Amazon Dream

AM: On arrival in Santarem, we welcome you at the airport/hotel of your choice, and transfer you by air-conditioned coach to the Alter do Chao, where the Amazon Dream is moored. It is a fascinating journey and an initial introduction to Amazonia.

Once we have settled into our cabins, the Amazon Dream casts off and we have a welcome fruit cocktail, as we meet the guides and crew and learn more about the boat and her itinerary.

PM: After settling into your cabins, enjoy a welcome fruit juice drink made from local exotic fruits with amazing flavor - graviola, cupuaçu, acerola. Get to know the crew as they give you a brief presentation of safety rules and chat a little about themselves and the adventure to come. The Amazon Dream sets sail and glides smoothly on the river. For a few kilometers, the green-blue waters of the Tapajos intertwine with the yellow waters of the Amazon without mixing. It is one of the best places to spot pink dolphins and grey dolphins (tucuxi) as they play. We take a last look at this extraordinary landscape as we navigate on the Tapajos River towards the small channel-like Jari River which links the Tapajós River to the Amazon.

Enjoy an aperitif as you are treated to a presentation on the next day's events by a naturalist guide on the top deck. Dinner on board. After dinner, we head out on an expedition by motorboat, allowing us to observe the crocodiles and fauna of the Amazon night. Night at the mouth of Jari River.

AM: Breakfast at sunrise. This morning we board the smaller skiffs for an expedition on the Jari River, visiting an indigenous village on the banks of the Jari and viewing the nearby abundant wildlife and flora. The area is a hotspot for dolphins, crocodiles, iguanas, and birds of all kinds.

PM: Lunch on board. Navigation on the Tapajós River towards Maguari, a small village on the verge of the Tapajós National Forest. Arrival in Maguari. Walking on the beach and bird observation. Enjoy an aperitif as you are treated to a presentation on the next day's events by a naturalist guide on the top deck. Dinner on board, or if it's fine, a barbecue on the beach! Night in Maguari cove.

AM: Breakfast. This morning we hike in the primary forest for around 3 hours (or the braver amongst us, 5 hours) in the company of native guides of the Maguari community. Amongst the giant trees, we'll be keeping an eye out for various canopy-dwelling birds, the giant blue morpho butterflies, and maybe even surprise a few agile monkeys. After this long walk, we'll take a swim in the Tapajos River and relax.

PM: Lunch on the Amazon Dream. This afternoon we will be exploring the right bank of the Tapajós River, towards Bragança Lake, following in the footsteps of the 1827 Langsdorff expedition that led its members from São Paulo to Santarém. Along our 2 hour hike, we will also pass by a Munduruku village, portrayed by the painter Florence (19th century).

This evening we will meet some of the descendants of the Mundurukus who, anxious to preserve and disseminate their traditions, often receive small groups of visitors on eco-tourism programs. Canoe ride under the stars and Munduruku ritual in the village of Bragança. Dinner on the boat and night on Bragança Lake.

AM: Breakfast. This morning we embark on a canoe ride in the flooded forest with native guides to observe the fauna and flora of this unusual ecosystem. We'll also discover another of the Munduruku Indian villages, Marituba, and hike in its nearby forests.

PM: Lunch on board. The ship raises anchor and sails over the green-blue waters of the Tapajós for over 20 km, to the Anuma Lake near the Vista Alegre community. We'll arrive at the lake at sunset, a favorite time of day for the Indians, in time to enjoy the wonderful golden shimmering waters. Enjoy an aperitif as you are treated to a presentation on the next day's events by a naturalist guide on the top deck. This evening we'll meet with representatives of the Vista Alegre community and partake in traditional dances. Dinner on board and night on Anuma lake.

AM: Breakfast as we sail through the Tapajoara Reserve, a territory where the flora and fauna are protected. We visit a village and discover the daily life of the caboclos: preparation of manioc flour, the basis of all the local food, rubber collection from the trunks of rubber trees, collection of medicinal plants, and more. We then observe more fauna and flora as we hop aboard a canoe and paddle along a meandering creek that leads to Anuma Lake.

PM: Lunch on the Amazon Dream. Navigation to the Arapiuns River towards Urucureá Cove. Arrival in Urucareá. We bathe in the Arapiuns' waters to cool down, before putting on our glad rags as we prepare for tonight's New Year party. Navigation to Icuxi beach on the Arapiuns River.

An idyllic and deserted beach on the Arapiuns Rivers is the setting for tonight's New Year's party. It is a magical moment as we celebrate with our feet in the white sands with the starry night sky above providing us with nature's very own firework display. Night at Urucureá Cove.

AM: Breakfast at Urucureá cove.

PM: Lunch will be a barbecue on the beach. This afternoon we will sail to the nearby Ana community for a visit with their native guides. This evening we will walk in the forest to observe the monkeys who are particularly active at the end of the day. Night in Urucureá Cove.

AM: Breakfast on board and navigation to Alter do Chao or Santarem.

We disembark at Alter do Chao or Santarem, and transfer to the hotel of your choice/Santarem airport by road, in time for those catching a late morning flight. For those with afternoon flights, there will be lunch in a typical regional fish restaurant before your departure.

AM: In Santarem, you are welcomed at the airport/the hotel of your choice, and transferred by air-conditioned coach to the landing stage. The trip to the quay where the boat is moored allows you to discover the city, located at the confluence of the Amazon and the Tapajos rivers. On arrival, the cruise director welcomes you on board the Amazon Dream. You settle into your cabin. The smiles and music everywhere let you know you are in Amazonia.

PM: Drinking fruit juices with amazing flavors, you meet the crew. Your guide presents the cruise itinerary and gives a few explanations concerning the logbook. The Amazon Dream casts off and glides gently towards the confluence. For miles, the blue waters of the Tapajos interlace with the yellow waters of the Amazon without merging, as in a vast piece of lace. It’s one of the favorite playgrounds of the pink dolphins (boto) and the grey dolphins (tucuxi).

One last glance at this amazing scene and you cruise towards the mouth of the Ituqui river, a channel parallel to Amazon. (3 hours). Sunset and drinks on the third bridge (do not forget the mosquito repellent, you are on the Amazon). A short presentation by the guide about the next day and the area where the boat has made its moorings. Dinner on board. First contact with the noises, cries, and murmurs of the Amazon Rain Forest. Night at the mouth of the Ituqui River.

AM: Breakfast. At sunrise, the forest awakens a noisy and multicolored ballet of parrots, toucans, and other birds … the birds take possession of their realm again. You’re in Amazonia. Outing in motorboats to observe birds and flora with your guide on the Maica Lake. It’s a sanctuary for observing numerous birds, crocodiles some time and dolphins.

Piranha fishing. Everyone receives a fishing rod, bait, and follows the sailors’ advice to try their hands at one of the main activities in this place: fishing.

PM: Back onboard the Amazon Dream, lunch and relaxation. Cruise by Ituqui River and the Amazon River toward the mouth of the Curua-Una River. Navigation towards the village of Pacoval on the Curua-Una River. This little village provides a singular example of everyday life in Amazonia.

You visit the community “Quilombolas” (descendant of African slaves in the 18th century, refugees in the Amazon) and meet the inhabitants. Sunset and drinks on the third bridge. A short presentation by the guide, the next day and the area where the boat has made its moorings. Dinner on board. Night at the mouth of the Curua-Una River.

AM: At sunrise, we have breakfast and head out on our first excursion walking in the primary forest to observe wildlife and flora with your guide. Expedition on the Curua-Una River with motorboats. Many pink dolphins are generally present in these waters, monkeys in the threes, and always birds in one of the most beautiful landscapes.

PM: Back on the boat and lunch on board. Navigation of the Amazon River in the direction of Santarem. On the river banks, you can see the houses on stilts of the caboclos, the “water people”, a population descended from the mix of Indians and their Portuguese conquerors in the 16th and 17th centuries. A short presentation by the guide about the next day and the area where the boat has made its moorings. Arrival and overnight in Sao Joao do Tapara, near Monte Alegre Lake.

AM: Breakfast. Outing in motorboats to observe the fauna and flora on the small tributaries, which link the Amazon to the Monte Alegre Lake.

PM: Lunch on board. You arrive at the Santarém river terminal. You visit the town and discover its herbalists, harbor bazaars, stalls selling multicolored hammocks, and its inhabitants’ hectic life. Back onboard the Amazon Dream and navigation towards Alter do Chao, the “Caribbean in the heart of Amazonia”.

Dropping anchor at the tip of Cururu or near the green lake; an Indian legend has it that a magic stone hidden at the bottom of the lake gives it this extraordinary blue-green luminescence. A short presentation by the guide, the next day and the area where the boat has made its moorings... Dinner on board. Overnight in Alter do Chao.

AM: Breakfast. Short walk to the top of the hill “Terra Amor” from which you enjoy an unrestricted view of the surroundings of the most beautiful river beach in the world, according to an English adventure tourism magazine. Exploration in the green lake and the “enchanted forest” with a motorboat. Late in the morning, visit the village and its Indian handicrafts and caboclo shops. Once back on board, we sail to Alter do Chao.

PM: Lunch on board. Beach and relaxation. Navigation towards the mouth of the Jari. This small tributary linking the Amazon to the Tapajos River is bursting with dolphins, birds, and caimans… The guide gives a brief outline of the next day’s program and the region where the boat has dropped anchor. Dinner on board. Night at the river mouth of the Jari River.

AM: Outing in motorboats for a full-scale expedition, going down the Jari River. You visit the community living on the banks of the Jari and observe the fauna and flora. Return to the boat

PM: Lunch on board. By late afternoon, navigation toward Maguari, a village on the shore of the Tapajos National Forest. The boat weighs anchor and navigates on the blue waters of the Tapajos which, at that point, is over 20 kilometers wide. 

A new ecosystem, new riverscapes, and landscapes: here begins a new cruise into the heart of the Amazon as you have never imagined it, where white sand beaches (from August to January) and lakes make up a magnificent setting. A short presentation by the guide, the next day and the area where the boat has made its moorings. Dinner on board and overnight at the Maguari Village.

AM: Then you leave for a hike in the primeval forest with native guides from the community of Maguari, looking for gigantic trees. You observe birds, kings of the canopy, blue butterflies, and you may be able to glimpse agile monkeys and sloths.

PM: After the long walk, swimming and relaxation. Lunch on board. Coasting on the right bank of the river to Lake Marai. We are on the trail of the expedition Langsdorff, close to one of the villages of the Munduruku Indians, painted by Florence in 1828. Their descendants, anxious to preserve and make known their traditions, receive visitors under ecotourism programs. We head out with the motorboat on the Bragança lake for bird watching at the sunset. A short presentation by the guide about the next day and the area where the boat has made its moorings. Dinner on board. Night on the Bragança Lake.

AM: Wildlife observation, shipping on canoes accompanied by Indian guides. Breakfast. Discover the Munduruku village in Marituba and enjoy a forest walk with Indian guides.

PM: Lunch on board. Navigation towards Anuma Lake and Vista Alegre Village. Anchor in the lake at sunset. In the Amazon, the preferred time of the Indians is that of the end of the day. It's always an event, a celebration: the water changes color becomes golden. A short presentation by your guide, about the next day and the area where the boat has made its moorings. Meeting with representatives of the community of Vista Alegre and traditional dances. Dinner on board. Night on the lake Anuma.

AM: Breakfast on board. You leave for an expedition into the heart of the Extrativist Tapajoara Reserve, a territory where the inhabitants live off the resources which are “extracted” from the forest – hence the name. You visit the village and observe the daily life activities of the caboclos: preparing the manioc (cassava) flour, the basic ingredient in all local dishes, harvesting the latex on the trunks of the rubber trees by the “seringueiros” and gathering medicinal plants. You observe the fauna and flora while canoeing down an iguarapé, a little river that meanders through the forest.

PM: Return to the boat and lunch. Navigation towards Alter do Chao for the last night in the heart of the Amazonian forest. Traditional dancing and music on one of the beaches of Alter do Chao.

AM: Breakfast on board. Disembarkation at Alter do Chao and transfer to the hotel of your choice/Santarem airport , depending on your return flight schedule.