It was a pitch black night as we sat there in our canoes in the inky dark river waters. The guides shined search lights onto the shoreline and the trees, and eyes reflected back at us from the darkness with a cayman cooling off in the water. Cayman are a crocodile-like creature that can grow to 18 ft. in length! As we sat silently in the canoes we could hear the sounds of the night forest — crickets, frogs croaking, birds calling. As our eyes became accustomed to the night, we saw a few tree frogs and birds, and the area seemed bright in the light of the almost full moon. There were lightning flashes in the distance. Awesome.
We were on a seven-day expedition trip in the Amazon with Amazon Nature Tours on the Motor Yacht Tucano. We were cruising the Rio Negro, a tributary of the Amazon River. It is the second largest river in the world with the Amazon being the largest. The color of the water is that of strong tea, giving it its name Rio Negro or black river. It is much more remote and pristine than the Amazon River. An added benefit — the chemistry of the waters is such that the Rio Negro has no mosquitoes. The entire river system is part of the Amazonas Region, the largest state in Brazil.
The Tucano is a classically constructed wooden river boat. It is 84 ft. long and has 3 decks. There are 9 cabins accommodating 18 passengers. The top deck includes a large shaded observation area. There is a crew of 8, including our 2 naturalist guides.
Follow this Amazon cruising adventure and see more photos on: Smallshipcruises.com
RT