Deep into the Amazon: Brazil, Colombia & Peru - 2022

Depart the U.S. and arrive around midnight in Manaus. Or, depart earlier for a thrilling pre-trip extension to Rio de Janeiro.

Manaus has a fascinating contradictory feel; it is a city in the middle of a jungle, and despite its size, it is only accessible in a practical sense by boat or plane. And though seafaring vessels dock here, the ocean is 900 miles away. It’s all part of the intrigue of the Amazon! After a free morning and lunch on your own, get acquainted with the largest city in the Amazon basin during a tour that features the Teatro Amazonas, or Amazon Theatre. This stunning vision in pink opened in 1896 at the height of the rubber barons’ prosperity and was built with European bricks, French glass, and Italian marble. Conclude your tour with a Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.

Included Feature:

• Manaus city tour

If you’re in the market for exotic fruits, Amazon herbal medicines, and local handicrafts, you’ll love rubbing elbows with the people of Manaus during a visit to Mercado Municipal Adolpho Lisboa. Fashioned after the Les Halles market of Paris in 1882, it is the city’s oldest market and a scintillating way to immerse yourself in the culture. Produce from the surrounding countryside and fish from the river are delivered every morning. Cross the street to see how all these goods arrived — aboard the armada of fishing and cargo boats bobbing on the Amazon’s waters.

After time to absorb it all, and an included lunch, you’ll continue to the Ocean Explorer for embarkation. There’ll be time to settle in and perhaps have a drink on deck and give Manaus one final glimpse before your Amazon expedition goes on. In the dining room tonight, savor a special Captain’s Welcome Dinner.

Included Feature:

• Half-day Manaus heritage tour

Cultural Discovery: 

• Visit the oldest market in Manaus

Enjoy a wonderful next few days as your expedition into the Amazon begins. Your captain and experienced Expedition Team will coordinate closely and choose from a bevy of fascinating sites along this particular stretch of the Amazon River to plot itineraries for Zodiac rides, treks, and visits with locals.  While sailing the river, head to the deck and observation lounge to hear the Expedition Team pointing out wildlife and offering insight on the passing terrain. While other companies offer trips from Manaus or Iquitos, Vantage is the first to do both. We will also stop into remote villages for unforgettable interactions with Amazonian locals. Most importantly, our daily itinerary will be based on weather conditions. Where conditions allow, we’ll explore key Amazonian sites. These destinations may include

Badajós
Situated on the Badajós River, this floating village is scarcely populated and seldom visited. Known for its stilted houses, most of its residents sustain themselves by fishing. This is one of the Amazon’s optimal locations for viewing pink dolphins. You may also spot Howler Monkeys, anaconda, and several different bird species here.

Cuxiu Muni
Located in the northwestern region of Brazil’s Amazon, Cuxiu Muni is a small village, home to approximately 40 families. Explore its narrow creeks, observe village life, and learn how its inhabitants grow crops, tap rubber trees, and more. This rustic locale is also an excellent spot to see caimans, three-toed sloths, snakes, and frogs.

Uara
Known for its Brazilian Nut Forest, Uara is an immense body of black water just off the Amazon River. This is a very large black water lake accessed by a short half mile channel from the main river. While here, you’ll have the chance to take a trek into the jungle with locals, swim in the black lake, and birdwatch on your Zodiac.

Rio Jutaí
Home to about 15,000 people, Jutaí is a small town recognized for its floating shops and handcrafted hammocks. While we will only be visiting the entrance of Rio Jutaí, you’ll be able to spot the white water streaming in amidst the black river water, as well as inundated treetops.

Included Features:

• Daily, naturalist-led expeditions by Zodiac boat and by foot
• Village visit in Cuxiu Muni
• Wildlife spotting: pink dolphins, monkeys, birds, and more

Amidst the borders of Brazil and Peru, Leticia is Colombia’s official gateway to the Amazon. This riverside village is the country’s southernmost city — not to mention a melting pot of nearby cultures. Upon arrival, we’ll meet with locals who will show us along the riverfront to the indigenous market. Here, you can savor Colombia’s renowned sancocho soup as well as Brazilian churrasco and Peruvian ceviche. Purchase medicinal herbs, sample exotic fruits, and admire a variety of recently caught fish from the Amazon River.

Your walking tour through this rural port will also include Santander Park, where you’re likely to witness a myriad of parakeets and parrots. You’ll learn about Leticia’s geography and ethnic tapestry with a visit to the Museo Etnográfico. After exploring the city’s wealth of indigenous communities, as well as inseparable ties to its neighboring countries, head out to the plaza for a Colombian-Amazonian dance performance. We’ll end our walking tour with a visit to the vibrant boardwalk. Keep an eye out for mischievous monkeys!

Included Feature:

• Walking tour of Leticia

Cultural Discovery:

• Meet Colombian locals in the heart of the Amazon

Today we will disembark in Pevas, a palm-lined Amazonian village in Peru. In the 1930s, displaced indigenous groups from Colombia settled here. Largely composed of the Bora and Witoto tribes, they are known for practicing ages-old medicine of the rainforest, as well as traditional dancing and singing.

You will get the chance to interact with members of these tribes as we enter into their villages. Hear their folk legends, learn about their riverside way of life, and — if you wish — purchase some of their unique artesanías, or handicrafts. After a possible Zodiac outing to see endemic wildlife, we’ll have dinner on board and make our way to Iquitos.

Included Feature:

• Get to know the indigenous cultures of local Witoto and Bora tribes

This morning, we’ll arrive in Iquitos and disembark the Ocean Explorer. Nestled deep in the Peruvian rainforest, this mystical town is known as the adventurous “Capital of the Amazon.” A 20th-century rubber boom launched Iquitos into jungle-shrouded modernity, and today the city is a fascinating study in contrasts — a place where handcrafted canoes sail alongside cruise ships, and open-air restaurants and glistening mansions share the streets with bustling markets and mud huts. In the afternoon, we’ll transfer to the airport for a short flight to Lima, Peru’s magnificent capital.

After arriving in Lima, we’ll head to the wonderful Larco Museum. Housed in an 18th century royal building, you’ll discover over 5,000 years of pre-Columbian art here. Wander through its countless galleries, following the chronology of Peru’s history as well as a grand selection of erotic pottery.

Dinner tonight will be held at the hotel.

Included Feature:

• Visit Lima’s Larco Museum

A half-day walking tour of Lima’s historic center — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — introduces the Plaza Mayor, the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco and its catacombs, and the lively Miraflores district. Here, we’ll participate in a Peruvian cuisine cooking demonstration and sample a regional specialty: lucuma ice cream. Often likened to sweet potato or butterscotch, the lucuma fruit is indigenous to Peru and used in a variety of desserts. We'll have lunch at a local restaurant, then spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner is on your own and the perfect opportunity to discover Lima's gastronomic goings-on. Here’s a helpful hint: Lima is renowned for ceviche, fresh seafood “cooked” in citrus juice, and is home to more than 16,000 cevicherias.

Tonight, bid adieu to your fellow travelers with a Farewell Dinner at Huaca Pucllana restaurant, famous for its location inside ancient archaeological ruins.

Included Features:

• Lima city tour
• Farewell Dinner at Huaca Pucllana

Cultural Discovery:

• Peruvian cooking demonstration

Flights from Lima typically depart late in the evening, so you’ve got another day to take in the wonders of the city.

Later, you’ll transfer to the airport for your overnight flight home. Or, extend your trip by connecting to Cusco to see Peru’s Sacred Valley.