Amazon River Boat Journey

The Passenger Boat Route Down The Amazon Between Manaus And BeléM Via SantaréM, Taken In A Hammock On The Deck Of A Regional Riverboat · Manaus, Amazonas

The slow boat down the Amazon from Manaus to Belém is one of the classic journeys of South America, and it is not a cruise. It is the ordinary way many people in the region travel, on multi-deck regional riverboats called recreios that carry passengers, cargo, motorbikes and livestock. Most passengers sleep in hammocks slung side by side on an open deck; a few small cabins, some with air conditioning, sell out first. Downstream the trip takes about four to five days with a stop at Santarém, the usual place to break it for Alter do Chão; upstream is slower. Days are spent watching the river widen, villages on stilts, canoes paddling out to the boat, pink and grey dolphins, and sunsets and dawns over forest and water. Meals are basic and served in shifts, music is loud and the deck is crowded, so the experience is as much about life on board as the view. Faster launches cover shorter legs, and separate luxury expedition ships sail parts of the river at a very different price. For budget travellers, this is the Amazon at eye level.

Porto de Manaus (Manaus Moderna and the Hidroviária), Manaus, AM, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

Boats run all year, but on their own schedule rather than a fixed daily one. On the Manaus to Belém route there are usually a few departures a week, often in the late morning or around midday, with timetables that shift by company and season and change without notice - confirm the day and hour at the port a day or two ahead, not from an old guidebook or forum post. Tickets are sold at company kiosks in the port area and by agents in town; buy from the official counters and keep the printed ticket. Boats commonly board hours before departure and hammock space goes to whoever hangs first, so passengers arrive early to claim a spot. Departures can be delayed for loading cargo, and arrival times on a multi-day trip are approximate by half a day or more. Water levels change the journey time and, in severe dry years, can reduce services on some stretches. Around Christmas, Carnival, the July holidays and the Parintins festival in late June, boats are fuller and fares may rise. Faster launches to Parintins and Santarém keep their own, more regular schedules.

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