Orchids of Rio Negro

Day 0: Guests arrive in Manaus. Transfer to your hotel is provided by the OCA. The cost of the hotels is not included in the tour costs and we have two choices differing in price; see Hotel information page for details. Both are on the central historic square, within easy walking distance of the opera house. Dinner at a local restaurant courtesy of the OCA.

Day 1: If time before boarding permits we may have a tour of Manaus central market. Guests will then be transported to the dock and board the RV Otter for lunch. We then head upriver to the flooded forests of the Rio Negro.

Days 2-11:  We make twice daily excursions (2-3 hr each) to the flooded forests, visiting different areas as we cruise the river. Participants can enjoy sightseeing from the boat, and lots of bird spotting. The boat is often followed by pink dolphins. Those who would like to go for a swim in the Amazon can do so nearly every day if desired. We will have an afternoon feeding the pink dolphins and the prehistoric, huge fish known as the pirarucu. We will visit one or more villages, have a picnic at Gilberto Castro’s camp (where Margaret Mee, famous botanical artist, stayed), and visit a rubber plantation museum. On the last day, we return to Manaus with a last lunch on the RV Otter. Passengers will be transferred to their hotel (not included) or to the airport. Expect lots of orchids, many of which will be in bloom, as well as bromeliads, flowering trees and other unusual sights such as bats, various lizards, many bird species, praying mantids etc. All meals and snacks on the SS Otter are included. Not included are alcoholic beverages and canned soft drinks. Typically these will include various Brazilian beers, common soft drinks, wines and (many) caiparinhas prepared at the bar. If you would like something in addition to this, please let us know in advance so arrangements can be made. Laundry service, for a tip, is available on the boat, and it is also easy to wash clothes in the room and hang them to dry on the top deck. Expect temperatures in the 80s to low 90s, but not really oppressive humidity. Evenings are a little cooler. There are few to no problems with insects on the river and thus malaria medications are typically not required, although if you stay in Manaus more than a day, you might want to add malaria medication. Rain is occasional.

HO details:

Participants should plan on arranging their own round-trip flights to and from the city of Manaus, Brazil. This may require arriving a day early and leaving a day after the end of the tour. As of this writing – August, 2023 – the only non-stop flights from the US to Manaus are by Azul from Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Although all visitors from the USA to Brazil used to need a tourist visa, this requirement has apparently been dropped. However, all participants should double check as this can take 1-2 weeks to get.

All participants should be fully vaccinated for Covid. We are all traveling together in an enclosed space. Therefore, since our participants are often elderly, we strongly suggest all participants take a Covid test 1-2 days prior to departure. Please take every precaution to not arrive on the RV Otter with Covid. If you have a travel insurance policy that should cover the need to cancel if you are Covid positive. Currently Covid tests are not required for travel on the airlines to and from Manaus, but this can also change.

Cabins on the RV Otter all have air conditioning, openable windows, and en suite bath with hot/cold showers. The beds can be set up as two single beds or as a double bed. Soap and towels are provided.

Currency in Brazil is the Real (plural is Reis). In Manaus there are ATMs available, and most tourist facilities accept credit cards but not US currency. ATMs are not typically available outside Manaus.

Wi-fi is available via Starlink on the RV Otter for a small fee.

GUIDES: (Use the current images)

Peter Tobias

Peter Tobias initiated OCA’s Rio Negro trips in 2015 and has led six trips with Gilberto Castro on his boat the RV Otter. With that experience, and a few caipirinhas, he is able to identify many of the orchids you will see.

Gilberto Castro

Gilberto Castro has been running the Amazon for decades as a biologist, nature guide, and boat captain. His boat, the Otter, regularly carries people for orchid trips, botanical illustration trips, and fishing trips, depending on demand and the state of the river. His encyclopedic knowledge of the Amazon and his intimate knowledge of its nooks and crannies makes him the go-to guy for our trips.

Hotels (pre and post trip):

Although the tour price includes accommodations and meals on the RV Otter, hotels in Manaus are not included in the price. You will probably want to arrive in Manaus on a day (or even two) prior to the date we depart on the boat, and depending on your flight schedule, we recommend that you include a night in Manaus before departure home. Our tour boat operator Gilberto Castro has recommended the following two hotels.

1. Hotel Juma Opera-Manaus. This new hotel is just across the street from the Opera house. It has its own good restaurant, pool and other amenities. The price for two persons per room was approximately US$160 in 2023. Rooms can be booked directly (https://jumaopera.com.br/) or through third party sites such as Trip Advisor, Hotels.com etc.)
2. Hotel Casa dos Frades. This hotel is on the square of the Opera besides the church. Although it is fairly new it used to be the living quarters for the friars of the church next door. The rooms are spacious, have air conditioning, and are significantly cheaper than Hotel Juma Opera-Manaus. We recommend rooms in the back; the expensive rooms in the front of the building facing the square are noisy. (https://casadosfrades.com.br/).