Search Vantage
See all Escorted Journeys in:
- Africa
- Arctic / Antarctic
- Asia
- Australia & Pacific
- Central America
- Europe
- Middle East
- North America
- South America
Subscribe to our newsletter
Tucano: Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon - 8D/7N
This trip departs every other Sunday and explores some of the most untouched rainforest in all of the Amazon. On our expedition vessel, the Motor Yacht Tucano we venture far up the least inhabited river in the Amazon Basin: The Rio Negro. We explore areas very rarely visited and seek out the mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest and in the heart of wild nature.
Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon is different from all other cruises offered in the Amazon, it is an “expedition cruise”. Our small groups explore far into the forest where we are able to see creatures that are hidden to other visitors. We explore some of the most untouched rainforest in all of the Amazon. Our expedition cruise is the only vessel that explores far into the world’s largest Amazon reserve: The Central Amazon Ecological Corridor. Within this reserve are tens of thousands of square miles of uninhabited wilderness. with the creatures that have made the Amazon the object of myth and legend.
The expedition cruise begins in Manaus, Brazil and over seven full days the Motor Yacht Tucano navigates far upstream on the Rio Negro. In the daytime and often at night we seek out the wildlife that still lives in the world’s greatest of wilderness. There so few settlers that the exotic creatures of the rainforest still roam this trackless forest. The amazon voyage on the M/Y Tucano is active. Together with our naturalist guides we get out into the forest and explore — we are not confined to the vessel. There are daily walks in the forest and we explore in our launches the small streams that wind their way through into the uninhabited interior. Some days we swim off deserted beaches in water as pure and clean as rainwater and we are always treated to the lovely vistas of wild rainforest that stretches as far as the eye can see.
On our excursions into the forest we observe magnificent plants of every imaginable shape and size. We listen to the exotic
calls of birds and mammals and watch them from a forest trail or while scouting the river’s edge in our launches. In the evenings we have a brief discussion about the creatures that we observed during the day. Some nights we explore the river’s edge in our launches and with spotlights we see caiman, close relatives of crocodiles. An important feature of the program is our visits to the homes of deep forest settlers. We linger to talk with them about what their lives are like living on the edge of this vast trackless forest. A walk through their gardens is always interesting and we marvel at their pioneer skills and self sufficiency. All deep forest settlers gather plants for medicines and we talk with them about which plants they collect and their uses.
It is the most thorough, detailed, and sophisticated trip offered in the entire Amazon.Our guides are accomplished naturalists and we see creatures almost never seen by other visitors. The trip is rather like being on a time machine in that we are able to visit places that have not changed for millions of years. Truly the trip of a lifetime.
Departures 2010: Jun 19 - Jul 03, 17, 31 - Aug 14, 28 - Nov 06, 20 - Dec 04, 18
Departures 2011: Jan 01, 15, 29 - Feb 12 - Mar 05, 19 - Apr 2, 16, 30 -May 14, 28 -Jun 11, 25 -Jul 09, 23 - Aug 06, 20 - Sep 10 - Oct 01, 15, 29 - Nov 12, 26 - Dec 10, 24
Included: Accommodation, transfers, and meals as described in the itinerary - Bottled water.
Not Included: Airfare - Bar - Gratuities - Airport tax - Personal expenses - Insurance - Passports and visas.
Day by day itinerary:
- Days 1-3 - In our well equipped expedition boat The Motor Yacht Tucano, we explore far up the least inhabited river in the Amazon, The Rio Negro. We explore the forest by foot or in our launches, go for swims in the cleanest water in the world, visit with local settlers that live deep in the forest, and spend a great deal of time hunting for and observing the greatest collection of wildlife on earth.
- Day 4 - We arrive at extraordinary river called the Rio Jauaperi and spend the day in this unspoiled and lovely rainforest area.
- Days 5 - Today we proceed down the southwestern bank of the Rio Negro observing the different wildlife found on this side of the river. Our walks and explorations of the forest continue and our list of creatures observed gets larger and larger.
- Day 6 - Today we visit the village of Novo Airão. We will walk through the streets and marvel at how the 19th Century thrives in this remote corner of the globe. We travel through the night to the confluence of the Amazon and Negro Rivers.
- Day 7 - This morning we visit the Lago Janauari Ecological Park where the thick brown water of the Amazon flows swiftly through the forest. This area is thick with life and we are almost guaranteed to see monkeys. We then travel to the “Encontra das Aguas” the stark several miles long line where the world’s two largest rivers, the Amazon and the Negro, join in a turbulent maelstrom. In the evening we will return to Manaus and overnight on the boat.
- Day 8 - After breakfast passengers will disembark from the Tucano and in the afternoon or evening, transfer to the international airport.
Vantage World Strongly Recommends Insurance for all your Travel Programs
We provide, through TravelSafe Insurance, one of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of travel insurance, a TravelSafe Custom Plan, where you decide the benefits YOU want and the levels of protection YOU desire including access to their 24-hour emergency assistance service from anywhere in the world. Click the link below the Plan Benefits table for plan details.
US Residents - Download Full Plan Details Here
Canadian Residents - Download Full Plan Details Here
Vantage World Strongly Recommends Insurance for all your Travel Programs
We provide, through TravelSafe Insurance, one of the nation's largest and most respected providers of travel insurance, a TravelSafe Custom Plan, where you decide the benefits YOU want and the levels of protection YOU desire including access to their 24-hour emergency assistance service from anywhere in the world. Click the link below the Plan Benefits table for plan details.
