Family boat trip from Manaus (Brazil) to Yurimaguas (Peru)

For now, we’ve identified the following stops: - Manaus - Tabatinga

Hi there,

I once took a ferry up the Amazon from Tabatinga to Iquitos—it was pretty old (1979!). The trip took a day and a night. The river is so wide that you barely see anything—just a glimpse of the forest. I imagine it’s even worse between Manaus and Tabatinga... and it takes 5 or 6 days. In my opinion, it could get really monotonous and probably not very comfortable... especially with kids.

I was coming from Colombia (Leticia) and had done Leticia/Tabatinga (a very short crossing, less than an hour) then Tabatinga/Iquitos.

Just so you know—if you only go from Manaus to Tabatinga—from Tabatinga, you can quickly reach Leticia (Colombia). The two cities are very close. In Leticia, there are quite a few travel agencies offering canoe trips to indigenous villages.

The length of our stay allows us to be completely flexible and take breaks to explore the different stages of the journey that are worth it.

I’m afraid there aren’t many on this route (at least none worth stopping for), except maybe Iquitos—and even that city isn’t very interesting unless you do "jungle excursions."

I hope you’ll get more info than what I’m giving you! Personally, I wouldn’t do this kind of trip... I think it’s more interesting to go up or down tributaries of the Amazon further upstream from Yurimaguas in Peruvian Amazonia or, at most, upstream from Iquitos (just my opinion). And there’s so much more to see in South America! (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)

1. From a safety perspective, is the area we want to cross safe, considering we’re traveling with our 3 kids, the youngest being 6 years old?

All I can say is that, with or without kids, the Tabatinga/Leticia area wasn’t safe at all when I was there—it was a real hotspot for criminals and traffickers of all kinds. But if you stay on the boat the whole time (tough, tough!), the risks are lower. Still, watch out for theft!

Hi there, For my part, I took a trip from Manaus to Maués back in 2009—it’s a bit dated now, too. And I was with my 5-year-old daughter. I’m a huge admirer of the Brazilian rainforest, so I was expecting an extraordinary journey. It lasted 2 nights on board, and we were traveling downstream on the Amazon. Well, it’s *very* long and a bit of a drag. The first part of the trip was particularly tedious because the river is so wide that you can’t see much (about 15 hours). The second part was nicer, but you really can’t spend all your time staring at banks that all look the same in the end. You can wax poetic about erosion or the beauty of the forest, but ultimately, there’s not much to see. I’d asked for a cabin because I was carrying photography equipment, and they’d told me it was a bit risky to stay in the hammocks with my gear on the ground. Sure enough, we arrived early and saw people showing up with their hammocks, hanging them up, and then heading off to do some shopping. There was food on board, though—rice, beans, and cooked fish, music (loud, of course, because it’s Brazil—a kind of *forró*), and in the evening, a few couples were dancing close, as that music demands. Little side note: not many people speak English. On the other hand, *portuñol* is pretty well understood. Saying you’re French often opens unexpected doors.

Thanks to both of you for your feedback.

This will help me adjust our itinerary, and we’re now leaning more toward visiting the Amazon rainforest on the Peruvian side near Yurimaguas. We plan to start in Colombia, then head to Ecuador, and finally this part of Peru. It’ll probably work better for us with our two young kids.

Thanks again for your experiences.

Hey Trissite, I did the Porto Velho (Rondônia) to Manaus stretch over 3 days—it’s true that the trip gets pretty boring by the end. Why not head to the Pantanal instead? But if you speak a little Portuguese, you can chat with the locals, who are actually pretty friendly and open

Hi there, I’m gonna go against the current of the previous comments. First off, if you ever stop by, Santarém is nice to visit, but the real attraction in the area is Alter do Chão, just nearby. Next, the Manaus–Tabatinga route can be done in two legs—you could stop in Tefé, for example, and explore the surrounding area. There’s always something to see in the Amazon. And yeah, the trip is long, but so what? There’s always something to observe down there, plus the boats that run between Manaus and Tabatinga aren’t usually packed, so there’s plenty of space. Kids always manage to keep themselves entertained… and you get used to the cruise rhythm. Also, on the Manaus–Tabatinga stretch, you can always see both riverbanks. And watching the rain clouds, starry nights, sunrises, and sunsets over the river is just stunning. The Amazon isn’t something you visit—it’s something you live.