Absolutely, any healthy, inquiring adult will enjoy our trips.

These are hiking trips. Do I have to be an experienced hiker?

Well they are not really hiking trips although you must be able to walk. All the trips are differant in nature, but in any case the pace will be leisurely, traveling too fast in the rain forest you will miss much of what you came to see.

But isn't all this really dangerous,.... snakes and stuff?

Safety is always my primary concern, tropical rain forests suffer a bad reputation in some regards due to a sensational view of potential dangers. This trip will give you a good idea of the myths and misconceptions there are surrounding the Amazon rain forest. This is not to say we ignore the hazards. There are risks inherent in all wilderness travel, but with myself and a few experienced guides show you the ropes, these hazards are minimized. Simple policies like the use of proper equipment, and few common sense precautions like purifying water make all the difference.

So all the stories you here about huge aggressive snakes, and man-eating Piranha fish are not true?

Many movies are full of nonsense, in fact there is only one species of aggressive snake in South America, sightings are very rare. As opposed to Asia, Africa and Australia, where there are dozens of aggressive snake species, and sightings are more or less common. A shot like this one on the right, of a "deadly" Coral snake,... I had to chase the poor little guy though the woods until in desperation he backed up against a tree.

I came down to our canoes on the river bank early one morning, and found this long black snake sunning himself on the gunwale of my boat. Far from aggressive, as soon as I came within his personal comfort zone, he flickered his tongue at me one last time, and he was "outa there" like a flash. As many experienced people will tell you, most things you meet are much more afraid of you, than you are of them.

And here is a shot of "man-eating piranha", they are quite tasty, though a little to bony for me. There are only very exceptional circumstance when they might pose a problem and never in the area we are going to.

Fine, but what about tropical disease?

The reason local people are susceptible to various health problems results from the lack of simple systems to protect themselves (i.e. water and food purification, insect repellent, proper sanitation, basic immunization, etc.). We do not have these problems and will have the resources along to protect ourselves. Don't forget these problems are present throughout all of Africa and Asia and not just South America. Vaccinations are a simple precaution, and you should discuss this with your doctor.

What about mosquitoes?

It is hard for many people to believe, but mosquitoes and other airborne biting insects are not a problem everywhere in the Amazon region. Many area we go to are practically Mosquito free! And this of course makes for a very comfortable environment. As a matter of fact, many visitors have commented that they we perfectly happy to sleep the night in a hammock without protection at all.

What will I need to bring?

Click here and lets talk gear.

Will I have a chance to take photographs, and enjoy the rain forest Independently if I want to?

Absolutely! Most of your time will be dedicated to such activities. In the rain forest, night or day you never know what lies around the next bend in the river or curve in the trail. There is always something intriguing to see or some new situation to explore.

What about emergencies?

Ah, this is that inherent risk of wilderness travel people are always talking about. The Amazon suffers a bad "rep" very undeservedly. It is really quite a pleasant and healthy environment provided you follow a few basic rules. I.e. filter water, wear insect repellent, look.......don't touch, simple things like that. Even Brazil itself is much less hazardous in the north, the Amazon region, than it has become in Rio and Sao Paulo. Though people are poor for the most part, they don't seem to notice.

Every little town has a medical clinic, and there is a very professional search and rescue organization based out of Belem. Of course the way the way to avoid trouble is using simple common sense. In the twenty years I have been adventuring in the Amazon rainforest I have yet to experience a genuine emergency.

Will we see lots of wildlife?

Remembering this is not the plains of Africa, do not arrive imagining herds of Wildebeest sweeping across the horizon. You see it's all those damn trees, they seem to get in the way. Lots of animals out there are but it depends how hard you want to work to see them. Myself I have had many magical encounters with the most amazing forms of life. From huge insects to bright colorful birds to little hairy pig like creatures that roam jungle floor, and monkeys in the tree tops. Somehow I have never really done any photography that does justice to this environment. I guess I am often to enthralled to remember the camera some times.

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