Rio Urubú Expedition

Journey to Brazil/Manaus. An Explore Beyond representative will welcome you at the airport and you will be brought to Hotel Tropical by a private air-conditioned bus. Hotel Tropical is Manaus’ largest luxury hotel. The hotel is located in the heart of the Amazon on the banks of the Rio Negro. It is the perfect place to get well rested before setting out on this expedition. Dinner included!

In the morning (around 9am) we will leave Hotel Tropical for our journey to the jungle lodge (160 kilometers - 2 hours). In the afternoon (around 3pm) there will be a briefing about the jungle expedition ahead. After dinner we will leave to Jane’s Place (2 to 3 hours walk). This is a jungle survival camp built in a beautiful clearing in the middle of the primary forest. The camp brings you in close contact with the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants. The place is built in local native style with open walls and a roof made of 1500 palm leaves. The basic structure is made with Acariquara - Minquartia guianensis (iron wood), known to be resistant to termites, and has a life expectancy of over 100 years. Jane’s Place is built with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) “smartwood” label like all other constructions at the jungle lodge. The camp is bordered by a black water “igarape” or stream, ideal for a refreshing swim. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included!

In the morning we will go back to the jungle lodge. Today will be used as a relaxation and preparation day. No obligations scheduled.

The jungle lodge lies nestled in a clearing in a terra firme secondary forest. Comfortable cabins and guest areas like the restaurant/bar, library and internet corner are among the many amenities offered. A refreshing pool, beautiful natural white sand beach and orchid and tropical fruit tree gardens can be found in the park area. In the evening, equipment and food will be divided among all participants. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

At around 9am we will leave for Presidente Figueiredo, the starting point of this expedition. Travelling by bus, it will take around 3 hours. In Presidente Figueiredo lunch will be served. We leave this starting point at around 2pm in motorized boats. We will sail for approximately 1 ½ hours and set up camp at the Urubú river. Camp will be built on a beautiful spot in a corner of the Urubú River with our overnight stay in hammocks. Breakfast and lunch included.

We will navigate our boats down river on through to the dense jungle. During the day we explore and enjoy all the flora and fauna around us. For a few hours we pilot the boats through rapids. Halfway, we stop at a small rapid where you can refresh yourself and swim; the water from this rapid is so clear that you can drink it without purifying it. At the end of the day we need to pull the boats through the main waterfall and built camp at an amazing spot from where we can see the waterfall. Overnight stay in hammocks.

During this sailing day we will be surrounded by the astonishing Amazon landscape, the Amazon jungle at its best! In the afternoon we will arrive at the waterfall Lindóia. Here we will prepare the overland jungle expedition and install our camp. The camp is situated at a pristine beach with a beautiful view, day and night.

Today we begin our overland jungle expedition (four hours walk). This will be our first direct encounter with the Amazon jungle. We will get accustomed to the jungle and learn how to navigate through the biggest rainforest on earth. The guides + porters will build our first decent camp, the idea being to use this as an example for camps which need to be built later during the expedition. The intention is that you will help in building future camps. The camp is situated at a small stream. Overnight stay in hammocks.

Today we will discover the Amazon jungle in all his glory. Our guides, Cristovaõ and Enrique, will teach us the basic survival techniques and we will try to find wildlife. We go out hunting and fishing and that night a night excursion is part of the program. We will maintain the same camp. Overnight stay in hammocks.

Overland jungle expedition in the Urubú region, overnight stay in hammocks at an igarape. Today we will walk for about 7 hours. The Urubú region is well known because of a huge diversity of unspoiled ecosystems and abundant wildlife. The region is characterized by three different main streams, the Amazon, Urubú and Prego da Eva River. We will encounter three different kinds of rainforest: terra firme-, primary- and secondary forests.

Overland and river expedition in the Urubú region. Today we will walk for around 7 hours through extremely dense forest. Overnight stay in hammocks at an igarape.

Jungle expedition in the Urubú region. In the morning we will leave our camp (without our backpacks) for our 3 hour trek to the nearby waterfalls. Back at the camp we will leave towards our meeting point from where we will be picked up and be brought by boat to a river house (2 hours by boat). It`s a beautiful spacious place with an amazing river view. That night we will try to spot some caimans and if possible catch and of course release them. Overnight stay in hammocks.

In the morning we will take the boat to Lindoia, a small village where we will be picked up by a small bus and be brought back to the Jungle Lodge. There will be no obligations planned for the afternoon and evening and you will have all the time in the world to relax and enjoy this beautiful place. Lunch and dinner included.

After breakfast we will drive back to Manaus where we will stay at Hotel Tropical. Hotel Tropical offers a range of activities such as a zoo, two swimming pools (one of them with artificial waves), five tennis courts, a volleyball court, and a sauna and beauty area. The hotel also offers a shopping arcade with 22 stores offering national and imported goods such as gift and souvenir shops, two restaurants, several bars, a coffee shop and a nightclub. A perfect place to finish our amazing Amazon jungle expedition. Breakfast and lunch included. No dinner scheduled, you are free to arrange that yourself.

Manaus is a fascinating port city bustling with activity especially at its downtown port and markets. This lively city of over 1.5 million is a major distribution center for the river areas of the upper Amazon. Manaus is best known for its magnificent neoclassical Opera House, which seems out of place in these tropical surroundings. Built in the late 1800's at the height of the rubber boom, it stands in testimony to a time when Manaus was one of the richest cities in the world. Breakfast included, lunch not, dinner at Toro Loco (churrascaria) included!

Journey back to country of origin.