Primary rainforest contemplation
National Forest of Tapajós and Belterra (Henry Ford’s second town)There will be a van that will pick up the adventurers inside the port. We are heading to the National Forest of Tapajós (FLONA), one of the biggest natural parks in the world, supported by the U.S. Forest Service, World Bank and several other international organizations. Arriving there, we will take you to a hike into the forest with a local guide who knows perfectly well every trail in the area.
During the hike you get to see the real rainforest giants : Piquiá tree (Caryocar villosum ), Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra), Brazil Nut Tree (Bertholletia excelsa) and many other big trees. You will learn about the many uses of the plants in the rainforest, from artisanal and medical to industrial.
After the hike, you will enter in our DeLorean and make a tour back to the 1930s to see how an American city was built in the middle of the Amazon. You will learn the history of rubber, you will understand the rise and fall of Henry Ford and you will contemplate the beauty of his utopian city called Belterra.
A naturalist’s paradise
Meeting of waters and Maica LakeAre you interested in seeing animals in the Amazon? Have you heard of Amazonian floodplains? Well, welcome the Maica Lake located to the east of Santarém. We will pick you up inside the port and will get you to the boat. We will start seeing the meeting of waters and understanding why the waters do not mix it. You will see some parts of Santarém and will learn its history. Around 45 minutes later, we will be at the entrance of Maica, keep an eye on the water because you might spot a grey or pink dauphin! Once we entered, the tour guide will tell you the secrets of the place.
You will see the oldest rubber plantation in Santarém, will learn the history of the confederate families that ended up in the Amazon after the Civil War and will understand why Victorian naturalist such as Henry Walter Bates, Alfred Russel Wallace and Richard Spruce extensively visited Maica.
The variety of animals that we can spot in Maica are large. We will be able to see small birds such as Amazon Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Tern, Oriole Blackbird to amazing haws like Savanna Hawk, Black-collared hawk, Yellow-headed Caracara and very special birds like Toucans, Yellow-rumped cacique and a prehistoric one called Hoatzin. In addition to that, we will be able to see black howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, three-toed sloth, iguanas and piranhas if anyone is good enough at fishing.
Of course, those animals are all in wild and it will be our job to assure that you will see the majority of them. We want you to have a real Amazonian experience and one of the best ways to do that is to serve you a delicious local dish. Lunch is included and will be an Amazonian fish prepared by a local chief. Caipirinhas and cold beer are served for those who need a bit of help with the tropical climate. At some point, we will get a speedboat and will be able to enter even deeper into Maica. While half of the group are doing the tour, the other half will stay on the boat trying to catch some piranhas or catfish. Make sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, repellent, binoculars, cameras and hunger for knowledge!
Alter do Chão
Alter do Chão – Water Channel of JariWelcome to the most beautiful fresh water beach in the world, according to the English newspaper The Guardian. We propose you to visit another Amazonian floodplain, called Water Channel of Jari. To get there, the boat goes bordering the beaches of Alter do Chão until it reaches the exact point of crossing the Tapajós river from one side to the other.
. There are almost 20 kilometers of open river. Just before the Tapajós flows into the Amazon River, a last piece of land divides the two rivers. That's where the Water Channel of Jari is. Arriving there, we’re going to visit one of the families that lives there. After drinking a coffee and eating a delicious biscuit made of monkey pot (Lecythis pisonis), we enter in their magical garden to contemplate wild animals.
From February to August, the tour will be done by canoe, contemplating a magical ecosystem of the Amazon. From September to January the tour is done by foot. There, we will have the opportunity to see sloths, monkeys, a variety of birds, including a prehistoric one called Hoatzin and dauphins (if we’re luck!). It’s the perfect place to see wildlife in the Amazon.
We know that each cruiser ship has a different time for getting back on board, so all the tours can be done in agreed times. If your cruise stays short, we can still do the same tours but with a shorter itinerary.
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