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...and its
highlights:
- Manaus - the gateway
to the Amazonian no-mans-land
- In dug-out canoes
on the Rio Negro and its tributaries
Hikes and Camps along the Curicuriari
river
- Wildlife photography:
macaws in the deep jungle
- Biodiversity
of the Amazonian rainforest
- Overnight
at an Indian villages of the tukano
tribe
- Hiking
to the top of the Bella Adormecida mountain
1.125 m
The itinerary
1st
day
Half day city Tour
in Manaus. On the left banks of the Rio
Negro river and about 18km from meeting
with the waters of the claylike Rio Solimões,
at which point both rivers join into the
Amazon, is Manaus - the 'Jungle Metropolis'.
The main attractions here are the Opera
House with its delicate fountain; a splendid
neoclassical building of the size of the
Scala (the opera house in Milan, Italy).
After 15years of construction it was inaugurated
in 1896 as the symbol of the rubber boom.
Also fascinating is the swimming port
of Manaus, called Porto Flutuante. A colourful
mix of people running busily around to
embark or disembark, load or unload the
ships that reach practically every corner
of the Amazonian universe, except where
waterfalls or rapids block the way. The
3 story ships are significantly called
gaiolas, which literally means cages!
Right next to the port is the Mercado
Municipal, the city's marketplace, where
regional food, fruits, fish, and handicrafts
are displayed. Meanwhile, in the Museum
of Natural Science, butterflies, insects
and fish from the Amazonian region can
be viewed.
2nd
day
Early transfer to
the airport for flight to São Gabriel
da Cachoeira (SGL). In SGL we need to
get the permit to visit Indian territory,
before we board our motorized dog-out
canoe. Steered masterfully by our guides,
we pass the strong currents and treacherous
rapids near SGL and reach our Jungle Base
Camp after approximately 2 hours. The
rustic camp, made from typical materials,
is located right at the river banks on
top of a rock that forms a delightful
sloping beach. Around the camp area are
a great many trees with fruits that never
anybody heard of, and they are absolutely
delicious - Birds, macaws, and obviously
our folks can confirm this! There are
separated facilities for eating, meditation,
relaxation and sleep. The sleeping and
meditation facilities feature screens
against mosquitoes. The food is cooked
on an original clay stove or grilled.
The sleeping facilities feature hammocks.
In the afternoon you discover the campsite
and will get first glimpses of the flora
and fauna all along the Rio Negro. Since
you will be tired from a long trip you
will be hitting the hammocks soon tonight.
3rd
day
Expedition gear is
packed on yamanchis, the basket-like 'rucksacks'
of our local Indian guides. Unnecessary
baggage is left behind at Jungle Base
Camp. The boat takes you downstream Rio
Negro into the mouth of the Rio Curicuriari.
We moor the boat at a tukano Indian village,
to greet the locals and change information
with them - the children, especially,
are intrigued and pleased by our visit
that provides excellent photographic opportunities.
Continuing our voyage on the Rio Curicuriari
we arrive at another small village of
the tukano Indian tribe called São
Félix, where we receive a warm
welcome from the chief (here called capitão)
and villagers alike. An association called
Acibrn organizes this community, together
with three others of the lower Rio Negro
basin. The association has the purpose
of maintaining traditions, values and
customs combined with promoting awareness
of the civil rights to which all Indians
are entitled. As in the old days, before
they were "civilised" by catholic
missionaries in the late 18th century,
they still use hand made tools in their
everyday lives, e.g. Manioc grinders and
shakers. Manioc and fish in a great variety
of forms provides the vast majority of
the diet of the tukano people, although
they also plant bananas to trade for beans
and medical supplies. The traditional
buildings here are made from sticks and
clay with wild açaí palm
leaf thatched roofs, held together with
cipó vines. They look very strong
and in all, the place looks neat, very
organised and well structured.
We string our hammocks in the community
hut. If the chief, Capitão Antônio,
is in a good mood (that is if our gifts
are according to his expectations!) he
may surprise the visitors with a presentation
of traditional tribal dances and an invitation
for dinner. Leaving nothing up to chance,
our guides prepare supper on a fire, including
steak skewers, rice, and pasta dishes,
all tastes. All dietary requirements are
catered on Southern Cross tours. Not long
after dinner we all retire to our hammocks
for our first night in the bush.
4th
day
At 6am the medicine
man bags on an iron to call the tribe
for morning prayers. This is the time
we get up for breakfast and get packed.
After goodbyes to our tukano friends with
the promise to come back soon (with more
gifts), we are off on the Curicuriari
river. A little waterfall at its left
banks is soon reached. Here we take our
morning bath before we continue upstream
Curicuriari. En route we deposit equipment
(tents, roll mats and the 70 litre ice
box) and supplies that we will not need,
at an abandoned manioc plantation ready
to collect after our trail in the jungle.
After another hour of river navigation
we reach the starting point of the on
foot expedition. Here the guides hide
the engine and fuel drums in thick bush
to collect on our return. On the completion
of these essential tasks we begin on our
trail through the bush.
Animals that
are typical in the region are:
- Mammals
jaguar, sloth, capybara (also called
water pig), tapir, giant otter, paka,
peccari, black howler monkey, brown
capuchin monkey, spider monkey
- Fish
Manatee, river dolphin, fresh water
sting rays, electric eels, giant pirarucu,
tucunaré, piranha
- Reptiles
bushmaster, eyelash viper, calico snake
- Amphibian
caiman, green iguana, poison dart frogs,
Dendrobatids
- Chelonions
Arraus
- Spiders
Goliath tarantula, black widow, brown
recluse spider
- Macaws
scarlet macaw, green winged macaw, blue
and yellow chested macaw
You will be hiking
through the forest for about 4 hours at
an easy pace, giving you time to study
and photograph the wilderness and wildlife
all around you. The camp will be pitched
usually next to a river or rapid for fresh
water and a bath. Today's camp is right
at the feet of the Bella Adormecida Mountain.
Hammocks are strung while the guides fix
a fire and cook dinner with our help always
appreciated. After that, story telling
at the open fire. The guides always come
up with interesting and sometimes frightening
stories of wild animals and men..... Goodnight......!
5th
day
Reveille at 0600hrs.
After a quick breakfast you will begin
the ascent to the Sleeping Beauty. The
uphill trail is unrelenting with very
few flat areas. The guides all the while
mark the route to ensure a safe descent
with minimal forest disturbance. There
are regular breaks to fill up your water
bottle and relax. While you continue the
ascent, you will be scrambling over moss
covered boulders (some of which are bigger
than the average group member, standing
at 175cm!). As you gain altitude the wind
begins to pick up and the clouds descend
around you. (There is no need to be concerned
as you will be well looked after by an
experienced expedition leader) After 4
hours of uphill hiking the forest opens
and the group arrives at a spellbound
waterfall, an absolutely gorgeous place
to pitch our camp 3. We are now on the
easternmost slope right underneath the
summit of Bella Adormecida.
6th
day
This morning we are
heading for the top of the Sleeping beauty
where the group arrives after approximately
2 hours of steep hike. The views from
the top are breathtaking, with the Amazonian
rainforest stretched out like blanket
below us. At 1125m above sea level, we
can see many of the places we have visited
so far including São Gabriel da
Cachoeira, the port of Camanaus, the Rio
Negro and the Curicuriari as well as the
São Félix community. You
may strive to find the waterfall where
we moored the canoe, but from this vast
distance it is wishful thinking! We stay
on the summit for one hour, enjoying the
beautiful vistas that provide spectacular
photo opportunities and a delightful lunch
spot among the delicate crystal white
orchids and the singing birds, not to
mention our first sight of the sun since
entering the jungle!
The descent is much
tougher on the knees than ascending. We
safely negotiate the obstacles in our
way (e.g. the vertical sections, hornets
nests and snakes - Cobra Cipó),
to the camp at the waterfall and caves.
Now we have earned the opportunity to
relax in the bathing pools before enjoy
a delicious meal that has been cooked
to perfection while we have been away.
Everybody hit their hammocks now to rest
up after a full day of exertion.
The 'Sleeping Beauty'
of the Amazon is (in our opinion) one
of the best daylong ascents/descents to
be found anywhere in the world and is
a must see for non-technical and more
advanced mountaineers alike.
7th
day
We
will be spending the morning at the waterfall
and exploring the area around it. Our
guides will show us more of the secrets
of the Amazonian mountain forest. You
will be shown how to prepare Saracura
roots from which a health drink can be
concocted that cleanses all the organs
in the body. This is a quite a lengthy
process which begins with scraping the
shavings of roots into a pan, adding water
and whisking vigorously with a split root
that replaces the whirl, until it foams.
After this the foam is scraped off before
repeating the method another four times
and then drinking the mixture which has
a bitter taste, but improves the more
you drink! You will also be shown how
to build an emergency shelter in a fraction
of time. More photo shooting at the macaws
clay licks with possibility to climb into
the caves for better shooting. After lunch
we break camp and hike back to camp 3,
approximately 2 hours.
8th
day
Returning
to our mooring site where the on foot
expedition began, we collect the canoe
and head back to Sitio Jeremias, stopping
to collect equipment/supplies left at
the plantation. Arriving late afternoon
and, after setting up hammocks, there
is time for fishing off the granite beach
- you never know, you could catch everyone's
dinner! Or, if you prefer, relax in your
hammocks and reflect on your experiences
and wait for the guides and expedition
leader to return with a haul of Tucunaré,
almost guaranteed to be the freshest fish
you've ever eaten!
9th
day
A
well earned day of rest at Sitio Jeremias.
If you like you can undertake a short
tour of the plantation and local area
with one of the guides. However you might
just prefer relaxing with a book and fresh
coconut milk. Depending on the remaining
fuel, the expedition leader might take
the canoe to a nearby port and pick up
a few well-earned cold beers to enjoy
on our last night in the jungle. After
stories around the hearty fire, the party
settle down to their last nights in hammocks
- that king size back home seems a long
way away and you wonder if you'll ever
get used to it again?...the traffic…closing
times at the pubs…perhaps I'll just
stay a while longer…
10th
day
Sitio
Jeremias - São Gabriel da Cachoeira
where you check into a hotel. City Tour
including the church and a visit to the
handicraft shop - where you can purchase
some of the items you have seen as a souvenir
of an unforgettable voyage. Farewell drinks
and dinner with the guides and tour leader
in the best restaurant in town, sleeping
in Hotel.
11th
day
Transfer
to Airport and flight via Manaus to Rio
de Janeiro for add-on program or to São
Paulo for connecting flight back home.
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