Amazon River Cruise

In the mid-19^th century, a young English naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, sailed into the delta of the world’s largest river, pushing upstream to seek his fortune in the central Amazon. Little has changed in the region since that time. There are few roads, air access is negligible, and what settlements exist are clustered along the rivers, still the only access routes into this isolated region. The intervening century of biological exploration since Wallace has, however, transformed our appreciation of Brazil’s phenomenal biological riches. It is the world’s most biodiverse country, boasting more animals and plants than any other. Mammal diversity exceeds 500 species with primates alone numbering over 100 species, almost a third of all primate species on Earth. The bird tally runs to a jaw-dropping 1,910 species, while the amphibian and freshwater fish faunas are by far the richest on Earth. Our first expedition in 2018 holds the honor of being the first tourists ever to see the Martin’s Bare-faced Tamarin. Join Apex on an Amazon River cruise and discover some of the rarest, least known, and most sought-after creatures on Earth!  

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5
• Day 6
• Day 7
• Days 8 & 9
• Day 10
• Day 11
• Day 12
• Day 13
• Day 14
• Days 15 & 16
• Day 17

• Manaus

  Arrive into Manaus and transfer to your hotel, set on a bluff overlooking the Amazon’s largest tributary, the Rio Negro. This evening, gather with your fellow travelers and expedition leaders for a welcome dinner and briefing. Overnight at the Tropical Executive Hotel.

• Manaus

  This morning, visit the Manaus Fish Market. Located at the largest river in the world, the market is full of freshwater fish such as the giant pirarucu, colorful Brazilian tucunaré, also known as peacock bass, and the small but fierce looking piranha. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before your tour of the Teatro Amazonas. This famous opera house was built over 129 years ago in a stunning Renaissance Revival style. Dinner and overnight at the Tropical Executive Hotel.

• Manaus

  Depart early this morning to visit the Museu da Amazônia (MUSA) Canopy Tower, situated in the 40-square-mile Adolfo Ducke Forest Reserve. Watch sunrise from atop the 120-foot tower, with a veritable surround-sound cacophony of birdsong, in the realm of dazzlingly colorful cotingas, toucans, trogons, and tanagers. Large flights of parrots, from Scarlet and Red-bellied Macaws to Caica and Blue-headed Parrots, pass by at eye level, and, with luck, you may even encounter the magnificent Red-fan Parrot. Guianan Red Howler Monkeys are often equally vocal, with other primate possibilities including Pied Bare-faced Tamarin and Bearded Saki, with its bizarre bouffant hairdo. Walking the trails below the tower, watch for Red-rumped Agouti and Guianan Squirrel. Enjoy dinner this evening at a local restaurant. Overnight at the Tropical Executive Hotel.

• Manaus / Santarem / Embark the MV Iracema

  An early morning visit to a nearby bird and wildlife area allows for a chance to see the strange and beautiful Golden-faced Saki Monkey. The real prize would be locating a family of Pied Bare-faced Tamarins, an endangered primate with a highly localized range centered on Manaus. Pale-throated Three-toed Sloths are not uncommon, and with perseverance and careful scrutiny of the treetops you may also locate the shaggy, primarily nocturnal Southern Two-toed Sloth. The familiar yelping of White-throated Toucans and liquid notes of displaying Crested Oropendolas are constant background sounds, and mixed flights of parrots and parakeets are commonly seen high over the Rio Negro.

  Head to the airport for your late morning flight eastwards to Santarém. Upon takeoff, gain an aerial perspective of the famous “Meeting of the Waters”, the inky Rio Negro and café-au-lait Amazon flowing side by side for miles downstream of their confluence. Santarém is a bustling river port some 500 miles upstream of the Atlantic Ocean, at the confluence of the Amazon and Tapajos Rivers. In the late afternoon, board the MV Iracema, a classic, triple-decker river boat with a shallow draft; comfortable air-conditioned, en suite cabins; and abundant deck space for easy wildlife observation. Meet the experienced captain, Mo Fortes, affectionately known as “Junior”, and his crew, and join the expedition team for sunset drinks on deck as you push out into the Amazon River and commence sailing upstream.

• Alter do Chão

  Wake at Alter do Chão, an area of clear, fresh water and sandbars in the Tapajos River, to a routine that will become familiar over the coming days, with sunrise coffee on deck to appreciate the sights and sounds of the rainforest coming to life. After breakfast, board the slender boats that are your mode of transportation into these narrow waterways, for the first foray into the flooded forest.

  The forest east of the Tapajos River is home to the impressive Spix’s Red-handed Howler and the diminutive Silvery Marmoset, the first two of an incredible 30 possible primate species during our transect from Santarém to Manaus. No other trip on Earth boasts so rich and diverse a primate fauna, and one of the primary objectives of this expedition will be to find, and spend time with, as many of these spectacular creatures, as possible. Although the primates are the principal focus, you will also be looking for such rare and localized birds as White-crested Guan and the glorious Golden Parakeet. Toast the end of the day in Lago Mapirá, as the first fishing bats emerge to skim the waters.

• Lago Arepixa and the Trombetas River

  After breakfast, use the Iracema as a mobile observation tower, motoring slowly along the forested edges of the Trombetas River, a tributary that penetrates remote territory on the north bank of the Amazon. Scan the treetops for movement and listen carefully for the telltale calls that may reveal the presence of Martin’s Bare-face Tamarins, a rare and localized primate scarcely seen by any Western primatologist until your indomitable captain located a population here.

• Ventilado, on the Trombetas River

  Visit Ventilado, a village far up the Trombetas River. The settlement traces its roots to refugees from Brazilian sugar plantation slavery in the early 1800s. Meet with some of its inhabitants and discover their way of life, with fishing and subsistence farming traditions remaining unchanged for centuries.

  Trails behind the village offer access to tall terra firme forest growing on white sand, an extension of the Guianan forests. Spend the morning searching for groups of Golden-handed Tamarin, a primate endemic to the Guianan center of endemism, along with an array of Guianan avian endemics, from puffbirds to cotingas and woodcreepers to antbirds. In the afternoon, climb to the dancing arena of the Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, a brilliant orange cotinga whose display ranks as one of the most spectacular bird displays on Earth.

• Maués-Mirim River & Juruti Velho

  Relocate to the small Maués-Mirim River, to another area known to support a healthy population of the gorgeous Black and White Tassel-ear Marmosets, also known as the Santarém Marmoset. Nocturnal excursions are an exciting component of any exploration of the Amazon, yielding a completely fresh complement of creatures, from Spectacled Caimans to Rainbow Boas, and Kinkajous to prehensile-tailed Brazilian Porcupines.

• Amanã & Parauari Rivers

  A large tributary of the Maués Açu channel, the Amanã River offers an excellent chance to find the hulking Black Howler Monkey, handsome White-fronted Capuchin, and Gray’s Bald-faced Saki.

  Sail down the Parauari River in the late afternoon, admiring groups of Hoatzins sunning themselves on streamside vegetation, or carefully scanning the treetops for the rare White-tailed Cotinga, before the bats and Ladder-tailed Nightjars start moving over the water.

• Paraconi River

  Spend the morning in the Maués interfluvium, a complex system of lakes and river channels. This is the habitat of yet another rare, little known, and downright glamorous marmoset known as the Maués Marmoset.  Our day is expeditionary, as we forge up the Paraconi River. If the opportunity presents itself, set off on short hikes in the late afternoon and into the evening, searching for nocturnal creatures while appreciating the sounds of the night forest. Also be on the lookout for swarms of army ants, which may be attended by so-called inveterate ant swarm followers, such as Pale-faced Bare-eye and Harlequin Antbird.

• Abacaxis River

  Today, rise to the challenge of trying to view the Satéré Marmoset, an elusive species restricted to the area between the Madeira and Abacaxis Rivers. Golden-backed Squirrel Monkeys are decidedly more numerous, and birding is excellent in this area, with colorful Red-necked and Chestnut-eared Aracaris, Crimson-crested and Yellow-tufted Woodpeckers, and elegant Paradise Jacamars regularly encountered.

• Madeira River / Nova Olinda

  With high floodwaters, the captain prefers to sail along a system of parallel channels to the main Amazon, and you emerge today from the small channel of Arariá, into the Madeira River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon.

  Just as you leave the channel, you’re in prime territory for spotting the monkey known by the local people as “algodão”, meaning cotton, but known to primate biologists as the Golden-white Tassle-eared Marmoset. While exploring the area in canoes, listen for the distinctive morning chorus of the Lake Baptista Titi Monkey, which has one of the smallest distributions of any primate. The flooded forest around Nova Olinda also hosts the jewel-like Crimson-hooded Manakin, which boasts a head as brilliant as sealing wax.

• Laguinho

  The Laguinho area of the Madeira River is one of the best places to experience the phenomenon of Amazon River islands. These islands are constantly shifting, eroding at their upstream edge, and depositing on their downstream side, effectively migrating downriver with time. This complex pattern of plant succession creates a spectrum of habitats that appeal to a distinctive suite of unique birds, some of which are never seen off a river island, such as Red-and-white Spinetail, the dapper Black-and-white Antbird, and Varzea Piculet, a minute woodpecker.

• Rio Negro and Januacá River

  The elusive Chestnut-bellied Titi and Gray’s Saki Monkey are your two main target primates in this area of the Rio Negro, south-west of Manaus on the Janauacá River. For your primate finale, you have an opportunity to spot Black Uakari Monkeys. Uakaris are the most active of all New World monkeys, due to a varied diet high in nutritional value, and are highly mobile and tricky to track down, as a result. Venezuelan Red Howler, Humboldt’s Squirrel Monkey, and White-fronted Capuchin Monkeys are all more numerous and regularly encountered here.

  End your Amazon wildlife experience with one of the most extraordinary wildlife encounters on Earth: swimming with Pink Dolphins! Known locally as Boto, these undeniably and indescribably pink, freshwater cetaceans are completely wild, and yet accustomed to the presence of humans, allowing close approach in the tea-colored water of the Rio Negro. Appreciating them in so intimate a fashion is a fitting culmination of an epic voyage, spanning over 1,000 miles, multiple interfluvia, and countless micro-habitats.

  Enjoy a final farewell dinner onboard this evening.

• Manaus / Disembark

  This morning, sail into Manaus. Bid farewell to Mo and the rest of the crew of the Iracema and transfer to the airport for your flights homeward.