Amazon River Wrap-Up

.....ya, it was a long time comin'

Amazon River Route:
(For those of you crazy enough to want to give it a whirl or just curious enough to know how it all happened)

The Nuts & Bolts
Frank and I chose to take the route less traveled. Most do not choose the Rio Napo in Ecuador, but instead they start in Peru as there are many more regular boats that go up the river. Frank and I were a little more intrepid and decided to just wing it and hope for the best. It took us a total of 41 days from Coca, Ecuador to Belem, Brazil at the mouth of the Amazon where it enters into the Atlantic Ocean. 21 of those days were spent in hammocks on boats (or on the floor under all the hammocks if you're Frank). We got stranded in Pantoja, Peru for 10 days waiting for the next boat south-bound and we were lucky it only took 10 days because there's normally only ONE government-run boat that goes up and down ONCE a month under no certain schedule. Our route took us from the Andes Mountains down through the jungles of Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, some of those sections were governed by FARC (the largest Colombian drug cartel) and had never seen tourists before. We traversed roughly 5,000 miles of the watery brown highway from start to finish and saw a myriad of wildlife from 2 types of dolphins (yes, we did see the elusive pink river dolphin), to monkeys, tucans, turtles, etc.



BY BUS:

Ecuador
Quito to Tena --6 hours ($8)
Tena to Coca --5 hours ($7)

BY CANOE/RIVER BOAT:

Ecuador
Coca to Rocafuerte --12 hours ($15)
*on a small, cramped motorboat, ONE 15min bathroom/eating break


Peru
Rocafuerte to Pantoja --2 hours ($25)
*on a small "peke peke" canoe

Pantoja to Iquitos --10 DAYS ($30)
*Small commercial riverboat called "Denis Luis"
*Stopped at every village & hut that waved us down--slow ride
*Meals included (rice, rice & more rice with plantains & pasta & white bread)
*Sleeping accommodations: Personal Hammock

Iquitos to Leticia, Colombia/Tabatinga, Brazil --2 Days ($40)
*Larger commercial riverboat- fewer stops
*Meals included
*Sleeping accommodations: Personal Hammock

Brazil
Tabatinga to Manaus --4 Days ($120)
*Large commercial riverboat
*Meals included (much better food, Brazilians know how to eat)
*Sleeping accommodations: Personal Hammock


Manaus to Belem --5 Days ($150)
*Large commercial Boat
*Meals NOT included
*Sleeping accommodations: Personal Hammock

BY BUS:

Belem to Algodoal (a coastal paradise located on the Atlantic Ocean) --4 hours ($30)