Amazon Negro River Half-Day Expedition Tour

Nice tour, rich in new experiences. We were with children 6 and 7 years old and they had a lot of fun!

I was not picked up at the hotel, I waited for more than 1:30. Always confirm first. I missed the tour and day schedule.

A complete tour, with many attractions, put the main part of the visit to the rivers, is very quick and complicated to view and take photos. It would be good if the boat was two-story to have a higher view.

This tour was booked to start at 9am but didn’t commence until after 10am. The tour operator appeared to have merged two tours with different itineraries and start times together. As a result we didn’t get what we expected and got back much later than expected. It was supposed to be a trip on a large boat which then transferred to smaller motorized canoes for some aspects of the trip. This did not happen. Additional, a major focus of the trip was supposed to include looking for pink and grey dolphins. There was absolutely no attempt to do this which resulted in a number of guests complaining about the trip. We complained to Viator who have provided a partial refund but this is not good enough as we had to book an alternative trip on another day with our cruise line to do the dolphins spotting so we are out of pocket. When we get home, we will be asking our credit card provider to reverse the whole cost to make up for our financial loss as the partial refund because we saw part of what was scheduled just does not cut it because of the extra expense that we incurred.

Overall, the trip was reasonably conducted and enjoyable, but we were let down on a few fronts. Firstly, the trip was supposed to start at 0900, and didn't start until after 1000. It was clear that two or more trips were combined into one, as many people arrived at 1000 as they were instructed. Another couple on the same trip were told to come at 0830. The guide spoke limited English. Probably the worst command of the language of any of our guides in Brazil. Part of the tour was supposed to include being transferred to smaller canoe style boats to tour the small back water rivers in the area looking for wildlife. This was clearly spelled out in the tour description. It didn't happen, and when this was pointed out to the guide he said he didn't know anything about that. We immediately WhatsApped the tour operator to voice our concerns and had no response. We asked for a partial refund at the end because of this, and TripAdvisor/Viator refused any compensation. There were aspects of the tour that were interesting, and certainly the price was right, but the execution, and failure to respond adequately to our concerns was very disappointing. The worst trip of all the private tours we booked in Brazil.

This was a great tour. We were taken into an area of the Amazon we never would have been able to reach ourselves. James was a fun guide -- he connected with the guests and helped us all have fun.

Meeting time was 9am at the cruise terminal. We got there on time then had to wait an hour for people who were scheduled to meet at 10 am. That wouldn’t have been so bad had the company messaged us to say the meeting time was 10am - but they didn’t. Tour was advertised as “no more than 30”. There were 34 on our tour. My guess is the combined 2 tours but didn’t bother to tell us. The attached photo was taken a couple of minutes before 10am I’ve contacted the company but as yet I’ve received no response.

Outstanding experience, getting to know the Amazon River and Forest through the explanations and interesting details of Felix was a nice plus to an already amazing adventure.

🇫🇷 Very big disappointment. This excursion to Manaus is clearly a tourist catcher. We were sold an immersive experience in the Amazon with waterfalls, tribes and animal watching. In fact, of the 6 hours planned, we spent more than 4h30 on a boat, with only very short stops of 20 minutes here and there. Yes, we have seen pink dolphins and some monkeys... but always from the boat or on ultra-tourist spots, without any real immersion in the jungle. It is far from an authentic adventure: it is a simple boat ride organized for tourists. The atmosphere says a lot: families with babies, people in sandals... nothing like an “adventure” excursion in the Amazon. Another very problematic point: the guide was supposed to speak English. In fact, he spoke almost exclusively Portuguese. As a result, we understood almost no explanation throughout the day. Finally, all stops are in very touristy, landscaped and unauthentic places, which further reinforces the feeling of an artificial experience. In summary: expensive excursion for poor content, without authenticity and without immersion. You should absolutely avoid. 🇧🇷 Essa excursão em Manaus é claramente uma armadilha para turistas. A promessa era de uma experiência imersiva na Amazônia, com cachoeiras, tribos e observação de animais. Na realidade, das 6 horas de passeio, passamos but 4h30 dentro de um barco, com paradas muito rápidas de cerca of 20 minutos. Sim, vimos alguns botos-cor-de-rosa e alguns macacos... mas sempre do barco ou em pontos extremamente turísticos, sem nenhuma imersão real na selva. Não é uma aventura, é apenas um passeio turístico de barco. O próprio público mostra isso: famílias com bebês, pessoas de sandálias... nada que lembre uma experiência de aventura na Amazônia. Outro problema serio: o guia deveria falar inglês. Na prática, ele falou quase só em português. Resultado: nãoentendreemos praticamente nada pendante o passeio. Além disso, todas as paradas são feitas em locais muito turísticos, preparados e pouco autênticos, o que reforça a sensação de uma experiência artificial. Resumindo: excursão cara, superficial, sem autenticidade e sem qualquer imersão. Não recomendamos de forma alguma.

The team was very attentive and experienced; the only thing missing was a driver who spoke English to support the foreign tourist!