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Amazon Adventure – Brazil
"Your dedication helping each person get
all they could from this trip as well as making all feel a part of the
AFS family made this one of the best vacations on my life!" --S. Sanford
(Amazon)
In
Amazonia, man and nature live in harmony within the greatest bio-diverse
reserve of tropical forest on earth. I’ve led several groups to the
Peruvian Amazon, however, this Brazilian visit trumped them all.
After a short 5 hour flight from Miami followed by
an overnight there to rest at the deluxe Tropical Hotel, we then boarded
our boat for Ariau Towers. I was a bit hesitant to book this after
reading some negative reviews online, but felt it couldn’t be that bad
if Martha Stewart once stayed there. On arrival we were greeted by
macaws, parrots and about 50 resident monkeys. I envisioned rough
accommodations, but was delighted to find a large room with a/c and hot
water shower. Imagine a huge hotel built entirely on stilts high over
the treetops. 11 miles of catwalks connect the 270 rooms and 3 elevated
swimming pools. The entire complex was constructed with sustainable
tourism in mind to protect the environment.
Suzy Monkeying Around &
Dolphins Too!
Our local guides Mike and Christoph were like eagle
scouts on a mission to make us happy. Every tour was by boat, a most
enchanting way to explore this water world of flooded forest. In the
daytime, we enjoyed piranha fishing, which we later fried up for
dinner. Gracefully floating past giant water lilies, we photographed for
colorful omnipresent bird life. We visited a school on the river where
the children had to walk or boat up to 2 hours to reach. They joyously
received the supplies we delivered to them. On the village visits, we
tasted Brazil nuts, tapioca and learned about the culture. On a
“Meeting of the Waters Tour”, we viewed a phenomenon of nature. Here
the black Rio Negro converges with the brown Amazon River in a forceful
combat of power yet they never mix. At night, we headed out in canoes
with flashlights for alligator spotting as well as an Indian Ritual
ceremony and a beachside Carnival Show presented by local dancers in
amazing costumes.
On free time, we became lounge lizards in hammocks
by the pool. With bananas in hand, at one point I had over 20 squirrel
monkeys lounging with me. It was monkey mania as they scurried over to
pile on us. Some felt it was too creepy, but I simply love monkeys. I
observed 3 of them catch and destroy a big lizard before my eyes.
Playfully they tossed its body parts back and forth. They guys in our
group fed giant beetles to the on-site piranha pool. At other times
we’d bike or walk miles of the treetop canopy to film the flora and
fauna. Several opted for the full day Jungle Survivor Tour led by a
former soldier named Rambo. They returned covered in mud with machetes
boasting how they triumphantly ate maggots and fish cooked over a fire
they produced without any matches.
On tours, local Indians would follow us in their
dugout canoes. They passed over a baby sloth and caiman for me to
hold. Some in our group held anacondas. Christoph told us about the
largest anaconda found in the area at 90 feet long which they say
devoured a man.
The highlight for me was a “swim with the
dolphins.” I had anticipated a canned photo op with 1 or 2 dolphins as
I once experienced in the Bahamas. Here for a mere $60, we were able to
swim with 20 to 25 of them! These were rare pink dolphins found only in
the Amazon basin, aquatic mammals that measured up to 7 feet long.
First on a platform, we individually fed them fish for perfect photos.
The wild dolphins came to us out of nowhere. The families that come
change daily. Adorned with life vests, we then entered the Rio Negro
which was like swimming in warm cola. The blind sweet dolphins mingled
among us. The water was so dark, we never knew when a bottle-nose would
nudge us in frolic. As I petted their silky skin, I was shrieking in
laughter from the merriment and rarity of such a moment. Even our guide
was surprised. He said each summer, groups of handicapped children are
brought to this spot to swim. For a full day , these gentle
compassionate creatures remain available for the children’s amusement .
The experience in my book rated a 10. It was surreal.
Aside from the city of Manaus, we were remotely
surrounded by a thousand miles of forest in all directions. And we were
pampered throughout, particularly with fresh bountiful meals. In
dismay, (I found I had gained 3 lbs on my return home.) Two miracles
for me had occurred on this Amazon adventure unlike my others. First,
no one got sick. Everything was purified including mineral water used
for ice cubes and salad cleansing. Second, we had no rain. After
reports of “torrential downpours daily” for weeks prior, we had perfect
weather. We were 33 happy campers.
I must repeat this trip again. This jungle
experience of nature’s wonders was delightful, cultural journey well
done.
Adventures for Singles is the original singles travel company for the
international group traveler. We specialize in travel for singles,
post to travel blogs or singles travel blogs regularly with Suzy's trip
journals. Though Adventures For Singles is not primarily about
dating, it does happen and we've have had 17 marriages directly related
to our single vacations. Our goal is to provide an
affordable, quality vacations for adult singles. Singles travel
packages, single travel, adventure travel destinations for singles
describes what we do. We always are looking to add single male
travelers to our groups and singles cruises
After a short 5 hour flight from Miami followed by
an overnight there to rest at the deluxe Tropical Hotel, we then boarded
our boat for Ariau Towers. I was a bit hesitant to book this after
reading some negative reviews online, but felt it couldn’t be that bad
if Martha Stewart once stayed there. On arrival we were greeted by
macaws, parrots and about 50 resident monkeys. I envisioned rough
accommodations, but was delighted to find a large room with a/c and hot
water shower. Imagine a huge hotel built entirely on stilts high over
the treetops. 11 miles of catwalks connect the 270 rooms and 3 elevated
swimming pools. The entire complex was constructed with sustainable
tourism in mind to protect the environment.
On free time, we became lounge lizards in hammocks
by the pool. With bananas in hand, at one point I had over 20 squirrel
monkeys lounging with me. It was monkey mania as they scurried over to
pile on us. Some felt it was too creepy, but I simply love monkeys. I
observed 3 of them catch and destroy a big lizard before my eyes.
Playfully they tossed its body parts back and forth. They guys in our
group fed giant beetles to the on-site piranha pool. At other times
we’d bike or walk miles of the treetop canopy to film the flora and
fauna. Several opted for the full day Jungle Survivor Tour led by a
former soldier named Rambo. They returned covered in mud with machetes
boasting how they triumphantly ate maggots and fish cooked over a fire
they produced without any matches. 
