Twice a month our expedition vessel, the Motor Yacht Tucano, ventures 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. This trip explores some of the most untouched rainforest in all of the Amazon. Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon 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.
A Once in a Lifetime Experience
Our trips are all very exciting. We often see creatures that are missed by other travelers. This is because our guides are very knowledgeable, we go much farther away from settled areas than any other group and because we keep the size of our group small. Every trip is a one of a kind, once in a lifetime experience.
Four Things Make Our Trips the Most Interesting and Fun Experience:
1) Small Groups: Most of our departures accept a maximum of 18 or fewer participants. By keeping the group size small, we stay focused on the forest and are not distracted by a mob scene. A small group also allows guests to spend much more time with the guides----which really enriches the experience.
2) Highly Skilled Guides: Our guides are some of the very best in the regions we visit. They are naturalists which helps us unlock the secrets of the magnificent wildlife of the rainforest.
3) Exploratory: All of our trips are a little different. We try to visit particular places only a few times per year. This ensures that the trips are interesting for both the guests and the guides---the trips are never routine tourist traps. We often see creatures missed by other travelers.
4) We Take care of the Details: We have been conducting trips in the Latin America since 1989. We do everything possible to make the trips interesting and enjoyable to our guests.
Construction features
Planning
Equipement
Length = 24 meters Width = 6.80 m
Upper deck • Point of nature observation Cabin n° 0 with a queen size bed and and a single bed.
Number of cabins: 9
Electricity: 110 Volt 60 Hz
Middle deck • Cabin n° 5 and n° 6 with 2 twin beds which can be joined Cabin n° 7 and n° 8 with 2 bunk beds each. Saloon • dinning room
Number of passengers: 18
Communication: Radio VHF Sat
Main deck • Cabins n°3 and n° 4 with 2 twin beds which can be joined. Possibility to put a 3° bed for a third person. Cabin n° 1 and 2 with 2 bunk beds.
Crew: 8 persons
Boat Plan
Galery
Boat
Excursions
Programs
Program 8 days 7 nights • Voyage to the heart of the Amazon • Saturday to saturday
1º Day Sunday
This morning all guests board the vessel the Motor Yacht TUCANO and depart upstream on the Rio Negro. Through the morning we will cruise through the world's largest river island system, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. From the observation deck we scan the magnificent tangle of vegetation at the water's edge. By mid-afternoon the vessel has gone beyond the frontier of settlement and entered a wilderness area. Both shores are covered by dense rainforest. Though we never know what we will see, we have a good chance of observing pink river dolphins and a large collection of exotic birds. Most certainly we will be treated to magnificent forest vistas and the spectacular trees themselves. In the late afternoon we embark in the launches and hunt for wildlife. We may also go for a swim in some of the world's most clean and refreshing water. (LD)
2º Day
Monday
Early this morning we explore the rainforest along the waters edge in our launches. We should hear and perhaps see howler monkeys along with a morning serenade of toucans. After breakfast we go for a walk in the forest where we will get a good start on understanding Amazon ecology. Around midday we return for lunch and the vessel will get underway, perhaps stopping at a place to swim. In the late afternoon we will explore the forest in our launches and listen to the sunset chorus of birds and frogs. (BLD)
3º Day Tuesday
This morning there will be an early exploration of the waking forest. We will keep our eyes open for monkeys- on most trips we see them often. We return for breakfast followed by either a walk in the forest or an excursion in the launches. TUCANO will travel during the middle of the day and we stop in the afternoon for an excursion. Tonight the vessel may travel a bit more as we marvel at the night sky crowded with stars. (BLD)
4º Day Wednesday
After our two morning excursions TUCANO will navigate along the heavily forested shore, scouting for wildlife. We may stop for a visit at a settler's home carved out of the forest. In the early afternoon we will be near an extraordinary river called the Rio Jauaperi. Here we will see a kind of forest known as the varzea. We will scout along the shoreline for some of the extraordinary creatures found only in this unique environment. Weather permitting we will do a night excursion to observe nocturnal creatures. (BLD)
5º Day Thursday
Today we depart the Rio Jauaperi and for the next two days proceed downstream on the Rio Negro exploring a new collection of rainforest habitats. In the daytime we will continue to scout in our launches, walk in the forest, and at night hunt for nocturnal wildlife. (BLD)
6º Day Friday
After a walk in the forest we cross to the West bank of the Rio Negro, exploring as we go. We will stop at the substantial boat building village of Novo Airão. As we walk through the streets we'll marvel at how the 19th Century thrives in this remote corner of the globe. Tonight TUCANO goes downstream to arrive at daybreak near the confluence with the Amazon River. As we glide through the starry darkness this is a good night to sip the national drink of Brazil, the "Caipirinha". (BLD)
7º Day Saturday
This morning we explore the Lago Janauari Ecological Park where seasonally the thick brown water of the Amazon flows swiftly through the forest. This area is usually a very good place to observe wildlife. Around midday the vessel will travel to the "Encontra das Aguas" a stark several mile long line where the world's two largest rivers, the Amazon and the Negro, join in a turbulent maelstrom. Here the dark water of the Negro runs beside the opaque brown water of the Amazon. In the afternoon we scout one of the hidden streams in the area to try to see more of the Amazon's beautiful and bizarre creatures. Tonight there will be one last excursion looking for nocturnal life.
8º Day Sunday
In the morning all guests disembark from TUCANO. Some guests will participate in an optional tour of the city of Manaus before transferring to the airport. (B)
Trip Dates 2011: (Saturday-Saturday): Jan 01-08, Jan 15-22, Jan 29-Feb 05, Feb 12-19, Mar 05-12, Mar 19-26, Apr 2-9, Apr 16-23, Apr 30-May 07, May 14-May 21, May 28-Jun 04, Jun 11-Jun 18, Jun 25-Jul 02, Jul 09-16 (Family Departure), Jul 23-30, Aug 06-13 (Family Departure), Aug 20-27, Sep 10-17, Oct 01-08, Oct 15-22, Oct 29-Nov 05, Nov 12-19, Nov 26-Dec 03, Dec 10-17, Dec 24-31
Program 5 days 4 nights • Amazon Odyssey - Monday to friday
1º Day Monday
This afternoon we embark on the MOTOR YACHT TUCANO in Manaus, Brasil. We depart upstream on the Rio Negro and as the vessel glides upstream we will have our first talk about Amazon environments. By late afternoon we enter one of the world's largest river island systems, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. The boat will weave along a winding channel with rainforest on both sides in a riot of brilliant vegetation. Weather permitting, we will go for an excursion in the gnarled and dense flooded forest known as the Igapó. Along the river bank we may see some Squirrel Monkeys and we may hear the other-worldly growls of Howler Monkeys echoing through the primitive rainforest. The Amazon has one of the greatest collection of birds in the world and we are sure to see some of these brightly colored jewels perched in the treetops. We return to the M/Y TUCANO for hors d'oeuvres on the observation deck and a toast to the rainforest sunset. Following dinner we will embark in our launches in search of nocturnal creatures such as the Caiman, the Amazon's crocodilians. We may also see one of the large night birds such as a Potoo with its bulging eyes and large mouth adapted to swallow the huge Mariposa Moths, Later this evening our vessel will weigh anchor and we will voyage downstream through the night to the Xiborena Peninsula that divides the two of the world's most storied rivers: the Rio Negro and the Amazon River. (D)
2º Day Tuesday
Rising early, we will excursion in the Lago Janauari Ecological Park, a dense forest that is flooded with the coffee colored water of the Amazon River. We explore a labyrinth of small channels overhung with gargantuan trees and vines. Listening to the chatter of creatures in the undergrowth we also keep our eyes open for monkeys, Three Toed Sloths, and the occasional Collared Anteater. By mid morning we return to the M/Y TUCANO for a hearty breakfast and some time to relax. By late morning we foray off the vessel again to explore this environment rich in life. Near midday, following lunch, we navigate downstream to the "Encontra das Aguas", the several mile long joining of two of the world's greatest rivers, the Rio Negro and The Amazon. The dark and light waters run side by side for several miles without mixing. Often Pink River Dolphins and also Grey River Dolphins leap and cavort along this stark line of contrasting currents. We then will begin to navigate upstream on the Amazon River until the late afternoon. On Brasilian maps this river is given the name Rio Solimões - but it is the same vast, turbulent, mighty river that we know of as the Amazon. At this point in its course, it has truly become the most magnificent river on the planet and carries fully 20% of all the fresh water on Earth. We will travel upstream on the Amazon River into the late afternoon when we should reach a channel on the south bank of the Amazon where, conditions permitting, we can access a large lake called Lago Janauacá. Here we encounter a new and fascinating environment known as the Varzea. In our launches we glide down narrow channels where we expect to see creatures found only on the South side of the Amazon River. Tonight we will foray out in our launches to hunt for nocturnal life. In the beam of our powerful spotlights we should see the glowing eyes of Caiman, the Amazon's crocodiles. (BLD)
3º Day Wednesday
We begin our day with an early launch excursion, but for our mid-morning excursion will go for a walk in a small village. We will appreciate the slow pace of life that follows the rhythms of the seasons and river cycles. About midday the M/Y TUCANO will return to the deep brown and forceful current of the Amazon River. Our destination this afternoon depends on the vessel's Captain. We will go either to the north or south side of the Amazon River depending on the season and the weather. Our choice will be whichever offers us the best chance of observing wildlife. Late afternoon we will further explore the wilds of this tropical paradise. (BLD)
4º Day Thursday
This morning we will scout for more of the bizarre creatures of the Amazon. On our mid-morning excursion we visit a local homesteaders and walk through their gardens and learn how traditions help families survive in the remote interior. Time permitting we will also visit one of the river towns where trade still thrives in goods that have been grown, caught, or collected in this vast rainforest. During lunch we turn the bows of the M/Y TUCANO downstream on the Amazon River and we will navigate east with the swift current. Through the afternoon we weave in and out of islands that dot the North bank of the river and we will enjoy vistas of forest and homesteads along the river banks. In the late afternoon we should be near the Rio Negro and we will venture out for one more excursion along a narrow channel called Parana Xiborena or we will return to Lago Janauari Ecological Park. At sunset we slowly ascend the Rio Negro, passing along but not stopping at the Porto de Manaus, one of the world's great ports. More than a thousand miles from the sea, Manaus is the major port for much of the entire Amazon. We will see boats of every imaginable shape and purpose that serve this continent sized forest. Tonight we will sample the national drink of Brasil, the Caipirinha and have a farewell dinner. (BLD)
5º Day Friday
Early this morning travelers will disembark the vessel at the riverside dock of the Hotel Tropical. (B)
Trip Dates 2011: (Monday-Friday) 2011 Trip Dates: Jan 10-14, Jan 24-28, Feb 07-11, Feb 21-25, Feb 28-Mar 04, Mar 14-18, Mar 28-Apr 01, Apr 11-15, Apr 25-29, May 23-27, Jun 06-10, Jun 20-24, Jul 04-08, Jul 18-22, Aug 01-05, Aug 15-19, Sep 05-09, Oct 10-14, Oct 24-28, Nov 07-11, Nov 21-25, Dec 05-09
Meal Codes: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner/ Please note that the day to day schedule must be considered approximate. The exact order of the days and specific features may be altered due to navigational considerations.
Please note that the day to day schedule must be considered approximate. Due to changing river levels and weather considerations, features and vessel course are altered and adapted to fit existing circumstances.
Degree of Difficulty: Good health is necessary. Though the trip does not include endurance hiking, participants should be able feel comfortable walking at a leisurely pace for 2 to 3 hours at a time.
Prices until Nov/ 2011
Program 8 days 7 nights per per person in double cabin
USD 2.520
Program 5 days 4 nights per person in double cabin
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. This trip explores some of the most untouched rainforest in all of the Amazon. 
