Tours

Tour Travelogue

Guest Comment

Antje Weißenberger, Axel Köhler and Johann Pressl

Dresden, Germany

Dear Peter,

its been 4 weeks that we arrived back home from our holidays. If I would have to give a short resume on our Amazon tour I would say: it was something very, very special and a small part of our hearts have remained there. Your guides have decisively contributed to make the time there unforgettable and did everything to make it as pleasant as possible for us.

There was Ben, the always good humored story teller and there was Keka whom we admired for his always alert senses for that what surrounded us and what we have not been able to detect. His trained eyes and his ear for sounds of the jungle, his patience and instinct to make us actually see the animals of which we have heard only their noises before. Also his cooking skills were extraordidnary, when you consider the simplicity of means at hand. The fish we catched ourselves and he cooked to perfection, covering it with a Banana leaf, was something out of this world. Unforgettable.

When the boat glided silently through the Igarapé flooded forest we were totally and absolutely disconnected of the hectical and stressy life back home. We also never thought it possible to go for a swimm in a river that is home to anacondas, sting rays, prianhas and cayman. In short, we experienced a pristine jungle first hand - Adventure holiday was what we wanted and what we got.

We also would like to thank you, dear Peter, for the perfect organization and the great guides. We definitely will recommend Southern Cross Tours & Expeditions.

Best greetings

Antje, Hans & Axel

Guest Comment

Heike Stock and Matthias Richter

Nürnberg, Germany

Ref: Trip with Amazon Travel Brazil

Well, the weather was just bad luck but as I said, both of our guides put their shoulders to the wheel to make even. We had many great moments together with Bernhard and Keka.

Except of the misfortune with the Indians we had no complains regarding organization, equipment, guides, the tour,etc. It was a phantastic trip with super competent guides, very good equipment and excellent cuisine. Keka even had packed beer together with the other provisions. It was served ice cold.

Also the Hotel in Manaus was good and our guide Mario there really put in all efforts to show us around in Manaus. All worked out fine and we will recommend the tour.

Regarding the Pantanal we expect to see many animals & as bigger as better. The whole program: anacondas, jaguars, giant anteaters, other snakes, spides and everything what nature there has to offer.

Guest Comment

Judy Kjellman

Hi Peter,

The pictures you sent were great. I look forward to receiving some more .......Good crew and good food.

I especially liked the staff telling us about where they are from.

Accomodations were good both in the hotels and on the boat. Liked visiting the native villages and the wood artisans.

Also, I wouldn't have wanted to miss the village on the last day so it was worth being rushed. And all this time I thought you were an expert on everything! You are right about the cost. When I went on a Lindblad cruise to the Galapagos they had nightly talks about geology, oceanography, animals, plants, etc., but it was an expensive trip and I'm sure they paid those experts well.

It was a good trip with Amazon Travel Brazil and I would recommend it to others. Have a good summer (or I guess its winter for you),

Thanks,

Judy Kjellman

Guest Comment

Nancy Jean Lust

Hi Peter,

This is Nancy writing. You asked for feedback on the trip and here it is. I had a blast! As an educator, I found it very interesting that we got to go to some places not typically associated with tourism...like the Manioc farm with explanation of how to make it, and the artisanal wood studios. Obviously, I wish we could have done all of the things on the original itinerary (like learning more about how the natives use which plants for what purpose...Day 6), but I understand why we had to deviate from this original plan.

I LIKED traveling on a slow boat, rather than a speed boat. I live in such a fast-paced world, that traveling slowly up the river was just plain relaxing. Plus it makes for better bird watching. I have never taken a trip by boat before, and I've never really been interested in taking your typical "cruise" but this was completely different. Having a small boat, with a small group, is key. If our group had been bigger, I think it would have gotten on my nerves. You would have to wait too long for people to get ready, there would be constant jockeying for position to get the 'great shot' with the camera, and in this instance, small is just generally better. Our size group allowed us to all get to know each other, without overly separating into cliques. So, despite the fact that more people might be more profitable ...I would recommend keeping the boat and group size small.

As far as the itinerary, one thing that I might try to intentionally plan for is a shopping excursion in Manaus. When I go overseas, I usually try to get some of my Christmas shopping done, and while I appreciated and purchased several items from the local Indians and from the stores in Novo Airão, it would be fun to see what the city had to offer.

Thanks again to Amazon Travel Brazil for helping us to have such a wonderful experience in the Amazon!

Nancy Jean Lust