The Amazon: Remote jungle experience
The Amazon: Remote jungle experience
The Amazon rainforest extends into nine countries, about 60 percent of it in Brazil. That jungle is so dense that sunlight never reaches the forest floor beneath the tree canopy.
Railson is like many 17-year-old boys. He likes to fish and enjoys hanging out with friends. But there are differences.
His usual catch is a piranha, the razor-toothed residents of South American rivers that can strip the flesh of animals in minutes. His house is a tiny hut built on stilts. And Railson lives in one of the world's most remote regions- the Amazon basin of Brazil.
Tarzan would be at home in the Amazon Jungle.
I met Railson on a visit to Amazonia, the massive rainforest that extends into nine countries, about 60 percent of it in Brazil. That jungle is so dense that sunlight never reaches the forest floor beneath the tree canopy. A tangle of vines that would prompt Tarzan to howl with delight dangles from the highest branches. The treetops are alive with flowers blooming from careless birds' seeds.
Only statistics can adequately describe the size and impact of the Amazonian ecosystem. It contains one-tenth of the earth’s vegetation and animal species and one-fifth of its fresh water. The 4,000-mile Amazon River is the second longest in the world, surpassed only by the Nile, and 17 of its tributaries are over 1,000 miles long.
My voyage aboard the Motor Yacht Tucano was on the Rio Negro (pronounced NAY-grow), a tributary that anywhere else would be considered a major river. It stretches nearly 18 miles across at its widest point.
Wildlife abounds in the Amazon Forest.
An estimated 15,000 species of wildlife make Amazonia their home, but they aren’t always easy to see. Some hide in less accessible areas of forest. Others are nocturnal creatures that keep different hours than most people.
Even so, there are opportunities to see wildlife you’ve probably observed only in zoos, if at all. They include giant river otters, three-toed sloths, and prickly porcupines. Gray and pink river dolphin cavort in rivers. The latter captivate with their rosy hue, and surprise by emitting pig-like grunts and horse-like snorts.
Over 1,800 species of birds make the Amazon a bird-watcher’s paradise. Red-billed Toucan, Scarlet Macaw, and Green Ibis live up to their names in their multi-hued coloration. Hoatzin's heads adorned by a fan-shaped crest demonstrate their reputation as awkward fliers and builders of rather messy nests.
Close encounters with wildlife in the Amazon Jungle.
Four daily excursions in an outboard-driven launch provided closer encounters with jungle denizens. Our guide Souza taught us to distinguish caiman, alligator-like reptiles lying in wait for passing food, from the logs they resemble. He pointed out long-nose bats clinging to trees on the shoreline.
Hikes through stretches of jungle, following Souza as he hacked a pathway with a machete, also were productive. We weren’t lucky enough to spot wild pigs or armadillos on the “may see” list. But Souza pointed to what resembled a thin branch until two beady eyes identified it as a snake. I also spotted the most magnificent and largest butterflies I’ve ever seen.
The treetops came alive with the chattering of monkeys. Squirrel monkeys peered down as we looked up at them. We saw and heard Golden-handed Tamarins and the yipping sounds of Capuchins as they foraged in the trees. Aptly named Howler monkeys emitted noises that can carry for two miles.
Venturing into villages in the Amazon Jungle
Equally intriguing was the different life encountered during visits to isolated villages that line the river banks. Most houses are made of crudely hewn wood planks. Small gardens provide vegetables; the surrounding forest adds fruits, nuts, and medicinal plants, and the river yields piranha and other fish.
Most houses rest on stilts that keep them from being inundated during the rainy season when the river can climb up to 40 feet. A few are floating structures, which rise and fall with the water.
As we arrived at each village, a few people came to the river’s edge to greet our launch. Some offered seed and shell necklaces, woven baskets, and other handicrafts for sale.
Encountering native Amazonians put a human face on the region's extent and impact of deforestation. This is of concern because Amazonian plant life produces one-third of the earth’s oxygen.
Timber and mining operations, along with soybean and other farming, have recently taken a toll on the forest, especially in Brazil. The recent election of Luiz Lula da Silva to his former office as president is expected to reverse this trend.
Conservation may be returning to the Amazon.
He favors conservation steps to protect the land, including designating large tracts of forest off-limits for development, logging, and agriculture. Other conservation efforts include teaching people that fruit, nuts, wild game, and other natural resources can provide an endless income over a longer period than cutting down trees.
Vast untouched areas of the Amazonian jungle remain to be experienced. That can mean peering at animals from a riverboat, tramping through the jungle thicket, and interacting with village dwellers like Railson.
If you go. Brazil instituted a Covid-19 vaccination campaign last year, and its federal, state, and local governments have a variety of programs to mitigate the impact of the virus. Travelers ages 12 and above must present proof of a Covid-19 vaccination or negative test.
Latin American Escapes specializes in custom trips and small group tours to Central and South America, focusing on “responsible travel practices” and knowledgeable local guides. These range from expedition cruises and cuisine and wine tours to family trips and luxury excursions.
For more information, log onto latinamericanescapes.com. For details about Brazil, go to www.visitbrasil.com/en.
Victor Block
After gallivanting throughout the United States and to more than 75 other countries worldwide and writing about what he sees, does, and learns, Victor Block retains the travel bug. He firmly believes that travel is the best possible education and claims he still has a lot to learn. He loves to explore new destinations and cultures, and his stories about them have won many writing awards.
