A river boat journey of several days can reveal Brazil in its most natural form. Upstream along the Rio Negro into an immense jungle area and a journey into the mysterious world of the Amazon.

We begin in Manaus, capital city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas which lies on the banks of the Rio Negro and is completely surrounded by impenetrable forest. The word Amazonas refers to the region’s river system.

The Amazonas provides nearly a fifth of the volume of fresh water that supplies the world’s oceans. Twelve times more than the Mississippi!

We reach the Anavilhanas Archipelago, the largest fresh water archipelago on Earth, a massive complex of three hundred and fifty islands located in the Rio Negro.

Downstream close to Manaus the black water of the Rio Negro meets up with the flow of the creamy coloured Rio Solimeos. After just a few kilometres the two rivers combine to form the Amazonas. The long system of waterways has come to an end and the mighty Amazon flows towards the Atlantic Ocean.