On March 24 and 25, 2019 we received a french group of 150 persons from the cruiser ship Le Champlain.

On March 24 we did the City Tour, which consisted in visiting the Local Market, where we saw fishes, fruits and local remedies from the Amazon. After the Local Market, we went to the first building constructed in Santarém, in 1761, the Cathedral of our Lady of Conception. After learning the story about one of the only representations of Jesus alive on the cross we went to a view point in Santarém to contemplate the meeting of the waters between the Tapajós River and Amazon River. Then we took the bus and went to Alter do Chão. On the way, we stopped on a local family’s house and they showed us the process of making manioc flour, told us the secrets of the Brazil Nut Tree and served us typical Amazonian fruits. Arriving in Alter do Chão, some of the passengers went to the beach and the others to their cruiser ship.

On March 25 we went to the National Forest of Tapajós, FLONA. We divided the group in 5 and each group entered a different trail inside the primary rainforest. They learned about the many uses of the plants in the jungle, from artisanal and medical to industrial. They contemplate giants trees such as Piquiá tree (Caryocar villosum ), Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra), Brazil Nut Tree (Bertholletia excelsa) and many others. The trail lasted for about 1 hour, it was raining but that didn’t intimidate any adventurers. The tour was great and everybody enjoyed the smell of the rainforest.

We had several good comments, both from tourists and from the ship’s biologists who accompanied the local guides. We enjoyed working with Le Champlain and we hope to see them again soon.