Originally Posted by
iahphx
Folks do seem quite satisfied with the 3 and 4 day Amazon trips out of Manaus. "Upstream" seems to be more pleasant, "downstream" seems to have more wildlife. I'm undertaking a crash course in Amazon trip planning at the moment.
And the trips aren't too expensive: like US$100/day, all in. Much better prices than I saw in the Pantanal (which does have much more wildlife, though).
This is certainly an interesting award destination for Americans with AA miles.
I did a 3 night stay at a lodge about 3hrs out of Manaus. I wouldn't call it "upscale" at all, more like a family-run B&B in the middle of the jungle. I especially liked the fact that the rainforest is flooded in the rainy season and a torch-lit night boat trip feels like flying over the tree tops. Something like a scene out of Avatar.
Lodge I stayed at was called Tariri, and like anywhere on the Rio Negro, there are no mosquitos!
Day trips from Manaus would be far too tiring, with the exception of the "meeting of the waters".