Trips on the M/Y Tucano take you into the heart of the Amazon.  Cruise up the Amazon River on board the M/Y Tucano for 7 nights/6 days and explore the heart of the Amazon jungle. This cruise is for small groups with a maximum of 18 people. You’ll explore the forest and view its magnificent wildlife. Perhaps you will see howler monkeys and hear a morning serenade of toucans. There is a trained naturalist guide on board leading walks and boat trips into the most interesting areas of the Amazon rainforest. With a spacious design The M/Y Tucano is a big boat, over 80 feet long.  There is plenty of space to spread out and observe the Amazon River or read and relax.

From a large salon, filled with windows and situated at the front of the boat, you can see the fantastic jungle around you. It is also a delightful place to dine and listen to the evening discussions. The top deck is open and has a large sun canopy - a wonderful place to spot wildlife or soak in the vastness of the Amazon. There is also space to catch some sun and watch the Macaw parrots screeching across the sky. All of the cabins are comfortable and all have private baths. The Tucano has 9 passenger cabins. All of the cabins have large windows which open. You can lie on your bed and watch the rainforest from your window while reading a novel of exploration. Each of the cabins has its own air-conditioning controls.

This is the CRUISE only itinerary and price.  Services in Manaus before and after the cruise cost additional.  The transfer in and out to coincide with the cruise are the only services in Manaus that are a part of the cruise cost, but only IF you stay at the Hotel Tropical.  All other hotels would result in a fee being charged for the transfer.  The cost of any hotel in Manaus before or after the cruise, cost additional to the price listed on this page.

Day 1- Rio or Sao Paulo to Manaus
Upon arrival Manaus, if you are staying at the Hotel Tropical, you will be met by the staff of the Tucano and transferred to the hotel, which is located on the Amazon River. As the capital of Amazonas, the largest state in Brazil, Manaus was once the center of the lucrative rubber trade business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sights in this busy port city include the grand baroque-style Opera House, built during the height of the rubber boom. The mooring line at the docks is also an interesting sight – it is supported by giant buoys that rise and fall with the level of the river, which varies drastically with the seasons.

Day 2 – Manaus – M/Y Tucano - Heart of the Amazon Cruise
With a spacious design the Tucano is a big boat, over 80 feet long, giving you plenty of space to spread out. The salon is enormous and provides a good place to observe the Amazon or read and relax. From this large room, filled with windows and situated at the front of the boat, you can see the fantastic jungle around you. It is also a delightful place to dine and listen to our evening discussions. The top deck is open and has a large sun canopy - a wonderful place to spot wildlife or soak in the vastness of the Amazon. There is also space to catch some sun and watch the Macaw parrots screeching across the sky. All of the cabins are comfortable and all have private baths. The Tucano has 9 passenger cabins. All of the cabins have large windows which open. You can lie on your bed and watch the rainforest from your window while reading a novel of exploration. Each of the cabins has its own air-conditioning controls.

On our first morning all the guests will board the Motor Yacht Tucano at 7:00am We will depart and head upstream on the Rio Negro. Throughout the morning we will cruise through the world’s largest river island system, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. From the observation deck we can scan the magnificent tangle of vegetation at the water’s edge. By mid-afternoon the vessel will be well past settlements and we will enter a wilderness area. Both shores are covered by dense rainforest. Though we never know what we will see, we have a good chance of observing pink river dolphins and a large collection of exotic birds. Most certainly we will be treated to magnificent forest vistas. In the late afternoon we will launch the smaller boats and go exploring and look for wildlife. We may also go for a swim in some of the world’s most clean and refreshing water.  B,L,D

Day 3 – Heart of the Amazon Cruise
Early this morning we will explore the rainforest along the waters edge in our small boats. We will perhaps see howler monkeys and hear a morning serenade of toucans. After breakfast we go for a walk in the forest. Here, deep in the forest, we will get a good start on understanding Amazon ecology. Around midday we will return for lunch. During lunch M/Y Tucano will get underway, perhaps stopping at a place to swim. In the late afternoon we will explore the forest in our small boats and listen to the sunset chorus of birds and frogs. B,L,D

Day 4 – Heart of the Amazon Cruise
This morning there will be an early exploration of the forest. We will keep our eyes open for monkeys—on most trips we see them often. We return for breakfast followed by either a walk in the forest or an excursion in the small boats The M/Y Tucano will travel during the middle of the day and we will stop in the afternoon for an excursion. Tonight the vessel may travel a bit more as we marvel at the night sky crowded with stars. B,L,D

 Day 5 – Heart of the Amazon Cruise
After our two morning excursions,  M/Y Tucano will navigate along the heavily forested shore, scouting for wildlife. We may stop for a visit at a settler’s home carved out of the forest. In the early afternoon we will be near an extraordinary river called the Rio Jauaperi. We will scout along the shoreline for some of the extraordinary creatures found only in this unique environment. Weather permitting we will do a night excursion to observe nocturnal creatures. The jungle is inhabited by monkeys, marmosets, tamanduas, sloths, ocelot, jaguar, tapirs, anteaters, armadillos, peccaries, pacas, etc. B,L,D

Day 6 – Heart of the Amazon Cruise
Today we depart the Rio Jauaperi and for the next two days proceed downstream on the Rio Negro exploring a new collection of  rainforest habitats. In the daytime we will continue to scout in our launches, walk in the forest, and at night hunt for nocturnal wildlife. B,L,D

Day 7 – Heart of the Amazon Cruise
After a walk in the forest we cross to the West bank of the Rio Negro, exploring as we go. We will stop at the substantial boat building village of Novo Airão. As we walk through the streets we’ll marvel at how the 19th Century thrives in this remote corner of the globe. Tonight the Tucano goes downstream to arrive at daybreak near the confluence with the Amazon River. As we glide through the starry darkness this is a good night to sip the national drink of Brazil, the “Caipirinha”.  B,L,D

Day 8 – Heart of the Amazon Cruise
This morning we will explore the Lago Janauari Ecological Park. Here the thick brown water of the Amazon flows swiftly through the forest. This area is usually a very good place to observe wildlife. Around midday the vessel will travel to the “Encontra das Aguas” a stark line that is several miles long and where the world’s two largest rivers, the Amazon and the Negro, join in a turbulent maelstrom. Here the dark water of the Negro runs beside the opaque brown water of the Amazon. In the afternoon we will scout one of the hidden streams in the area to try to see more of the Amazon’s beautiful and bizarre creatures. Tonight there may be one last excursion looking for nocturnal life.  B,L,D

Day 9 – Manaus to Rio de Janeiro

In the morning all guests disembark from the M/Y Tucano. Some guests will participate in an optional (additional cost) tour of the city of Manaus before transferring to the airport or the Hotel Tropical.  If not staying at the Hotel Tropical or going to the airport, any transfers would be at an additional cost.