The sloth was one of the few larger animals that was easy to photograph in the wild and somehow despite their incredibly slow speed they seem to survive very well in the jungle, mainly due to the lack of natural predators. Most jungle predators feed on much smaller fare such as insects. Other larger mammals that live in the rainforest include a variety of monkeys, although these tend to be very quick and quite shy in the wild and hence you may hear them but seldom see any, and then there is the elusive Jaguar but don't arrive expecting to see the big cat in the wild as you will most likely leave disappointed.
Manaus is close to where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon and one of the excursions is going to view the ‘meeting of the waters’, which is more interesting than it sounds. What we know as the River Amazon is actually called the Rio Solimoes before this point and the Rio Solimoes comes silt laden from the Andes Mountains and collides with the much darker, slower and heavier Rio Negro.
Manaus is the largest city in the Amazonas region of Brazil with an airport that is well served with regular flights from other major Brazilian cities. Unless you have an abundance of time that is the only practical way of getting to Manaus; boat trips from other parts of Brazil are possible, and Manaus has a very busy port, but to give you an example it takes 5 days to get from Belem at the mouth of the Amazon to Manaus.
I pre-booked the lodge before arriving so had someone meeting me at the airport. The transfer was smooth and we were taken first by minibus then by boat to the lodge, which is located on Rio Taruma, which is a tributary of the Rio Negro. I was slightly surprised to see a sandy beach with sun loungers when I arrived at the small pontoon. It was uncomfortably hot and humid as you’d expect so the air-conditioned rooms were a very pleasant surprise.
I pre-booked the lodge before arriving so had someone meeting me at the airport. The transfer was smooth and we were taken first by minibus then by boat to the lodge, which is located on Rio Taruma, which is a tributary of the Rio Negro. I was slightly surprised to see a sandy beach with sun loungers when I arrived at the small pontoon. It was uncomfortably hot and humid as you’d expect so the air-conditioned rooms were a very pleasant surprise.
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The trip to see the traditional village was not really my thing as it did seem very put on for tourists. Whilst it’s good that the people there were able to make a sustainable living from the tourist industry I found it a bit awkward watching them do tribal dances for our viewing pleasure. In their defense they do have to make a living and it is increasingly difficult to live off the land as many of these tribes traditionally would. Our guide was evangelical about the virtues of sustainable jobs in the Amazon as most people make a living in the Amazon by cutting it down for farming, mining, logging etc…. On other excursions we did encounter people living on the river on floating houses and small villages on stilts on the riverbanks, which I found more interesting as it was actually how they lived their day-to-day lives.
To be honest I booked the lodge without doing a great deal of research, as I wasn’t really expecting much in the way of luxury without paying a fortune. Therefore as I arrived in Manaus I expected the accommodation to be basic, but I was more excited about the experience of the Amazon Rainforest. I was therefore pleasantly surprised, the guides were good, the food was good quality and plentiful (without being gourmet), the rooms were clean, comfortable and air-conditioned. I did hear some people complain of the shower not being powerful enough and there being no internet connection, which given where in the world we were, is not a major problem for me.
For more information on the Amazon you can see another more general article on the Amazon Rainforest.
Chris Robson - 27th November 2008
For more information on the Amazon you can see another more general article on the Amazon Rainforest.
Chris Robson - 27th November 2008
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The guide met us and we had a welcome drink and a brief overview of the things we’d be doing over the next few days. I’ve never been on for guided tours and always tried to do my own thing when travelling, however when it comes to the Amazon Rainforest it isn’t easy or advisable to go it alone.
The tour I booked included a fairly busy schedule of excursions that were included in the price. These included piranha fishing, crocodile spotting, jungle treks, seeing the meeting of the waters and visiting a tribal village. There were other things you could do to stretch the budget such as a sea plane flight.
Another aspect I found incredible was the sheer scale of the rivers, both several kilometers wide. This photo doesn't really do it justice but you can clearly see the two different colours of the rivers meeting and you can also get a appreciation of the scale of the rivers by one of the river banks in the distance. It was a similar distance to the other bank on the other side of the boat.
The meeting of the waters trip was excellent and it's a sight worth seeing. We were also treated to the sight of some pink dolphins at the beginning of the trip.
The meeting of the waters trip was excellent and it's a sight worth seeing. We were also treated to the sight of some pink dolphins at the beginning of the trip.
The boat trip to the meeting of the waters was quite long so I took the chance to do an additional speedboat excursion on the way back. This was a small additional cost to but was well worth it. We went back through some of the network of tributaries and stopped off to see crocodiles, anacondas and an array of other wildlife. Some of the animals, such as the anaconda, was kept in a reserve as it was very hard to see them in the wild.
Across the river from the lodge there was a monkey sanctuary where they breed a few interesting monkey species. Whilst it is always better to see animals in the wild, these monkeys were well kept and you were only allowed to hold them if they choose to come to you, which many of them did.
The piranha fishing was a bit disappointing as I had visions of dipping the bait in and having a pack of them devour it like we’re led to believe. It was explained that the Rio Negro has quite a high acidity level and therefore doesn’t support as much wildlife as the Amazon itself. This had a distinct advantage in that there were far fewer insects than by the Amazon, but did mean the piranha population was quiet modest, and no-one caught anything.
Across the river from the lodge there was a monkey sanctuary where they breed a few interesting monkey species. Whilst it is always better to see animals in the wild, these monkeys were well kept and you were only allowed to hold them if they choose to come to you, which many of them did.
The piranha fishing was a bit disappointing as I had visions of dipping the bait in and having a pack of them devour it like we’re led to believe. It was explained that the Rio Negro has quite a high acidity level and therefore doesn’t support as much wildlife as the Amazon itself. This had a distinct advantage in that there were far fewer insects than by the Amazon, but did mean the piranha population was quiet modest, and no-one caught anything.
Amazon Eco-Lodge near Manaus
Amazon Meeting of the Waters
On my final day at the lodge I had the morning to relax before my transfer to the airport. A relatively brief stay of 4 days (3 nights) had been enough to experience what I wanted from the jungle and the heat would have been difficult to take for much longer. I made the most of the beach facility and had a brief swim in the Rio Negro after triple checking that it was safe to do so. If you are staying more than 3 nights I would advise moving to a new lodge after a few days simply because the excursions would be more varied.