Iberostar Grand Amazon Cruise - Rio Negro

Sunday. Your flight takes you over the Amazon Jungle to Manaus, flying above miles of nothing but green jungle and silver rivers for the final hour and more. The sight of nothing but trees is a special one if the rainforest cloud clears for you. On arrival in the city, you will be met for transfer to your hotel. The day is then free to relax and recover from your long journey. Flights to Manaus can be directly from Miami or Lisbon, otherwise a change is necessary usually in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro or Brasilia. If you travel to the Amazon from inside Brazil, then it might be possible to arrive around midday on a Monday or Friday and embark the same day.

Monday. After breakfast, you take a morning city tour of the famous Manaus Theatre, Municipal Market, and the floating dock. The opulent theatre is the symbol of the city, and was built on the back of the rubber boom that made the wealth of Manaus. After lunch, you transfer to the dock in Manaus for check-in on the Iberostar Grand Amazon. As the ship embarks for the Rio Negro, one of the main arteries of the Amazon River, you have time to explore your cabin and the ship before watching sunset on deck. At night, there are welcome cocktails and dinner as the captain presents his officers and crew.

Tuesday. Today you will board a small boat and head through the flooded forest for a trek through the jungle followed by a visit to Novo Airao to see the Amazon river dolphins. The dolphins come in three different colors, grey being the most common, some a mix of grey and pink, while others are entirely pink. They are very friendly creatures and seem to enjoy the company of humans. After lunch, the afternoon can be spent on a photo safari or fishing for piranha in Lake Aracari. Alligator spotting at night follows dinner, with live music in the ballroom as well.

Wednesday. Dawn bird-watching at Rio Puduari is dramatic, with flocks of macaws, parrots, parakeets and toucans, and many more in competition to make the most noise. After breakfast, you can disembark to trek through the jungle on the banks of the Rio Puduari. Lunch is taken during the journey to Alligator Island, where you can take a photo safari or an off-boat excursion through the magnificent Igarape Aturia during the afternoon. During the evening, dinner will be enjoyed in the restaurant and music and dancing will take place in the Moon Ballroom.

Thursday. A trekking and a photo safari at Rio Cuieiras teaches you some of the tricks of jungle survival -how to make fire without matches and a hammock from palm leaves, and which trees can be used to obtain rubber and chewing gum. A visit to the local community at Cambebas follows, where you can learn how the native people have adapted to living on the edge of the jungle in places where the water level varies by as high as 15m. At Praia Grande you can cruise the flooded forest before having some free time to relax on the river beach.

Friday. Breakfast is taken at the Meeting of the Waters before the ship returns to Manaus in the morning and your cruise ends. You will then be transferred from the port to the airport for your onward flight. The Luxury Iberostar Amazon Cruise can also be combined with any of our other fantastic destinations in Brazil, such as Rio de Janeiro and Iguazu Falls. *Please note: The Iberostar Amazon Cruise embarks from Manaus on most Fridays and Mondays throughout 2020. The cruise can be taken Friday to Friday (7 nights); Monday to Monday (7 nights); Monday to Friday (4 nights); or Friday to Monday (3 nights).