September 2, 2004 -- There are literally hundreds of companies and independent operators who offer a variety of tours through the Amazon Jungle (which stretches across Brazil, Ecuador & Peru), way down south in Patagonia or out to sea for the Galapagos Islands. How do you decide where to start, whom to trust and how much to spend? We're here to help.
Amazon Adventures (800/232-5658; www.amazonadventures.com) has a number of budget-to moderately-priced options departing throughout the year. For those on a tight budget, their seven-night "Classic Riverboat" cruise may be the perfect option.
This tour, departing daily from Manaus in Brazil spends a week exploring the Amazon River Basin and the jungles of the Rio Negro. The boats are basic but comfortable with shared facilities, a captain, cook and guide. Food includes fresh fish, tropical fruits and regional vegetables. Accommodations include three-nights sleeping in hammocks on the boat, one-night jungle camping (optional), one-night with a traditional "Caboclo" family in a rustic jungle lodge and two-nights in a hotel in Manaus. Expect to see a menagerie of animals including monkeys, alligators, iguanas, dolphins, toucans and a variety of other birds. The price per person is $850 with a minimum of two people required to operate the tour.
At the other end of the cruising spectrum is their luxury eight-day cruise also departing from Manaus. For $2,100, you get to stay in deluxe accommodation on board the motor yacht with private bathrooms and eight days of touring the Upper Amazon Basin and the Rio Negro. The itinerary suggests that your wildlife encounters will include a multitude of mammals including otters, anteaters, sloths and monkeys. Departure dates for the rest of 2004 are September 24, October 22, November 19 and December 22.
The Ecuadorian Amazon boasts some of the world's greatest biodiversity and sustains the traditional lifestyle of numerous indigenous communities. You have an excellent chance of spotting monkeys, capybara, toucans, macaws, tapirs and maybe even the elusive jaguar. For a unique Amazonian adventure, Adventure Life (800/344-6118; www.adventure-life.com) has an eight-day kayaking experience that will get you up close and personal with some of the Amazon's most awesome creatures. Departing from Quito, Ecuador, this hands-on tour is for novices and does not require kayaking experience. You'll paddle kayaks down the Shiripuno River into Huaorani Territory for 3-6 hours each day to a new campsite and take hikes into the forest. The $1,550 price per person includes all meals, two-nights hotel accommodation, five-nights camping and all transport except for one roundtrip internal flight from Quito to Coca -- approximately $120 additional. Departure dates are October 17, November 14 and December 12.
Patagonia provides another alternative for a South American wildlife expedition. Adventure Life's eight-day "Patagonia By Sea" package departs from Santiago, Chile, and is an introduction to the rugged Pacific coastline, a breeding ground for penguins, whales, dolphins and other marine life. The tour includes two-nights' hotel accommodation, four-nights on board a motor yacht, one-night homestay and a memorable journey up the Patagonian fjords to remote waterfalls and hot springs. It also includes all meals and transportation except one roundtrip flight from Santiago to Puerto Montt (an additional $155). Departure dates are November 14 and December 14.
For close encounters of the marine kind, the Galapagos Islands is unsurpassed in its beauty and virgin environment. The inspiration of Darwin's theory of evolution and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a visit to the Galapagos is a South American must-do. Giant tortoises, seals, sea lions, prehistoric-looking iguanas and an abundance of marine life await you. It's best to be aware that many tours and cruises do not include the rather hefty cost of airfare from the Ecuadorian mainland (usually Quito) to the Galapagos (usually Isla Baltra), which is approximately $400 roundtrip on TAME Airlines. Nor do they include the National Park entrance fee of $100. Like the Amazon, a wildlife expedition in the Galapagos can be done in ultimate luxury or on an economical budget.
Gate One Travel (800/682-3333; www.gate1travel.com) has an eight-day Galapagos out of Miami starting from $2,699 that includes airfares to Guayaquil, Quito and the Galapagos, seven nights accommodation (two in Quito, one in Guayaquil and four nights on a cruise to and from the islands), all meals, transfers and shore excursions. The cruise takes in five individual islands and is sure to expose you to the best of Galapagos wildlife. Taxes of approximately $120 are additional. The first available departure dates are January 20 and March 13, 2005. Prices are lower by up to $400 in May. Other departure cities are available for additional cost.
Galapagos Tours & Cruises (866/672-4533; www.galapagoslegend.com) has several cruising options, with seven-day cruises starting at $2,000 during the peak season (November to early May). They also have three and four day options from $760. These prices include all meals, guided shore excursions and lectures, as well as transfers to/from the vessels in Baltra. Year-round departures are available. Taxes are additional.
Fall season airfares to South America can be quite reasonable. Intra Tours (800/334-8069; www.intratours.com) has some low-priced options for mid-week departures including:
- Miami to Quito starts from $330 + tax
- Washington, D.C. to Sao Paulo from $555 + tax
- New York to Santiago from 645 + tax
