The great Amazon River basin is vast with an area of 5.4 million sq.km - 70% of the area of Australia. Its humble beginnings are in a freshwater spring in an alpine marsh high in the Andes near Cusco in Peru. It draws its water from nine countries on its way to the Atlantic Ocean in far off Brazil.

The river travels through diverse ecosystems, from the mountain marshes through cloud forest, lowland tropical forest and rainforest jungle, just to name a few. A drop of water takes 6 weeks (on average) to travel 6516 km from source to mouth.  You’ll travel on part of this great journey.

The 11 day / 10 night tour begins in the Sacred Valley near Cusco, Peru. With your Australian and local guide, you begin at the Urubamba River (one of the Amazon tributaries), climb up and over the Andes through various agricultural and natural landscapes, staying in a cloud forest lodge before reaching another tributary, the Madre de Dios. You continue in a motorised canoe, resting along the way at the pristine Manu biosphere to appreciate and photograph the abundant wild-life. Then continue down stream to Puerto Maldonado. What an adventure! After your great river excursion you fly back to Cusco and transfer to the Sacred Valley.

You travel in a small group, maximum of 16 people, escorted by Australian guides and local naturalist guides.

The Amazon 

• contains 20% of the world’s fresh water
• discharges into the Atlantic per 24 hours = the amount discharged by the Thames in a year.
• has a flow = 12x that of the Mississippi River
• contains 30% of the world’s species – 20% of the world’s plants, > 1500 species of bird, thousands of insects and frogs, many of which are undescribed.

To see some of our photographs go to the Andes to the Amazon Image Gallery.

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