Alter do Chão river cruise – 5days

From the plane window, it is the immensity of fresh waters of the Amazon of Pará that welcomes you to Santarém! Our team awaits you at the airport for the 30-minute drive to Alter do Chão. You will get to know one of the friendliest villages in the whole of the Amazon, which has good restaurants along the shore and around a charming central square, in addition to stores selling indigenous items. Your accommodation in Alter is at Casa da Orla, exclusively for our passengers, in the best spot in the village, with spectacular views of the Tapajós River and “Ilha do Amor”. There, our host guides you on how to best enjoy your day of arrival.
Free day. Meals and tours are not included.

Right after breakfast, we’ll leave by speed boat (voadeira) for the Tapajós National Forest area (known as FLONA), an important conservation unit, with more than 500,000 hectares. We dock in front of the Jamaraquá community and, within this untouchable nature, if the group is willing, we will take a long trail through the primary forest to reach the famous giant Samaúma and satisfy the adventurous soul in one of the most beautiful streams in the Amazon. Considered the grandma of the forest for being around 600 years old, according to experts’ calculations, this giant of the Amazon is extremely generous. Its long branches and its dense canopy, it is able to carry in its arms and shelter several species of flora, birds and other animals. The trail can be shortened, as the group wishes. We’ll have lunch in the community and in the middle of the afternoon we’ll return by speedboat to Alter do Chão, where we’ll board the whole group to start sailing.

On this day, we wake up in Canal do Jari, a small branch of the great Amazon River, to complete our route through the three river ecosystems and their diverse richness of fauna. One of the great shows is the Amazon sunrise! The arrival of the sun creates a true festival of colors in the sky and in the reflection of the waters. Seeing and hearing the forest awakening to the symphony of birds in this precious universe is a moment reserved for few adventurers. We continue sailing towards the black waters of the Arapiuns River, with its stunning scenery of forest and white sand beaches. Get the camera ready. The porpoises may appear to accompany our trip. The special visit of the day is to one of the best organized riverside communities in the Amazon: Anã. There, we are invited to lunch served with typical dishes and to get to know the village, its meliponary (shelters for stingless bees) and fish farming. After resting from the tour, we will serve, on board, a special dinner prepared, with great care, by our crew with the best of Pará cuisine. The most recommended program that night is to go up to the deck to contemplate the sky, the stars and the sounds of the Amazon rainforest.

On this day we are going to enrich your Amazonian repertoire, visiting, right after breakfast, a typical flour mill where we are invited by the São Marcos community to follow the production process of cassava derivatives – essential foods for the people of the region. forest. We came back to relax and enjoy the beach. Our crew will be waiting for you to prepare caipirinhas with local fruits, serve traditional and irresistible snacks or spread a hammock under the umbrella of a tree. At the end of the afternoon, our meeting is with the Coroca community, another important village in the region. We go on to visit the turtle lagoon and the turtle nursery of the species recovery project and we take a break in the beautiful shop with original and high quality handicrafts, produced by the community. We experienced a true class on the importance of sustainable tourism for the preservation of fauna, flora and for all peoples who depend on the life of the forest. To celebrate the last night of the trip, we prepared, with great care, a special dinner on the beach with the traditional Piracaia: grilled fish.

On the last day of the trip, we woke up in the green waters of the Tapajós River, with a stop for a last farewell swim. We return to Alter do Chão for disembarkation. Our team will guide the group for the transfer to Santarém airport, taking into account that most passengers usually board the flight around 12:00.