Brazil's Remote Rio Tapajos -- A New 2017 Tour

Bret Whitney with the Grand Caravan that we typically charter from Manaus to Barra de São Manoel. This plane, with nice, clean windows under the wings, is just right for our small group.

This bridge, inaugurated in 2011, crosses the Rio Negro at Manaus.

Leaving Manaus in the rearview mirror, we look down on a narrow section of the Amazon River to see the “meeting of the waters,” the dramatic confluence of the “blackwater” Rio Negro and the “whitewater” Amazon. Due to their very different properties (pH, temperature, sediment load, etc.), these great rivers don’t mix thoroughly for hundreds of kilometers downstream.

The Rio Madeira, with her headwaters in the Bolivian snowfields, is the longest tributary of the Amazon. It is amazing to overfly the transect from Manaus to the upper Rio Tapajós.

That’s the famous Transamazon Highway, about 200 kilometers east of the town of Apuí. It runs about 700 kilometers across the Madeira-Tapajós interfluvium.

Looking up the Tapajós about 40 kilometers below Barra de São Manoel. This is a pristine part of the Amazon basin few outsiders have seen.

The green-blue of the “clearwater” Rio Tapajós, which carries almost no sediment, contrasts with massive sandbars exposed during the dry season. This landscape is spectacular, especially on a sunny day.

The EcoLodge da Barra is anchored to the far side of this island on the upper Rio Tapajós.

“Let’s see, there should be an airstrip out here somewhere… ah, there it is!”

The airstrip overlooks the little community of Barra de São Manoel, with the Rio Tapajós in the background.

Barra de São Manoel, looking upriver.

The lovely Ecolodge da Barra is anchored to an island in the Tapajós, about 15 minutes by boat upriver from the community.

View from the veranda of one of the rooms.

Bathrooms are modern and spacious, with great water pressure. Waste is processed to enter the river more than 90% cleansed.

Your laundry can be done expertly for you every day, often returned the same day, no charge!

The welcoming bar is fully stocked, and everything from mineral water and soft drinks to wine and caipirinhas is included.

Their pão de queijo (manioc cheesebread) is tops, and coffee and hot water are always available.

The dining and communal areas are spacious and comfortable.

The food is delicious, and the menu nicely varied. Most of the vegetables are grown organically by residents of Barra de São Manoel.

Except for the English-speaking ecolodge manager, the staff is entirely from Barra de São Manoel, and they go home to their families each evening. These are humble, gracious people who are eager to serve us well, and we will greatly appreciate them!

The Tapajós and Juruena rivers are usually calm and comfortable to boat along, although there are a few stretches of shallow rapids we’ll negotiate on a couple of our longer forays.