Witnessing the Unique Phenomenon of the the Amazon River’s Unmixable Waters and Navigating on a Speedboat Through the Flooded Amazonian Forests (private tour)

  • The Rio Negro (Black River) and Solimoes River meet, but their waters don’t mix

Get ready to discover one of the many amazing features of the largest river on Earth: the Amazon River, whose flow is even larger than the flow of the next eight largest rivers in the world combined! We’ll hop on our boat for a full day exploration on the Amazon river, where we’ll have the chance to witness the unique phenomenon of the "unmixable waters" at the confluence that forms the Amazon River, see the largest water plants on Earth, and will navigate among trees across flooded Amazonian forests.

On our speedboat we’ll navigate to the confluence of the two rivers that form the Amazon River: the pitch-black Rio Negro and the cream-colored Solimoes River. That confluence is known as “the meeting of the unmixable waters.” Due to a unique quirk of nature, the waters of these two tributary rivers flow side by side for about 8 miles (12 kilometers) without mixing, due to a large difference between the rivers’ flowing speeds and temperatures. The difference in color between the two rivers is so stark, in fact, that the two “unmixable” waters can even be distinguished from satellites orbiting in space! And while stationed right on the confluence, you can even dip your hand into the waters on either side of the boat and feel the difference in temperature between the two rivers.

During our navigation, we’ll see from a distance the houses of the riverside Amazonian villagers, some built on stilts and others being floating houses, to protect themselves from the huge increase in the water levels during high tide season (it’s up to a 32 feet/10 meter increase!).

We’ll stop for lunch at one of the floating restaurants on the banks of the Amazon river. This restaurant is stationed next to the Janauari National Park, a large natural reserve. We’ll be greeted by “ribeirinhos” or “riverside dwellers,” who run the floating restaurant as well as a handicraft market next to the restaurant.

After lunch, well traverse a wooden walkway into Janauari National Park to behold the largest aquatic plant on the planet: the Vitoria Regia (Royal Victory) water lily. These gigantic, green lilies can reach up to 7 feet (2 meters) in diameter. You may even see a large group of them in a single patch of water. In some cases this plant’s giant leaf can hold, without tearing, up to 33 pounds (15 kilograms) on it, which is the weight of the average 2 year old child! Depending on the season, the Vitoria Regias may dry up considerably, losing much of their texture, or may even disappear completely.

Now let’s board our private speedboat for the remainder of the tour! During high tide season the Amazonian forests flood to a height of up to 50 feet (15 meters), so they become fully navigable. We’ll venture into the flooded jungle in our private speedboat, among the trees and across the narrow passages. This is a unique way to experience the river and its surroundings from a whole new perspective, since we’ll be navigating close to the tree canopy!

Our full day exploration comes to an end as we head back to our lodge having experienced some of the awesome and truly unique sights and phenomena of the Amazon river has to offer!

Important: the tour’s exact itinerary and duration may change subject to weather conditions and decisions of the tour guide to optimize your tour experience.

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Difficulty: none.

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Duration: around 4:30 hours, including time for lunch. This tour immediately follows the "Interacting with the Unique Amazonian Pink Dolphin" private tour.

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Guide: private guide.

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Vehicle: private speedboat.

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Includes: lunch with 2 non-alcoholic beverages .