The Brazilian Amazon River Boat and House Boat Cruises Houseboat Tours These tours are on board the Dona Tania, a six cabin air-conditioned houseboat, launched in July 2002. This boat offers travellers some basic comforts, including air-conditioning in the cabins. All-inclusive tour programmes begin on Sundays (there are two departures a month) and visit the middle Amazon and lower & middle Negro Rivers.

Sample Itinerary (7 nights / 8 days) (N.B. Shorter tours of 2 to 6 days are also available – ask us for details).  

The tour is divided into one day on the Amazon River, five days on the Negro River focusing on the rainforest and rivers around the Anavilhanas Archipelago, and one day in Manaus. The tour combines Amazon boat cruising with trekking & canoeing excursions in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.  Daily canoeing excursions, rainforest walks and meals are included.

Day 1 – Saturday – Arrival in Manaus and transfer to hotel Saint Paul. Dinner at barbecue restaurant and overnight.

Day 2 – Sunday - Departure after breakfast. From Manaus travel one hour to the meeting of the waters where the Negro River flows into the Amazon River but the two do not mix due to differences in velocity, density and temperature. At the meeting of the waters it is possible to see grey and pink river dolphins and of local fishermen. Continue to Lake Janauari, a vast area of floodplain (varzea) receiving water from both the Amazon and Negro rivers. Treetop walk to view giant Amazon waterlilies in a quiet lagoon. Possible sightings of monkeys, hawks, alligators, iguanas and morpho butterflies. After lunch on board, travel a short distance on the Amazon river, here called the Solimoes. to a group of islands called the Parana (inlet) of Iranduba, an area full of birdlife, alligators and monkeys. Visit local families, to see how they live, and have a look at some rubber trees, brazil nut trees and guava trees full of parrots and parakeets. Later, canoe outing to go fishing for piranha in the nearby creeks (“igarapes”).  Dinner on the boat and then canoe outing for alligator spotting. Overnight on board moored at Iranduba.

Days 3 to 4 – Monday & Tuesday - Early in the morning the boat will make its way up the Negro River to a homestead near the river and village of Arara. A treks into the jungle to see medicinal plants. Canoeing on the Jaraqui and Ariau Rivers- igarapes (small rivers) on the opposite side of the Negro River across “Anaconda Bay”. At night,  search for tarantulas, bats, alligators, night birds and other creatures. Beyond the lodge, visit the first islands of the vast Anavilanhas Archipelago, the largest group of freshwater islands in the world. In the dry season, walking and canoeing amidst the islands to see monkeys, toucans, iguanas and dolphins. In the rainy season, explore the flooded forest (“igapo”), and the unique treetop world hidden above the flooded islands. Overnight accommodation on the boat or in a rainforest camp (optional and extra).

Days 5 to 7 – Wednesday, Thursday & Friday - After further navigation up the Negro River, and through the Anavilhanas Archipelago, the boat will travel up the Cuieiras River, a tributary of the Negro. Trekking and canoeing in various locations, and visit a private, rainforest reserve where support is given to a number of local river families. Overnight accommodation in the boat and/or in a rainforest camp (optional and extra). Return to Manaus. Overnight at Saint Paul Hotel

DAY 8 – Saturday - Guided city tour to visit the Municipal Market, the Opera House and the Rio Negro Palace & Cultural Cenre. Transfer out to airport for departure.