M/V Tucano-Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon | Trip Notes

Click here to for full trip info including a typical day on board the Tucano, activities, and sites you can expect to see.

Cabin Categories:  All of the staterooms on the Motor Yacht Tucano are outside staterooms with large windows, private baths with showers, and air-conditioning. There are nine staterooms within the three categories.

Yellow Category Staterooms: The five double staterooms in the Yellow category are the largest on the vessel. They have beds side by side with a small night table in between. They are numbered 3, 4, 5, 6, and 0. Stateroom number “0” has a queen size bed and a single bed and can be used as a triple. Beds in staterooms 3, 4, 5 & 6 can be converted to 1 queen.

Blue Category (Single Staterooms): These staterooms are for single travelers. They are numbers 1 and 8 and have a single twin bed. On request, these can be converted to Green staterooms (bunk beds)

Green Category Staterooms: There are two staterooms in the Green category. These are numbered 2 and 7 and they have above and below berths. These staterooms are smaller than the Yellow staterooms, but are they are still comfortable, are outside staterooms and have large windows, private bathrooms, and air-conditioning. Green staterooms are less costly than the Yellow Staterooms.

Click here for a deck plan of the M/V Tucano, and here for the M/V Tucano boat specifications

Prices Include: Accommodations and meals as indicated in the itinerary and are per person, double occupancy. Bottled water is served free of charge. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are available at modest additional expense. Please note that prices and itineraries are subject to change without notice. By pre-arrangement, we provide complementary pre and post cruise transfers to and from the Motor Yacht Tucano from two recommended hotels in the historical city center of Manaus: the Hotel Millennium and the Hotel Villa Amazonia. 

Discounts for Children: Children that are 12 years of age and under who share a room with an adult receive a discount of 50% off the Cruise Rate for whichever stateroom category they select, subject to availability.

Single Travelers: No single supplement is charged if a single traveler is willing to share a stateroom with another same gender passenger. Passengers that request single accommodations will be given Blue Category staterooms. If single travelers wish to reserve a Yellow Category stateroom, they must be charged the full fare for two travelers at the Yellow Category rate. Single accommodations may not always be available.

Triple Occupancy: For three or more travelers sharing a cabin, each passenger pays the Green Category Rate even though they occupy a Yellow Category Cabin. 

Departure point:  The pier at the port of Manaus. Most flight itineraries will require one night in Manaus prior to the cruise. Our staff can mage arrangements for Manaus hotels and sightseeing before and/or after your trip

Group Size:  Maximum of 18 passengers on board the M/V Tucano

Brazil Visa:  For all US citizens, as October 23, 2023, U.S. citizens will need a visa if they are traveling to Brazil for tourism, business, transit, artistic or sport activities. If you are arriving from another country in South America, vaccinations may be required as well. We will send you complete details in our pre-trip materials regarding these requirements.

Full Trip Info: Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon

Most of our cruise will take place on the Amazon River, but we begin with an afternoon in forest flooded by the ink black water of the Rio Negro. This low and dense forest is called the Igapó. We will excursion in our launches and experience a fantastic diversity of flora and fauna.

During the night the M/Y TUCANO will travel downstream all the way to the confluence of the Rio Negro and the greatest river on Earth: The Amazon. In the next days we will have up to four excursions off the vessel every day.

Early mornings we glide along quiet streams in an environment called the Varzea. Here the forest is deeply shaded by giant rainforest trees that are draped with vines and orchids. The silence is broken only by the rustling of leaves by Squirrel Monkeys feeding or by the occasional piercing shriek of a Screaming Piha bird.

Some nights in our launches we search for nocturnal creatures in the star filled darkness. Our travels take us to vast plains of waving grass which are home to some of the most spectacular wildlife of the Amazon. On lazy afternoons we may fish for the famous Amazon resident, the Piranha, some of whom we may see again on an appetizer plate.

During our voyage we are treated to the ever changing vistas of travel on the mighty Amazon River itself. Most travelers are astonished by the scale and grandeur of this majestic waterway that drains a continent. On the Amazon Odyssey we not only focus on the rainforest, but also on the culture of the people who live in this vast wilderness.

We visit small fishing villages perched on the river bank where the traditional life is still guided by the rhythms of the rise and fall of the river. We also visit the homesteads of families who make and grow almost everything they need. For many travelers these visits with local settlers, whose lives are so dramatically different from ours, are some of the most memorable experiences of the cruise. Another fascinating visit is a stop at one of the bustling river trading towns. Here a vibrant river trade continues as it has for centuries.

The last evening of the cruise we will coast along one of the greatest ports in the world, the Porto de Manaus. At our farewell dinner we will have the opportunity to reflect on our extraordinary experience and offer a toast to one of the most remarkable places on Earth.

The Guides
In addition to several crew members, all of whom grew up in the forest, the excursion will have a naturalist guide with many years of experience in the Amazon. The combined experience of these guides will help us make sense out of the great profusion of plant and animal life that we will see during the trip.

The Daily Schedule
Though the schedule will vary according to navigational and weather considerations, our days will have a basic outline of activities. We will get up with the sun every morning and board the launches in search of birds and wakening howler monkeys. In the late morning of most days, the boat will get underway and we will travel until the mid-afternoon. We will then do some exploring using the boat's launches or walk in the forest. Every evening we will have an informal talk about the flora and fauna that we have observed during the day. We will especially focus on the ways that plants and animals have evolved in the rainforest and the relations between the plants animals and their physical environment. This is the ecology of the forest---the most fascinating of all ways to look at the rainforest. Some evenings we will spot wildlife with powerful searchlights.

We will see and do a great deal in the forest, but there will also be plenty of time to relax and have fun during the trip. We will swim in clean and safe water, perhaps have a cookout,, and if there are anglers among us, spend a little time fishing some afternoons. Every afternoon we have hors-d'oeuvres on the Observation Deck and are treated to a magnificent sunset. After sunset guests often go to the Observation Deck to look at the millions of stars and constellations of the Southern Hemisphere. Because we are in such an interesting place with exceptional guides, the days are full and exciting.

Please note that the day-to-day schedule must be considered approximate. The order of the days and specific features may be altered due to navigational considerations.