Our camping trip is an extraordinary expedition that we offer only a few times a year. We will go way beyond the frontier of settlement into areas where there are no houses and no people, just rainforest as wild and beautiful as it was before the first humans arrived on the continent of South America.

The first day we will travel in our boats up the Rio Negro and set up camp where we can swim and walk in the forest. At night we’ll marvel at the uncountable stars in the heavens untainted by light from the city. The second day as we plunge deeper into the forest, the igarapé will get narrower and narrower and we will begin to navigate sharp "S" shaped curves as we weave into the hills of the primitive forest.

Giant trees overhang both banks and toucans and macaws will glide across the opening of sky above us. Macaws shriek together in a circling mob overhead and toucans perch at the very tops of trees and whistle in a dignified melody. We should see some squirrel monkeys leaping across the stream catching themselves on the slender overhanging limbs. In the late afternoon we will pass the last house on the river, and enter the true wilderness. Before us stretching for thousands upon thousands of square miles is uninhabited rainforest. For the next days we will explore the depths of this forest where all the fantastic beasts of the Amazon still roam as they have for millions upon millions of years.

Exploring!

We do not know what we will find on this trip, because we’ll be exploring! Every camping trip goes to different rivers and different regions but we always discover absolutely stunning natural features. We have found thundering waterfalls with perpetual rainbows arching overhead and pools of cool pure water below. We have encountered vast flooded forests covering many square miles where we weave though the trunks in a giant maze of trees—the forest and the sky so perfectly reflected in the glassy still surface of the water that its impossible to tell where the trees end and the water begins. We’ve discovered dim crowded forests of trees covered with jet black sponges. We often find clusters of teardrop shaped nests of woven grass dangling from the low limbs—nests of the brilliant yellow and black Cacique birds that rustle and sing in bell tones in their bizarre mating rituals.
Everywhere we go we will be surrounded by the magnificent rainforest vibrant with life. We will hunt in the forest with our cameras for the greatest diversity of species of plants and animals on earth.

Our Group

We will be a small group of explorers, a maximum of 14 people, from every background and walk of life. The single thing we have in common is an interest in exploring and in the wonders of nature. We will have some of the very best guides in all of the Amazon. There will be a naturalist guide and three native guides. Their spotting skills combined with the knowledge of our other guides give us the greatest chance to observe wildlife in this endless forest.

 

What is an Igarapé?

Igarapé [ee-gah-rah-pay]: Amazon Indian term for a small stream that goes deep into the rainforest.

Igarapés are quite different from the forest streams that we know from temperate forests. They are often very deep and can go hundreds and hundreds of miles into the forest. In the wider parts, igarapés open up to quiet and peaceful hidden lakes, tree lined and without perceptible current. Without any artificial noises like airplanes or car horns, the slightest sound carries great distances. We can hear monkeys and birds calling from across the forest and our ears become attuned to the quiet voice of natural sounds. In their upper reaches igarapés have swift currents and usually end in a beautiful waterfall. On our expedition, the igarapé on which we travel will begin to narrow after the first day, and we will keep going until we are in the heart of the rainforest.

The banks of the igarapés are covered with tall rainforest trees draped with vines. The trees often have wide buttresses like a cathedral or a rocket, and the thick canopy is 150 feet from the ground. After spending a few days in the tall forest, we will become accustomed to forest sounds and it will become second nature to identify individual animals. The screaming piha, also known as the alarm bird, loudly announces his presence with his high pitched and LOUD whistle.

 

The Expedition Plan

On the Amazon Camping trip we will explore two different rainforest environments. Not only will we go deep into the wilderness of the uninhabited Rio Negro, but we will also spend a few days in the area of the Amazon River itself. These two different places have very different collections of wildlife, and in our several days in the forest we’ll have plenty of time to explore them both.

Our small group will first go upstream on the Rio Negro in large motorized canoes, and then head due north on one of the small tributaries into the vast primitive rainforest. We’ll enter an igarapé and continue on as the stream gets smaller and smaller and more and more primitive. Our overall plan is to go as far into the rainforest as we can and to walk in the forest observing wildlife along the way. We will go at a pace slow enough to explore the small streams and hidden lakes that we encounter and set up campsites in the afternoons. More than half the fun is getting there!

 

Degree of Difficulty

Our walks in the forest are intended to observe the wildlife of the forest without wearing out the group. Therefore, though good health is absolutely necessary, participants don’t need to be endurance hikers. For those who would like to hike greater distances and "rough it" a little more, on some days we at times divide into two groups, each with a guide, and while one group quietly tiptoes through the forest listening to every rustle in the brush and attentive to every flash of bright color from the bill of a toucan or wing of a blue morpho butterfly, the other group forges onward deep in the forest and works up a sweat.

We have quite spacious and airy tents and after an evening chorus by nocturnal frogs, we sleep soundly through the night. After the naturalist, the cook is our most important and highly paid staff member. He prepares good, though not fancy, meals from the giant ice chests we bring with us. We usually have wine with dinner and enough other amenities to make our stay in the forest pleasurable. We may be in the rainforest, but we are here to enjoy ourselves! We go swimming off beautiful beaches, take night walks, and generally enjoy the fun of being in a small group deep in the wilderness.

 

Amazon Camping!
Itinerary: 10 Day Full Package

Please remember that our facilities are primitive and you should be prepared for a small amount of physical discomfort. We ask that everyone assist in setting up the campsites. Since all the campsites will be made on the margins of rivers and streams, we will not need to carry the equipment for long distances, but you will need to be able to transport your own luggage for short distances. Near the end of the trip we will lean heavily on rice, beans, pasta, and tuna fish or cheese sandwiches.

Please note that since this is a true expedition, the itinerary must be considered approximate. The exact order of the itinerary days and specific features may be altered due to scheduling and navigational considerations.

June 11, 2001