AMAZON FERRY

[john sefton]

The Amazon River is unimaginably wide and sailing along this humongous waterway for thousands of kilometers by slow boat is a unique, documentary-like experience. Watching life on the Amazon pass by while swinging in a hammock on deck, getting intimate with the rich ecosystem of the Amazon basin and the communities that live on the banks of the river, relaxing on white-sand beaches, watching pink dolphins play, meeting the Meeting of the Waters, attempting to keep the deck dry from the pouring rain with a plastic tarp, and more…all that is the unique kind of adventure awaits you cruising down the Amazon.
The Amazon River cuts across South America making its way through three different countries: Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. As the main mode of transportation, slow boats cover various routes on the Amazon River. Basically, you could travel all the way from Peru (Iquitos / Santa Rosa) to Colombia (Leticia) and then continue downstream in Brazil (Tabatinga) until you reach the Atlantic Ocean east of Belém. While there are luxury cruises catering to tourists, the slow boats are not for sightseeing; they are the long-distance buses of the Amazon jungle connecting the major settlements along the world’s largest river by volume.
If you start in Iquitos, Peru, you can take a fast boat or slow boat to Santa Rosa which would take anywhere from 12 hours to 2½ days. From Santa Rosa (Peru) you can cross into Colombia, which is just a 5-minute boat ride away. Remember to get your exit stamp from Peru before entering Colombia or Brazil.
A slow boat is basically a ferry that can transport both passengers and freight on the river. The boats are at least half a century old in varying quality and shape, so don’t expect any fanciness. Apart from hammock spaces, they also come with some cabins and suites but trust me you’d prefer a prison cell over a cabin on these boats. So, sleeping in a hammock is the way to go, and believe it or not, it sleeps super comfortably.
https://earthmaho.com/amazon-river-slow ... em-brazil/