09/25-10/5/24
The Amazon is well known for several reasons. It is the greatest river in South America and the largest drainage system in the world. The river is 4,000 miles long and second only to the Nile. The Amazon is half of Earth’s remaining rainforest and recognized as ‘the lung of the world’. It is the world’s largest biological reservoir, home to over a million species. In recent years, climate change and illegal logging have caused much damage to Amazon. When we arrived at this region, we were told that the river level was at a historical low. The National Geographic magazine did a special issue on the Amazon in September, we hope to see some efforts by Brazilian people and government to save this important resource for all future generations.
We flew to the city of Manaus, which sits on the banks of the Negro River in northwestern Brazil and is the capital of the vast state of Amazonas. Our hotel, Casa do Bispo, is a 5-minute walk from the famous Opera House and faces the beautiful Plaza of San Sebastian. The hotel, at one time, was the residence of the Bishop of the church two doors down. The plaza was paved with unique black and white wavy tiles representing the meeting of the two rivers – Rio Negro and the Amazon. This area was the center of town in the early 19th century when the wealthy rubber tyrants made Manaus the richest town in Brazil.
We did a few short day trips from Manuas and had the amazing opportunity to swim with pink dolphins.
After flying from Manaus to Tefe, a town on the Amazon River, we had to take a two-hour boat ride, followed by a 30-minute walk through a mud field and another 20-minute boat ride to reach Uakari Lodge due to the unusually low water level in the Amazon this year (It was only an hour boat ride in the previous year). This drought has had a severe impact on the local communities. Our floating lodge is located inside the Mamirau reserve area and is managed by local villagers. The income from the lodge helps the people and contributes to the protection of the rainforest and wildlife.
During our stay, we met a group of sport fishermen and avid bird watchers from Colorado. We took boat rides to see pink dolphins, birds, and fishing bats. The fishermen showed us a video of the giant Amazon Pirarucu (Arapaima) they caught. These fish can grow up to 3 meters long and weigh up to 250 kg. Fortunately, they practice catch and release. The local Amazonians are allowed to catch a quota of fish for food annually.
One of the highlights of our trip was spotting a white-haired and red-faced Uakari monkey high up in a tree. These primates are endemic to the area, and their entire population is found only in this reserve.
During our stay at Uskari Lodge, one of the most enjoyable activities was bird watching. This place is truly a bird watcher’s heaven. It was amazing to see thousands of egrets taking flight together, creating a spectacle like a cloud in the sky. However, I wasn’t a fan of the numerous caimans hanging around in the water. At night, their eyes glistened all around the lodge. Even though the guide assured us that caimans do not attack people, I would never dare to put my hands in the water to test that. I’ve included a link to video clips of the egrets and caimans here.