Rainforest Cruises — Local services in Miami Beach

My god what an adventure! A group of five of us booked the Acqua Amazonia for a six-night, seven-day trip out of Manaus through the Amazon. We saw caiman alligators, sloths, many of the rare pink river dolphins, and countless parrots, macaws, and other birds, bats, and wildlife. We caught (and ate!) wild piranha. We swam on beautiful beaches, took boat trips through hauntingly beautiful rivers and lakes, swam on beautiful beaches, hiked through dense jungle during the day and in the pitch dark, and met with local indigenous people.

Our guide, Felix, was outstanding. Very helpful and full of answers to almost any question at all. His English is quite good (but see my note about bringing a fully downloaded translation app below). Ask him about past expeditions he's made far upstream of the Amazon river - riveting and sometimes terrifying!

The rest of the crew was equally great. The cook (Laney? Janey? I was never perfectly sure on that) was soooo nice and sweet. Not only were our three meals a day delicious, she also made us absolutely perfect caipirinhas every night from the bottles of cachaça we bought in Manaus. There's a reason it's the national drink of Brazil - it's perfect for a hot and humid night.

Later, she prepped and cooked the piranha we had caught for a surprise meal!

Our bushman, Nonato, was extremely competent. At one point, one member of our party had her shoe fall apart on a hike. Nonato chopped down a vine with his machete and bound up her shoe with it so that she had no problem at all finishing the walk! (And then Laney found some glue and repaired her shoe more permanently once we were back on the boat so that she had no more problems with it for the rest of the cruise!)

At another point, Nonato spotted a viper across our hiking path and made us all stop. Even after he pointed it out to us (from a distance) is was still practically invisible until we saw it move. We still have no idea how he saw it in the first place. (Do NOT go into the jungle without an experience bushman, period.)

Because we were a small group and only used three cabins, we were all able to have air conditioning during the nights, which was a blessing. Be prepared for extreme heat and even more extreme humidity. I'm don't personally usually sweat much, but after a hike in the jungle, my shirt could not have been more soaked through if I had literally just gone swimming in it. Know that the Amazon is hot, extremely humid, and has unpredictable weather - sudden heavy rains can come (and then go) in mere minutes out of nowhere.

A small list of things to bring or prepare: *Download the full Portugese language onto your translation app of choice. You will NOT have wi-fi or cellular connection on the river. Everything you want to use your phone for will need to be fully available offline. *Download maps for all the local area of your trip. Your phone will often be able to know your location, but without a downloaded map of the area, all it can show you is a placemarker in a void. But if you have the maps downloaded, you can track your passage through the jungle and rivers. *Make sure ALL of your clothes are fast drying and wicking materials. My lightweight Columbia shirt and pants dried quickly when hung over the fan in my room, but other clothers I had took much much longer. I particularly wish I'd brought some space-age material underwear and socks. *Mosquitoes are a constant problem, but our picaridin repellent worked very very well, However, it does not repel the little black bees that will sometimes swarm in from the shore. (Multiple times we had to move the Acqua Amazonia from where we had tied up for the night because of bees.) If you have a bee allergy, bring an epi-pen (or multiple). *Definitely bring hiking boots that can protect your feet against a snakebite. You'll be provided with leg coverings for your lower legs, but your shoes need to protect your feet. And you'll want a good tread - the ground will be...

In August of 2022 my friend and I were scheduled through Rainforest Cruises to board a boat for four days in the Amazon. The morning of our departure from Manaus, Brazil we received word from the company that our trip had to be cancelled because the boat we were to travel on had not made it to port for some reason or another.

Jimmy, our agent from Rainforest Cruises, spent hours trying to figure out a new plan for us. That morning he let us know that he had found availability on a different boat traveling to the same area. A few hours later, not knowing what we were in for, we were picked up at our hotel and driven to the area where Captain Jordi and his crew were waiting for us to board his boat, the Acqua Amazon.

It was an amazing adventure! Jordi and the crew took incredible care of us. Jordi went out of his way to be an informative tour guide. He let us ask many questions in our quest to learn and understand about the Amazon area. He had such a feel for the area that not only did he want us to see the Amazon, he took us out on his skiff to hear the Amazon. He knew the perfect time to boat into the jungle to witness the change in sounds from daytime into evening. It was magical.

Jordi also made sure we experienced swimming with the pink dolphins, fishing for piranha, walking the rainforest to learn about the medicinal properties of plants, and beautiful sunsets and moon rises over the Amazon river.

If you are interested in an authentic journey in the Amazon area you won't find anything as terrific as going with Jordi on the...

This trip should be in everyone’s bucket list. It was a true adventure for the whole family. Even grandma (82) had a blast swimming with the pink dolphins, fishing for Piranhas and hunting for caiman at night. I really recommend it for anyone looking to really experience the Amazon and not just another luxury cruise.

The boat spends the nights anchored right next to the jungle so you will experience the sights and sounds of the Amazon jungle just outside of your cabin window. Bring a lot of bug spray and be ready to sweat a little or a lot depending on the month.

Nonato and Felix are great at finding the local species and if you are up to it, will take you right up to them and explain every little detail about them. Felix is a living encyclopedia (google for the gen z’s) and speaks perfect English and Spanish (thank God).

One of granma’s favorite activities was experiencing the delicious local cuisine that Bita prepared for us 3 times a day. Mine was the huge bowl of delicious pipocas (popcorn) that she would prepare for us before dinner. This is a must for anyone (literally, my mom is proof of this) that loves to learn and experience nature and foreign cultures. If you still have any questions contact Miguel, he went out of his way to help us make grandma as comfortable as possible, and gave us a lot of tips. He knows everything...