This was really an awesome trip. Boating down the amazon is an incredibly serene and scenic experience. The views are magnificent and the sounds of the jungle are great, especially at night. There weren't too many mammal sightings bit we did see many colorful birds. I guess the amazon isn't teeming with life in the big animal sense but clearly there are tons of creatures all around.
The Amazon Clipper Cruises: we were on the premium boat which was quite nice. I think the advantage over the traditional boat is enclosed with AC in the dining area and sitting areas. One complaint - no hot water for the first couple days because of a device failure that was repaired. Clearly the 6 day trip is a composite of the 3 day Rio Solimoes trip and the 4 day Rio Negro trips but the junction could have been more subtle than a 2 hour docking at the Tropical Manaus Ecoresort. In addition there could have been a little less repetition with the water lilies trip and the meeting of the waters bit. The Rio Negro portion is definitely the better portion with glassy waters, less insects and awesome scenery. However, in glad to have had the two for comparison. The Solimoes had more fish and hence more villages and more fishermen. I'm glad I spent the week with the combo trip. The only alternative I would have considered is an ecolodge + boat cruise combo. In terms of guides, Hugo was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable about the area, animals, birds, and flora. He was much better than the other guide on the trip - Christophe.
The weather this past week has been fabulous. The forecast said rain daily but we only got rained on once and only for a few minutes. There was some reason at Night but that was pleasant. Otherwise, the weather was perfect - beautiful skies with breathtaking sunrises and sunsets.
Where to next? On board with us were some of the most week traveled people I've ever met. One couple was on a 10-month tour of the Americas and one guy was doing a 6 month tour of South America. I was very intrigued by tales recounted of trips to Sri Lanka, Antarctica, the Galapagos, and Madagascar. Many more trips to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment