Macaws versus Brazil Nuts
True exploration of unknown waters, trails and even canopies – this is the experience we want to deliver taking adventurers to the upper Xeruini all the way from Manaus on a 7-day journey aboard our River Cruise boat. While the logistics of this 500-mile-long cruise are still in the works, we offer you what many of our birdwatching friends call a privilege: a spot in our camp at the peak of fly fishing season. On our Rio Novo page you will see what this trip looks like for a fisherman, and here are just a few reasons why even a demanding eco-adventurer would appreciate a mixed trip like that.
Remoteness
“Fishermen go to cool places” as our “test” visitor in 2020 Barbara Robert said – Our Rio Novo camp location is as deep in the Amazon Jungle as it gets – even locals hardly travel over here, the closest village is 14 hours away on a long tail engine powered canoe, which is the only floating transport able to travel up and down the Xeruini River Preserve in the dry season. That said, your chances to see Tapirs, anteaters, titi monkeys, macaws and other wild and hardly seen species are a lot higher. Flying into the campsite is a tour itself: you fly on a brand new floating Cessna Caravan plane low enough to see the Amazon jungle, indigenous reserves and fabulous landscapes of tiny rivers cutting through the jungle. You have a trip like that for 1h20m each way! Just FYI – A 15 minute flight over the Rainforest near the city of Manaus costs $500+.
Aquarium
There’s no other word to describe Amazon fish fauna and how you get to see it in the upper Xeruini in the dry season. Stacks of beautiful Peacock bass, Jacundas, Matrinxas, Stingrays, armored catfish and dozens of other species pass right by your boat as you cruise in a skiff through crystal-clear creeks. Add to that turtles, giant river otters, Amazon river dolphins and other inhabitants of these waters and you’ll spend more time watching the water than looking up in the trees.
Special staff
Our guides and camp staff mainly come from local villages, and, if you read their stories in our blog, you’ll find out they have a long-time relationship with the river and forest. When you have an opportunity to learn about the rainforest not just from a tour-guide but from someone who lived off the jungle collecting rubber, for example, 200 miles away from home, you will know a lot about it. Add this to our camp hosts that bring you the information about all the species of flora and fauna you come across, historical and cultural background and all the maps possible turning it almost into a scientific expedition.
Equipment
One of the big differences between fishing trips and eco-adventures is that on river cruises, for example, if you’re out of the mother boat for a closer birdwatching, you’ll be with 5-10 other people in a zodiac – at least. Our skiffs were built for fly fishermen, which means, there will be only 3 people in the boat: your local guide and boat driver, you and your fellow explorer. That’s it. It gets better: while chasing wildlife shots from closer distances we try to be as silent as possible. Being equipped with an electric motor guarantees that the boat noise won’t be a reason for you to miss a Bucket List shot!. Plus, photos and videos are easier taken with the stability of our platforms. Brief, lots of eco-adventurers would envy a fishermen’s infrastructure for wildlife observation!
Action
Fishing trips are action adventures. There’s no such thing as sitting and waiting for things to happen. The fact that a group of 8 people is divided in 4 different boats turns your experience completely custom, allowing you to plan your day according to what you and your partner want to do and explore. Fishing is part of this fun. The way we do it, even if you don’t fish at all, you might get addicted: as long as you can cast 30 feet away from the boat/shore, you’ll have a fight with the mighty peacock bass. If the fishing is slow, you watch wildlife and vice-versa – that way you take advantage of every precious minute you have in this remote part of the Amazon.