We left early in the morning from a local port. Our first stop was a gas station – over the river:

Then off we went. After a couple of hours we reached one of the most famous sights of the Amazon: the Meeting of Waters.

The Amazon river is formed by two rivers: the Negro is dark and warm, while the Solimoes is colder and muddy. These differences, as well as the sheer volume of these rivers, mean that the two flow alongside for about 7km before mixing completely to form the Amazon.

We got great views of the two rivers (much better than when we passed through the same place again in a smaller boat).

The next stop of the trip was swimming with the river dolphins. It was amazing how friendly they were, coming very close to everyone in the water.

This was a lovely and unique experience, but the set up is a bit weird, with tourist boats approaching frequently.

The rest of the day was spent leisurely in the boat, drinking beer and looking at the view. We finished our trip not long after sunset, feeling sunkissed and relaxed.

HOW TO DO IT:

Travelling around the Amazon is mostly done by the river, and it’s incredible how these little boats cut through the river as if it was a road. Scary but fun.

There are many local tour organisers, but we were very lucky to have this arranged for us, as we got a whole boat and the local knowledge.

There are countless types of boats big and small, and prices can vary hugely as well.

For short day trips, some of the main attractions are: the Meeting of Waters, swimming with river dolphins and going through igapos (flooded forest).