La Jangada Amazon Cruise: 5-Day Jungle Expedition

From Manaus, you’ll be transferred to La Jangada. The vessel then takes off for Novo Airão, with a scheduled arrival around lunchtime. After a short briefing on the region’s wildlife, flora, river basins, and the route ahead, the expedition begins through the Anavilhanas archipelago.

A speedboat explores the nearby islands and lagoons, where pink river dolphins (boto cor-de-rosa) and gray dolphins (tucuxi) are often seen alongside herons, macaws, parrots, and kingfishers. Stop for a swim with floats in the Rio Negro, then continue to the Madadá outpost.

A light dinner is served on board. Spend the night in a boat suite cabin or in a hammock at the Madadá mirante and rest to have enough energy to explore the Amazon Rainforest in the upcoming days.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

Sunrise at Madadá is followed by a regional breakfast. Then, a 3-hour round-trip trek leads through primary forest to the Madadá caves. Back at the river, swim with floats in the Rio Negro before recreational piranha fishing.

In the afternoon, the boat sails toward Airão Velho, where you visit the ruins and the petroglyph traces left by travelers of a distant past and then stop at the Mirituba community. Once night falls, a canoe safari with spotlighting goes looking for caimans and other nocturnal wildlife along the river.

The La Jangada Amazon Cruise spends the night anchored on a dry-season beach or in an igarapé near Airão Velho, at the threshold of Jaú National Park.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After breakfast, the boat heads to the ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) base at the entrance to Jaú National Park for visitor registration and control. Just past the base, a short 10-minute walk leads to a giant samaúma, one of the Amazon’s largest trees, standing more than 35 meters tall.

Sailing the Rio Jaú, watch for birds and aquatic mammals. In the dry season, head up the Rio Carabinani, a large tributary full of waterfalls and rapids; in the high-water season, explore the igarapés in search of giant otters.

Later, the boat sails at sunset toward the Cachoeira do Jaú community, deep inside the park.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

At first light, a fisherman’s canoe takes you to Ilha dos Macacos to watch local wildlife, especially the bicó monkey. It is the calmest, richest hour for wildlife along this stretch of the Rio Jaú.

Back at the Cachoeira community, the itinerary includes a seasonal-fruit orchard, the cassava flour house (casa de farinha), games and football with the children, and handicrafts. You also visit the municipal school built by the Fundação Almerinda Malaquias (FAM) under its Riverside Education project.

Later, swim at the Cachoeira do Rio Jaú waterfall (dry season). After lunch on board, La Jangada begins sailing back toward the ICMBio base and out of the Jaú National Park.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Sail back from Jaú to Novo Airão, where it’s possible to interact with pink river dolphins. A city tour of Novo Airão includes the Fundação Almerinda Malaquias (FAM)—an income-generation and environmental-education project for children and youth—and the AANA artisans’ association for fiber, wood, and indigenous crafts (optional).

Lunch is served at the Flor do Luar floating restaurant before the transfer back to Manaus by air-conditioned taxi or van. This is the end of your trip with the La Jangada Amazon Cruise.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch