Taking off in a prop plane to explore the Amazon
Falling asleep to claps of thunder and waking up to howler monkeys calling in the canopy outside my window, were just fragments of the beautiful dream I stepped into while spending almost 3 weeks in the Brazilian Amazon.
Evening storms brewing on the horizon
Squirrel monkey family
Each morning, as the sun slowly reared its mighty head over the lush horizon, I woke up to run along miles of trails that wound in and out of the exotic jungle. Running before the intense heat of midday meant comingling with families of squirrel monkeys, dodging sleepy caimans and watching majestic white herons take flight.
Canopy climbing in the Samauma trees
Swimming with pink dolphins
During the day we ascended ropes into the dense canopy to gain a new perspective from the tops of ancient Samauma trees and swam with powerful pink river dolphins. We paddled in the quiet off shooting rivers and lakes as the sun started to set and watched as the Milky Way painted the sky.
Paddling at sunset
Amazon from above
The Amazon is untamed, raw and stunningly beautiful; it is humbling, as every aspect of it dwarfs the human form and leaves one feeling exposed and simultaneously entranced. The air is thick and the perfumed heat carries notes of bromeliads and orchids as it leisurely snakes its way across the massive and mighty Negro and Solimoes Rivers.
Flying over the Anavilhanas Archipelago
Jumping into the meeting of the waters
My time in the jungle ended with a breathtaking prop-plane flight above the Anavilhanas Archipelago, the largest in the region, and an invigorating plunge into the legendary meeting of the waters where the Solimoes and Negro rivers become one in the same: the beginning of the Amazon.
Taking off in the prop-plane
To learn more about Adventures Within Reach’s new Brazil adventures to Brazil and the Brazilian Amazon, check out:
Or, for more information about travel to Brazil in general, contact me!
Your friendly Brazil expert,
Gretchen