Entlang des Amazonas durch Südamerika I

[die Tourbeschreibung ist momentan nur auf Englisch verfügbar]

Day 1: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Your tour leader will usually hold a group meeting at approx. 6.00pm on Day 1 (check the notice board in the hotel reception for the exact time and location). Your tour leader will give a briefing about the tour, outline the plan for the next few days, answer any questions and collect your ‘Local Fund’ payment in full in US$ cash. Then there will usually be the option for everyone to go out for dinner and drinks to start to get to know one another.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The many optional excursions on offer include trips up Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado with its famous Statue of Christ – both of which offer great city views, a visit to the Botanical Gardens and the famous beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. If you want to have time to explore Rio properly you may want to arrive a day or two early.

Days 2-4: Ouro Prêto – free camping
From Rio we begin to make our way further north into Brazil. This whole area was once a mining region and this celebrated town of Ouro Prêto was founded in 1711 and is a National Historic Monument. This quaint municipality has much colonial architecture, which gives an aura of times past. Cobbled streets wind up and down steep hills and the town boasts churches, fountains, terraced gardens. After a couple of days here we free camp en route to Porto Seguro.

Days 5-6: Porto Seguro
The beautiful coastal town of Porto Seguro has miles of palmfringed beaches and bars, which are great places to sample delicious fresh fruit juices, or the Brazilian national cocktail of caiparinha (be careful of this one though!). Just north of here is where the Portuguese, led by Pedro Alvares Cabral, first landed in 1500 and a cross marks the site. There is plenty of typical Bahian food available in Porto Seguro and you may want to try the delicious moqueca, a hot spicy seafood casserole.

Days 7-9: Salvador
Continuing up the coast we head for Salvador, we enter the city by ferry over the bay of all saints to the capital city of the state of Bahia. The centre of Salvador has many historic colonial buildings and dates back to 1549; it was the original Brazilian capital until 1763. It is situated on the bay of Todos os Santos, is the largest bay on the Brazilian coast and has 38 islands, some of which can be visited by ferry on an optional excursion. There are also enormous elevators going from the upper to the lower city, where the docks are situated. It is in this area, just outside Mercado Modelo, where we can find the Bahians practising the foot fighting sport of Capoeira, which was originally brought to Brazil by black Angolan slaves. Another key feature of Bahian life is the Afro-Brazilian religion of candomblé and you may be able to see one of their amazing ceremonies (please check locally for schedules of these optional tours), alternatively, we can enjoy the traditional music of the area with a strong emphasis towards drums in the evening.

Days 10-13: Maceio – Olinda
Tracing the coastline north we come to Maceio, where you have the opportunity to hire jangadas (typical Brazilian sailing boats). The boatmen can take you out to a natural reef swimming pool about two kilometres from the shore, where you can order cocktails and crayfish from nearby boats! Following the coast northwards our next exciting destination is the old colonial town of Olinda, which has a variety of historic churches, convents and monasteries, dating back to 1537. Nearby is Recife, a city built on three islands and joined by a series of bridges. Here an old prison has been converted into a cultural centre, which is not only impressive and interesting, but also houses some unique shops. If you want to see how the other half live in Brazil, then you can visit the rich seaside suburb of Boa Viagem.

Days 14-18: Praia Pipa – Canoa Quebrada
Further up the coast we have a stopover in Praia Pipa where we spend a couple of days enjoying the beach. With opportunities to either take a boat trip to see dolphins or maybe a dune buggy trip in the nearby sand dunes. The state of Rio Grande do Norte is famous for its beautiful beaches and Canoa Quebrada is a fishing village built on a sand dune with long deserted beaches ideal for relaxation and swimming. For the more active there are two exciting optional activities: sandboarding down the dunes or horse riding along them. We spend three nights here and there many bars and restaurants to keep you busy.

Days 19-21: Ubajara National Park – Sete Cidades National Park
Leaving the coast behind we head inland to our next stop at Ubajara National Park famous for its caves, pretty forest scenery and waterfalls. Here you can take a cable-car ride down into the caves, which also accords great views of the Sertâo, scenery. About ½ a day’s drive brings us to the Sete Cidades National Park, which contains strange 190 million year old rock formations, caverns and natural swimming pools. Sete Cidades Park was named after the ‘seven cities’ its rock formations are said to resemble.

Days 22-24: Free camping – Belem
Leaving Sete Cidades National Park we make our way to Belem stopping to free camp en route. Belem has fascinating waterfront markets, the Theatre of Peace (one of the largest theatres in Brazil), the excellent Goeldi Museum which houses a zoo, and there are many stalls in the markets for cheap and tasty meals. Another interesting spot to visit is the Bosque Rodrigo Alves, a public garden with many species of native flora as well as a small collection of animals.

Days 25-29: Amazon ferry
From Belém we cruise up the world’s longest river, the Amazon, which flows for 6,200 kilometres. We travel by riverboat for 1,368 kilometres into the jungle. At the start of this adventure the river is narrow as we travel through one of the hundreds of estuaries in the delta but then it widens to in excess of 10 kilometres and it is still around 8 kilometres wide at our destination, the city of Manaus. As we are going upriver, the boat stays mostly close to the shoreline to avoid the stronger currents. Accommodation on the riverboat is in hammocks (purchased locally for approx. US$20 to US$50) for 4 or 5 nights (depending on the river current) and usually, each boat has a bar on board plus all meals are included ion the price. This is a great opportunity to relax, read books and enjoy incredible sunsets before arriving in Manaus with new Brazilian friends and fond memories of the mighty Amazon.

Days 30-36: Manaus – optional jungle excursion – Manaus
The jungle city of Manaus used to be the world’s largest suppliers of rubber. During that heady era the famous Teatro Amazonas (Opera House) was built and completed in 1896. You have a couple of days to explore Manaus before there is the option to join an exciting 3 day excursion deep into the jungle by boat or dugout canoe in search of caiman, fresh water dolphins, jaguar and many other creatures of this threatened rainforest. (If you choose not to take the jungle excursion, you will have extra free time in Manaus). The local guide on this trip will give you an in-depth view of the past and present day lives of the Amazonian Indians. He or she will also explain the importance of manioc (a root vegetable which must be processed to remove the cyanide) to the Indian economy and diet as well as explaining the uses of numerous other jungle plants. You will also go to the meeting point: where the black waters of the Rio Negro and the yellow-brown waters of the Solimões River run side by side for several kilometres, providing an excellent photo opportunity. Returning to Manaus, you have a couple of days to finish sightseeing. A visit to the fascinating waterside markets is highly recommended.

Days 37-38: Boa Vista – Salto de Karma (Venezuela)
Our final night in Brazil is spent near the city of Boa Vista before crossing the border into Venezuela for an overnight stop at Salto de Karma. The landscape in the south of Venezuela turns to savannah. Dotted with hundreds of mountains, the whole region is known as La Gran Sabana. This area was totally inaccessible until the 1970’s when a road was built. It was finally completed in 1990 and is now one of the best roads in the country. We continue into the country reaching Ciudad Bolivar on the banks of the Orinoco river.

Days 39-41: Ciudad Bolivar – option to visit Angel Falls
Ciudad Bolivar was once called Angostura and is where Angostura Bitters originate. It is also where Simón Bolívar was declared President of Gran Colombia. This interesting little colonial town is our base for the optional excursion to the Angel Falls. From Ciudad Bolivar we can fly south to the small village of Canaima where there are many interesting waterfalls flowing into a black lagoon - the colour emanating from the tannin of the local vegetation. From here you can either fly (on the day excursion) or take dugout canoes and trek (staying overnight at very basic lodges/huts) to the base of the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls. The falls, named after an American pilot, Jimmy Angel, who discovered them in 1937, drop nearly 1,000 metres from the flat-topped mountain called Auyan-Tepuy to the jungle floor below.
The Canaima National Park has an abundance of delightful waterfalls, lagoons and flat-topped mountains called tepuyes. Throughout the park you can see many local Pemòn Indian settlements in this sparsely populated land, which covers an area of 30,000 square kilometres. You will never forget the beauty of this “lost world” region.

Days 42-45: Guacharo Caves – Mochima National Park – San Fernando de Apure
Reaching the coast we stop at Cueva del Guacharo or the Guacharo Caves where you have the chance to see as many as 18,000 guacharos (oil birds) in their natural habitat. The birds support a number of other wildlife including mice, crabs and fish. The cave has been penetrated for more than 10km along a small steam and the atmosphere changes the further you explore. The inquisitive may like to venture in to find the ‘Cave of Silence’ and the ‘Wall of the Wind’.
Further along the Caribbean coast we spend two days in Mochima National Park. Easily one of Venezuela’s most beautiful regions the park is characterized by hundreds of tiny Caribbean islands, plentiful beaches and coves and excellent coral reef. There are options for snorkelling, fishing and swimming. Leaving Mochima, we stop for the night in San Fernando, the capital of the state of Apure and a fast growing trade and transport hub.

Days 46-48: Llanos
We head into the flatlands of Llanos, one of the best places in the world to see birds and other wildlife such as caipivara, caiman, anacondas, pumas, monkeys and freshwater dolphins. Stretching from the Andes to the
Orinoco River, this sparsely populated wilderness covers 300,000 sq km – a third of Venezuela’s total area! It is also in this area where most of the country’s cattle graze, they are mostly the Zebu variety, which comes from Brazil and India.

Days 49-52: Merida
The city of Mérida is surrounded by the beautiful mountains of Venezuela’s High Andes. It was founded in 1558 and still retains many interesting colonial buildings. Mérida is our base for exploring the Sierra Nevada National Park – Venezuela’s only range where snow lies permanently on the higher peaks. There is the chance to take a 2 or 3 day hike through breathtaking scenery culminating in an exciting cable car ride back to the city. This cable car was built by the French in 1958 and is the longest and highest aerial cableway in the world. With a few days to explore Merida, you will have plenty of time to get to know this beautiful city.

Days 53-54: Morrocoy National Park
Heading east, our first stop is the islands, beaches and reefs of the Morrocoy National Park. The islands are dotted with palms and secluded beaches and the reefs and calm waters make for good snorkelling and diving for beginners. There are several good islands to choose from but Cayo Sombrero and Playuela are recommended. It is also possible to walk between some of the islands with appropriate footwear. To the north of the park, Cuare Wildlife Sanctuary is a large nesting area for scarlet ibis, flamingos and herons.

Days 55-56: Caracas
Finally we come to Venezuela’s capital city, Caracas, where this trip ends. Caracas is 960 metres above sea level and has one of South America's most pleasant climates. Venezuela is one of the largest oil producers in the world and this very modern city has an efficient metro system, which goes from our hotel area into the city centre in minutes. Caracas has many lovely plazas, parks, museums and impressive buildings, it was the birthplace of the Liberator, Simón Bolívar, whose presence is still seen everywhere. Because of the climate, there are many outdoor cafés and restaurants where you can sit and watch the world go by. If you want to have time to explore Caracas properly you may want to stay on for a few more days after the end of the trip.