Amazon Rainforest Travel

The Amazon is home to massive bird life, elusive animals, and many different indigenous tribes trying to adapt to the encroachments of “civilization”. When you venture into the Amazon, you immediately know that you are crossing a frontier, from modern day civilization into an area where the eco system rules everything. For families, this is a magnificent adventure! Experiences range from rustic adventures to high luxury, from land based lodges to cruising.

There are many different way to experience the Amazon and you can experience it by visiting four countries offered by Quivertree. Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Destination Highlights

Active Adventures in the Amazon

Travel by canoe down a tributary of the Amazon and stay deep in the forest with researchers and explorers.

Travel by boat down the huge main Amazon river to secluded islands, where you can swim with pink dolphins.

Visit Manaus, the famous city built in the middle of Amazonia.

Accommodation

Stay in a luxury lodge on the edge of the jungle and experience the rain forest and local culture without roughing it! Or spend a few days staying in a more rustic lodge run by a local indigenous community and learn their way of life.

Wildlife

See macaws and other exotic birds at some of the largest clay licks in the world.

Search for elusive mammals such as capybaras, peccaries, tapirs and other inhabitants of the forest.

Add on a safari in the Pantanal region (Brazil) or Los Llanos (Colombia) – two of the richest wildlife area of South America, and home to jaguars, giant anteaters and other incredible animals.

Beaches

Add on a visit to one of the most spectacular beaches in the world, on the North-Eastern coast of Brazil.

Amazon Sample Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive in Lima and overnight. The Amazon covers many countries in South America. Peru has excellent accommodations which work really well for families. The Amazon can also be visited in Brazil, Colombia, and Bolivia. 

Day 2
Depart for the Peruvian Amazon. You will fly to the small city of Puerto Maldonado and from there, you’ll travel by motorized canoe down a tributary of the Amazon River. As civilization recedes, you will become more aware of the birdlife, and you’ll likely hear the monkeys in the trees. Your overnight stop is a jungle lodge not far from a small settlement. You will have an opportunity to visit the small settlement and see how the indigenous people live off the land. You will also have an opportunity to climb an observation tower and see the jungle canopy from up high.

Day 3
Your trip downriver continues, as you make your way to a research station far deeper in the jungle. Accommodation is rustic but this is the real jungle in every way – you may see wild pigs rushing through the undergrowth or experience the call of a macaw close by, and you’ll be able to visit clay licks, where parrots frequent in the thousands.  Spend 2 nights here, going on hikes and river trips in this remote region, far from any town or village. 

Day 4
In the jungle.

Day 5
Travel back to Puerto Maldonado and fly to Iquitos, a city in the northern part of Peru’s Amazon. Here you will board a luxury river boat, and spend the next 4 nights cruising the tributaries of  the Amazon region, seeing wildlife such as pink river dolphins, and taking excursions to visit local villages and areas of wildlife diversity.

Day 6-8
Cruising the Amazon.

Day 9
Returning to Lima, you will check-in for your flight back home. Extensions are available to Machu Picchu, and for those who are very keen to see jaguars, you can extend the trip into Brazil, where chances of seeing these very elusive animals are high at certain times of the year.

Amazon Trip Tips & FAQ's

What Time of Year is Best for Amazon Rainforest Travel?

The Amazon is a tropical rainforest and it rains plenty! The driest months are typically May – October, though it’s definitely very possible to visit at any other time of year. It’s always hot and humid.

Is Traveling to the Amazon Rainforest a Good Place for a Family Vacation?

Yes! This is arguably the most important biosphere in the world and it is disappearing fast. Families for whom nature is important and who love adventure will make sure to put the Amazon on their bucket list.

Amazon Rainforest Travel: What is There to Do?

Explore the jungle with experts, meet researchers, take a luxury river cruise and see the amazing birdlife. Meet local tribes who live in the forest and learn about their way of life. With luck, see jaguars and other jungle mammals.

What is food like in Amazon?

Lodges in the Amazon offer a wide variety of international food catering to most dietary requirements. 

Amazon Rainforest Travel: Where to Stay

Lodges range from more rustic to luxurious, depending on how deep in the jungle they are. Accommodations are comfortable and are very family-friendly.

Are Amazon Rainforest Tours Expensive?

It depends where you go in the Amazon. An expedition deep into the jungle, or a luxury river cruise, is expensive. You can also do a midrange trip to the jungle fringes and it will be a fantastic experience too.

Name something that is very weird in the Amazon?

Fishing for piranha. These little fish have incredibly sharp teeth, and you can fish for them – they can eat anything (including people if they can – but don’t worry, your guide will not let you jump in the river) – and you can eat them.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT

The Amazon

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