go for a launch excursion in the gnarled and dense flooded forest along the river’s edge. We may see some Squirrel Monkeys and we may hear the other-worldly growls of Howler Monkeys echoing through the primitive rainforest. The Amazon has one of the greatest collection of birds in the world and we are sure to see some of these brightly colored jewels perched in the treetops. We return to the M/Y Tucano for hors d’oeuvres on the observation deck and a toast to the rainforest sunset. Following dinner we will embark in our launches in search of nocturnal creatures such as the Caiman, the Amazon’s crocodilians. We may also see one of the large night birds such as a Great Potoo, with its bulging eyes and large mouth, adapted to swallow the huge Mariposa Moths. (D) Day 2 - Anavilhanas Archipelago Shortly after sunrise this morning we explore the Anavilhanas Archipelago, a reserve that includes the world’s largest system of river islands and also areas of tall dense rainforest. Here we will see the strange environment called the igapó, the black water flooded forest, where dense forests grow right out of the dark water of the Rio Negro. Mid-morning we return to the vessel for a hearty Brasilian breakfast. After some time to relax, weather permitting, we will disembark at mid-morning and dividing into very small groups we will go for a walk in the type of rainforest known as the terra firme. Here we have a good chance to see the markings, if not the animals themselves, of some of the Amazon’s great mammals like peccaries (wild pigs) or even a jaguar. Around mid-day we return to the vessel for lunch and a siesta. In the afternoon we will excursion in our launches along the edges of the dense forest and listen to the sunset chorus of birds, howler monkeys, and frogs. Weather permitting, tonight we will have an excursion to spot caiman (the Amazon’s crocodiles) and other nocturnal creatures. We very often see arboreal porcupines or sloths scrambling high in the limbs. (BLD) Day 3 - Anavilhanas Archipelago Today we will voyage to the west side of the Rio Negro and continue to scout in our launches and walk in the forest. We will explore, according to the weather and water depth, areas rarely visited by anyone else. Tonight the M/Y Tucano goes downstream, and river depth permitting, will enter an east bank affluent of the Rio Negro and explore on deep into the rainforest on this small river. After our nocturnal exploration of the rainforest in our launches we return to the Motor Yacht Tucano for “Caipirinha Night” and perhaps try a bit of samba on the top deck. (BLD) Day 4 - Meeting of the Waters We begin the day with a dawn excursion hunting for wakening wildlife followed by a full Brasilian breakfast. We will then go one last time into the forest. In the mid-afternoon we will begin to journey downstream to 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 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. At sunset the M/Y Tucano will once again turn her bows upstream on the Rio Negro and journey to our overnight anchorage north of the City of Manaus. As we pass in front of Manaus, we will marvel at the scale of one of the world’s largest and most vibrant port cities over a thousand miles from the sea. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner and prepare for an early departure in the morning. (BLD) Day 5 - Manaus Early this morning, after a hearty breakfast, all guests disembark from the M/Y Tucano. (B) Notes: Meal Codes: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner Please note that the day-to-day schedule is approximate. The exact order of the days and specific features may be altered due to navigational and other scheduling considerations. Degree of Difficulty: Good health is necessary. Guests can have a quite enjoyable trip by simply staying on board the M/Y Tucano and participating in launch excursions. Participants in our walks in the forest must be able to comfortably walk for two or more hours at a time.