The Amazon River is a wild and untamed region of the world whether you’re exploring it for the first time or have cruised up and down it many times like our Vice President of Destination Services, Christine Manjencic. After sailing the Amazon more than 20 times, she’s become intimately acquainted with the ins and outs of sailing this remote part of the world – and yes, she assures us, it is still very remote. Below are the top experiences Christine tells us you really shouldn’t miss during one of our Amazon cruises.

Boca da Valeria

“This is an authentic, remote indigenous village. The village you see when you come ashore is the village where these people live. The wooden houses are built up on stilts to protect against flooding, and there’s no electricity. You have the chance to mingle with locals and learn about their life here, and you can also hike on the nearby jungle trails surrounding the village and explore – it’s an incredibly unique experience. Also make sure you keep an eye out for pink dolphins when you’re on the tender.”

Boi Bumba

“It’s a massive carnival literally within walking distance of the ship when we are in Parintins. It’s a really great slice of Brazilian culture and Amazonian folklore. The extravagance of the costumes and shows is amazing. You’re welcomed to the open-air dome where the performance takes place with a nice cold, refreshing caipirinha, and the song and dance – and really great, rhythmic music – unfolds right in front of you. One of the other great things about Parintins and some of the other smaller villages we stop in along the Amazon is that the locals will come up to you, and you’ll have a lot of interaction and opportunities to learn about the local way of life in this part of the world.”

Meeting of the Waters

“Manaus is a great starting point for a lot of excursions, but the one that you can’t beat is the ‘Meeting of the Waters Cruise’. The sight of the clear, dark waters of the Rio Negro and the muddy waters of the Solimões River flowing side by side is striking. They can’t mix due to differences in temperature and content – you have mud, sand and silt giving the Solimões River that milky café au lait look, and decomposed leaf and plant matter on the darker Rio Negro side. On this excursion you sail across the jagged line where they meet. You just can’t experience this type of natural phenomenon anywhere else in the world.”

Are you ready to cruise the Amazon?