Post: #1

Hey guys, going to Brazil soon. I have 2 weeks. I want to spend a week checking out the Amazon. Has anyone done this?

Post: #2

(06-05-2017 05:53 AM)Gpx90210 Wrote:  Hey guys, going to Brazil soon. I have 2 weeks. I want to spend a week checking out the Amazon. Has anyone done this?

Me. I was in Colombia, though. Made a datasheet about it: /thread-62090.html.

Post: #3

A bit more than a year ago I was in Manaus. You find my datasheet on the city in the Manaus thread.

I spent 2 nights "in the jungle". I booked with a local agency in Manaus. Near the opera house there's one street with one agency next to the other. They are pro sales guys and offer you beers and pretend to be your friend until you booked with them. Just so you know. I think I ended up paying something around 100 USD for 2 days and that included everything except beer. I left with a group of 10 backpacker-type people, mostly couples and hairy girls. Type of people that you find in hostels. We drove around 1h to the port and from there took a boat for around 1 more hour. We crossed the Encontro dos Aguas, that's where the two streams of cold and warm water, one sandy colored and one black come together. Our destination is on part of the sandy water. That's better because the low pH level attracts way less mosquitoes (I hope I don't mix that up now). We then had to take an off-road car for around 2 hours and a speedboat for 1 hour to reach the shed where we'd be staying. So in total it took us around 4 hours to get there from Manaus city center.

The place where we would be staying is a floating house at some side river to the main Amazon. There were already a group of maybe 30 people. Actually people come out and go every day. Some people were there on a 2 day trip like me, others booked 3 or even 4 days. One french guy had been there for several weeks already, postponing his departure every day. Even that is possible.

We would sleep in sheds up the hill for one night. The beds were dirty but had mosquito nets. There were private bath rooms with running water and a plug for the camera. There was no internet and no mobile network available. Really hard for me.

We would regularly spot pink dolphins jumping out of the water. Also there were small piranhas that we were told to fish. I saw one guy getting bit as he pulled out one from the water, pretty bad. You could swim though without any danger. We also followed a guide catching an alligator at night. Apparently there were also monkeys in the trees, each time trees would move a bit the guides told us look a monkey. Maybe it's bullshit, I don't know.

We would take a small motor boat to see the surroundings. We went for a walk in the jungle. I asked the guide to use his Manchete knife. Hacking my way thru the jungle felt great. Best memories. He would show us giant trees, plants, insects that you could rub your body with to protect from mosquitoes and so on.

The second night I went with a group of 10 to spend the night on hammocks (with mosquito nets) in the jungle. The guide would drive us by boat and with all of the equipment to the camp. He was kind of our sherpa. He would light a fire and cook chicken for us, while all of the hairy eco backpackers would just sit there and watch. They were not even of any use to pick up fire wood. Typical hostel common room discussions all night. Meeh.

In summary, I liked the experience. It's something to talk about back home. Going to the jungle was my excuse for going to Manaus when my family or girlfriends asked. I was happy not to have stayed longer than 2 days. Living without a connection to the outside world turned out to be very though for me. I don't stay at hostels anymore, mainly because I hate the typical backpacker discussion about beer, SEA, where have you been, where will you go next blabla. I have an overdose of that during my jungle trip. But if that's one's scene, then this trip is perfect.

Back in Manaus I met an American guy who did a one week hike in the jungle. He had hired a private guide and whey would actually go into the dark parts of the forest. He showed me photos. That must have been a completely different experience than what I had. So if you're looking for something more extreme, that should also be possible to organize even also at relatively low prices. However, for that you need to bring your own equipment and be prepared.

TLDR:
- guided tour from Manaus is cheap and easy
- hostel/backpacker vibe
- if you want the real thing hiking far away from civilization, then hire your private guide

Post: #4

I just got back from Iquitos. It's in Peru--a city with half a million that you can't access by road from any other comparable town.

The jungle I saw just looked a lot like the forests of West Virginia. I walked a couple hikes of over two miles (probably four kilometers). I was totally disconnected for eleven days. On both hikes, we had a local who knew the area and would tell us about the plants and animals.

There are lots of interesting fruits everywhere. I never had bad food during the whole trip.

Post: #5

im trying to get my aguirre, the Wrath of God on.