A cruise in the jungle: how is the Iberostar Grand Amazon
Iberostar Grand Amazon
Late afternoon I boarded the Iberostar Grand Amazon for a three-day cruise on the Solimões River - which is how the Amazon is called west of Manaus. My goal was to check something I had long intuited: that this is the most comfortable (and least adventurous) way to visit the forest. I found exactly what I imagined: urban hotel conveniences, good all-inclusive service, lean rides that do not require too much of the passenger.
One night in the Center
I suggest you do as I do and arrive the afternoon before boarding. Stay at the Centro, where the request is the Go Inn, a basic-modern hotel that is located a block and a half from the Teatro Amazonas. (Closer still opened a pod hotel, the Casa Teatro).
Surroundings of the Amazonas Theater
Manaus: surroundings of the Amazonas Theater
Teatro Amazonas: Peri and Ceci
Ticket to the Amazonas TheaterThe Amazon Theater
Staying there allows you to see the best of historic Manaus on foot - and in complete safety, since the area next to the theater is quite policed. Only the Amazonas Theater deserves two visits: one to take the guided tour (R $ 7.50, the last one to leave at 5:00 p.m.) and the other at night to watch a show (buy at the box office or on the BestSeat website).
Eduardo RibeiroMuseu-House of Eduardo RibeiroMuseu-House of Eduardo Ribeiro
Almost all the attractions of the Center are around the theater square. The beautiful Palace of Justice is in the back; a block ahead you visit the simple solar where Eduardo Ribeiro lived, the governor who completed the Teatro Amazonas and did the works that made Manaus the Paris of the tropics.
Square of the Teatro AmazonasTacacá da GiselaTacacá da Gisela
Inside the square you will find Tacacá da Gisela (authentic, tasty and prepared with all the hygiene, ideal for the stomach of the tourists), the ice cream buffet of Glacial Amazon and the ham sandwich of Armando's Bar, a little is perfect for theater output (opens late afternoon).
Bar do Armando, Manaus: sandwich of ham, Armando, Manaus
I suggest that the next day you return to the square to shop leisurely at Galeria Amazônica, which has a fantastic selection of indigenous handicrafts with detailed origins - and prices that do not surprise.
Amazon Gallery
Close your account at the hotel, leave your luggage and save your purchases, and take a taxi to lunch at an inventive regional restaurant, such as Banzeiro in Vieiralves, at a R $ 15 taxi ride (R. Libertador 102, tel 98 / 3234-1621).
Port of ManausIberostar Grand Amazon in the port of Manaus
Time of boarding
Despite being much more organized and clean than when I was there for the first time more than 10 years ago, the port of Manaus can intimidate the visitor. Your taxi will leave you in front of the hubbub of the ramp. You should be immediately harassed by porters - but it is not the case to be frightened. An Iberostar employee, wearing a badge, will be there to indicate the shipper (also identified) who will take your bags and accompany you to the boat.
Port of ManausBoarding takes place between 3pm and 4:30 p.m. Upon arrival, the afternoon snack buffet will be served on the deck. Enjoy the late afternoon at the pool. Then ask for a sparkling wine to watch the sun set behind the new bridge over the Rio Negro. It is at this moment that, to the sound of classical music, the boat sets sail.
Iberostar Grand Amazon: departure time
The boat
Iberostar Grand Amazon
Built especially for this route, and in operation since 2005, the Iberostar Grand Amazon is an intermediary between regional Amazonian vessels and large cruise ships operating on the coast. With 75 cabins, it carries a maximum of 150 passengers (if you have already done a cruise on a mega-ship, you will feel on a yacht).
Iberostar Grand Amazon's cabin
Iberostar Grand Amazon: the balcony of the cabin
Iberostar Grand Amazon: the cabin bathroomJacela cabin: Iberostar Grand Amazon
Space is what is not lacking in the cabins: they have 23m2. They are very comfortable: all are external, have large balcony, closet and bathroom and air conditioning split; the TV, small, picks up two open channels (Globo and Bandeirantes) and passes films and programs of the BBC in the other channels in closed circuit.
Stairs to the Iberostar Grand Amazon
Iberostar Grand Amazon
Iberostar Grand Amazon
The current of the river does not affect the stability of the boat, which does not balance at all. The finish is not unabashedly luxurious (which suits the surroundings and the course). All meals are served in buffet form. I missed the more regional specialties.
Cameroon at gala dinnerIberostar Grand Amazon: pirarucuSaudvete açaí and tucumã
Still, there are always Amazonian fruit juices for breakfast, at least one local fish at a meal and exotic dessert ice creams. Drinks, even alcoholic ones (ask for the sparkling wine!), Are also part of the all-inclusive system.
Gala dinner
Sunrise in Solimões
Solimões x Black
Each week Iberostar Grand Amazon meets two itineraries: one of four nights by the Negro River (departures on Mondays), followed by another three nights by the Solimões (departures on Fridays). The two courses offer similar activities in distinctly different landscapes.
Iberostar Grand AmazonIgapó no SolimõesNum igapó do Amazonas
Dark, the waters of the Rio Negro are hot, acidic and nutrient-poor; so its banks are more preserved and there are almost no mosquitoes (not surprisingly most jungle hotels are to those sides).
Iberostar Grand Amazon
On the other hand, the muddy waters of the Solimões are cold and full of life, allowing fishing and cultivation of floodplain areas in the dry season. To my surprise, the contact with the way of life of the riverside caboclos was as interesting as the excursions into the forest; in the most beautiful photos you brought home you can see the stilts and the boats that appeared on the way.
In Solimões
As for the mosquitoes, I went with a stock of repellents waiting for a massacre, but at least during this time of year (until November is dry season) the mosquitoes seem to be on vacation ...
Sunrise at dawn
The activities
They are quite similar to jungle hotels; the difference is that the ship allows you to explore different points of the forest. At some times there is more than one tour offered; the day before you sign up for the ones you want to attend. The group is then divided into smaller boats, which are directed to points distant from each other; there will not be another boat in your igarapé.
Strolling the igarapé
Among the programs are interpretive walks through the jungle, boat trips through the flooded jungle, piranha fishing, alligator spotting, sunrise watching in the middle of the river, visit to a riverine family, visit to a lake of victories.
Lake of victories-Regiments of victories-Regities of victories-Regities
Between one tour and another there are lectures on the boat about aspects of the Amazon.
Lecture at the Iberostar Grand Amazon
Closing Show
At night there always happens a show; the most produced is the one of the last night, presented by a troupe of dancers coming especially from Manaus.
The grand finale of the cruise happens at six in the morning of the day of the landing, when the boat passes by the encounter of the muddy waters of the Solimões with the dark waters of the Black river.
Iberostar Grand AmazonAbout the waterBandeira do Amazonas
How much?
The operator Viverde, specializing in Amazon, combines the 3-day cruise for Solimões or 4 days for the Negro with two nights in Manaus. The 6-day package (Solimões cruise + two nights in Manaus) leaves R $ 2,400 for the first person and R $ 1,320 for the second person in the cabin; the 7-day package (Black Cruise + 2 nights in Manaus) leaves R $ 3,100 for the first person and R $ 1,670 for the second person in the cabin. Airfare is not included.
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