Amazon tours and cruises: things to consider when choosing the adventure of a lifetime
There are several things to consider when trying to decide which Amazon cruise or tour to do and now there are many options to choose from. What factors should you consider when deciding which is the best option for you?
- Do you want to have an in-depth experience or do you just want to “taste” the jungle?
- How many days do you want to be in the jungle?
- Are you just going to the jungle or are you planning to go to other places? (Machu Picchu, Rio, Galapagos, etc.)
- How active do you want to be?
Do you have specific things you want to do in the jungle that a package tour might not offer?
Some people just want to get an idea of what the jungle is like. For them, a 3-day stay at a hostel or cruise might be enough. That will allow you 1 full day in the jungle, as the first and last days are normally for travel from the airport and back to the airport. However, they shouldn’t plan to see a lot of wildlife or primary jungle because they just aren’t getting far enough away from nearby towns and people. For example, Manaus has about 1.5 million inhabitants, so you have to go far enough from the city to feel like you are in a wild area.
People who really want to get a feel for the jungle should stay longer. It usually takes people a couple of days to relax to the rhythm of the jungle and it is necessary to venture into a variety of ecosystems to have a better chance of seeing more species of plants and animals.
Most people think of “Brazil” when they think of the Amazon basin, but they also think of Peru, Ecuador, and several other countries. You can have good experiences in those countries, so you don’t have to fly all over South America to see the Amazon, unless you have a special reason. If you want to go to Machu Picchu, you can also take a trip through the Amazon in Peru. If you want to see the Galapagos, take a trip to the Amazon in Ecuador.
Don’t just rely on pretty brochures or websites. A local told me that a particular hostel in the Iquitos area was probably the prettiest there, but their guides had been fired from other hostels. One of the cruise companies lists a variety of ships on their website, but now only one is available for regular cruises. Another hostel looks good on the website, but the service has deteriorated a lot and the buildings have fallen into disrepair. Another gives you great interaction with the local Indians, but those Indians hunt too, so you won’t see much wildlife around there.
Alcoholism is a problem in the Amazon and guides are not immune to that problem. I remember reading a lot of travel reports years ago where people said that the guide they hired knew a lot about the jungle, but that he got drunk at night and chased the clients and didn’t bother to make dinner, so they had to fend for themselves. I was recently saddened to learn that one of the best guides in the Peruvian Amazon, one who was the subject of several videos on survival in the jungle, etc., had been fired because he had become an alcoholic. His father had also been one of the best guides, but he suffered the same fate. Good operators rely on repeat business and word-of-mouth advertising, so they can’t afford to keep guides that are going to cause public relations problems.
A good guide can make a difference on a jungle trip. If you enter the jungle on your own, all you will see is a sea of green plants and a symphony of sounds. A good guide knows what all those different plants are and what uses they have. It can tell what is making those sounds, its relationship to the plants in the area, and where to look for them. They have an amazing eye to detect seemingly invisible things. I remember a night walk where we turned off our flashlights and we were in the dark, but our guide somehow saw a large black spider on a tree trunk. So you can turn a drab experience into a Technicolor experience. As in any business, a good guide can earn a better salary than an apprentice, so don’t expect to be with a top guide if you take the cheapest trip you can find. (Weather affects buildings and ships, so low-budget operations will likely not have facilities in good repair either. Likewise, cheaper hostels are usually close to town as well, so they are not located in areas that are so pristine or have so much wildlife).
Airports at Amazon’s gateways, such as Iquitos and Manaus, used to be havens for scammers. They knew that many people would arrive without reservations and therefore offer exciting trips at great prices, but of course they would often not deliver what they had promised. Governments are working hard to try to eliminate these types, but they can still be a problem for unsuspecting budget travelers.
Most travel agencies will offer some of the more commercialized cruises or lodge stays that offer the activities that they think most people want to do, but if you want to camp or kayak or do something out of the ordinary then you will need to Look elsewhere because most travel agencies are more knowledgeable about mass market locations like Las Vegas, Cancun, and Disneyland than they are about specialty travel on Amazon. Some of the highly commercialized properties are like large jungle resorts. If that’s what you’re interested in, then that’s fine. But many people want something more intimate, authentic, and less intrusive. That is why it is best to communicate with someone who has more experience in the type of trip you are looking for.