Visiting the Amazon Rainforest is an experience coveted by many nature lovers right across the globe. There really is no place on earth quite like it. The Amazon is isolated and remote and can be quite difficult to access, particularly in the wet season when access roads are washed out. Accommodation options are limited so bookings are essential.
A trip to the Amazon will require a decent amount of research and pre-planning, unless you engage the expertise of a company like My Adventure Store tour who can do the hard work for you.
How you decide to explore the Amazon Jungle will depend on a number of factors: your budget, your sense of adventure, and your penchant for comfort. There is an option to suit most people. Here are just three.
Roughing It
Backpacking it through the Amazon can be an amazing experience providing you have plenty of time. You can start your tour in the city of Tarapoto, where the highlands meet the jungle. You can get to Tarapoto by air or by road, depending on your budget and how much time you have. From there you can travel deep into the central Amazon, where the real adventure happens. Further into the jungle you will find Pucallpa, where you can take a boat journey up the Yarinacocha River to Iquitos. This journey will take around three days. The comfort level is pretty low, but this experience is the real deal. This trip will allow you to immerse yourself into the jungle and fully experience the world’s largest rainforest.
Amazon Lodges
Lodge accommodation is available and although it isn’t cheap some lodges are quite affordable. For a more comfortable tour of the amazing Amazon you can start your journey in Peurto Maldonado, in the southern jungle, a 45 minute flight from Cuzco, then journey into the Amazon on motorised canoes. You will find lodges dotted along the way. The length of your journey is entirely up to you. You can travel from 30 minutes to several hours and even days if you choose.
Lodge accommodation is basic but comfortable. You may not have electricity, but lodges will usually have generators running at certain hours. Most lodges offer food and excursions in their pricing structure. Some of the excursions on offer are bird watching trips, night time river cruises, canopy walks and hikes through the jungle. What you do depends entirely on how energetic and adventurous you are.
The Luxury Option
Travelling through one of the remotest regions on our planet does not necessarily mean doing it tough. You can take an Amazon luxury cruise and be pampered as you go. Luxury cruises leave from the northern town of Iquitos. Iquitos is not accessible but you can fly in. The Amazon River flows right past the town, so it is the perfect place to embark on a river cruise. This option is expensive but it is really comfortable. You will be spoiled with gourmet dinners, hot tubs and fully stocked bars, while taking in the amazing sights of the Amazon and its wildlife.
