The Amazon River Boat: South America's Greatest Journey
The slow boat journey from Iquitos downstream to Leticia (Colombia) and Tabatinga (Brazil) — or the reverse upstream journey from Manaus — is one of the world's great river journeys; 3-7 days of hammock life on the Amazon, passing through unbroken rainforest, is a transformative travel experience
- 1
Hammock Deck Life
Amazon river boats carry passengers in hammocks strung up on the open decks — the traveler brings his own hammock, stretches it between the posts and makes his home for the next 3-7 days; the shared social life on the hammock deck (meals eaten together, conversations with local families, river watching from the deck) is the true attraction of the trip
- 2
Amazon River Width
The Amazon River grows steadily wider downstream from Iquitos — from 3-4 km wide at Iquitos to 10-15 km wide at the Brazilian border; the scale of the river, visible from the boat deck, creates a deep sense of the river's power; the flat jungle horizon in all directions and the absence of land features create a sea feel
- 3
Three-country border
The journey of the Amazon River reaches the Leticia-Tabatinga border - the tripoint where Peru, Colombia and Brazil meet at the Amazon River; the three cities share a single urban area with no fence between them; the experience of walking between three countries in a single morning is uniquely Amazonian
- 4
River Wildlife from Deck
The Amazon River journey provides continuous encounters with wildlife from the boat deck — pink dolphins surfing the bow wave, toucans and macaws in the riverside trees, giant otters fishing on the river's edges and black skimmers flying at the water level; the boat trip is one of the most productive platforms for viewing wildlife in the Amazon
- 5
Cargo Boat Culture
The cargo boats that transport goods between Iquitos and the river towns carry everything - motorcycles, refrigerators, livestock, building materials and food; the social world of the cargo ship – the cook's dining room, the mechanic's workshop, the captain's bridge and the hammock – is a complete floating village culture
- 6
Amazon Night
The Amazon at night from the boat deck - the stars above (Wintergatan clearly visible without light pollution), the dark forest wall on each side, the luminescent organisms in the river's wake and the sounds of the night forest - is one of the most extraordinary sensory experiences available to travelers anywhere in the world