Jungle travel can be one of the most rewarding travel options as jungles (dense rainforests) contain the highest diversity of life on Earth. Here, you can watch animals and plants only otherwise seen in film or television.
The above photos is of the Manatee Cruise to explore Ecuacor’s famous Yasuni National Park
Jungle travel offers a chance to see planet Earth in a virgin and pre-human state, a place where man is not the dominant life-form and instead where animals and plants live in a complex web of life. Mystifying scientists and naturalists for hundreds of years, this web of life is only now starting to be understood.
Tourism in the Amazon Rainforest is becoming increasingly popular, and jungle travel is slowly being used as a tool to preserve the last remaining rainforests, not only benefiting tourists, but protecting the surrounding environment when properly orchestrated.
The word jungle comes from a reference to land that was of no use to civilisation and held a negative connotation. Now, with the stresses of the modern world, our increasingly urban lifestyle and the rise of global travel, the word jungle alludes to mystery, adventure, and escape.
The Jungle Experience
Whether your interest is plants, animals, relaxation, or native culture, visiting the world’s remaining rainforests is sure to provide experiences and stories unparalleled by other destinations. Ideas on what to do in the Amazon Rainforest are varied and reflect your personal preference.
Jungle guides are a spectacle in themselves as they navigate the wilderness with ease and effortlessly provide you comfort and security in a place that can seem inhospitable. They spot animals in the high trees practically invisible to tourists without the aid of binoculars, and my favourite example is watching an experienced guide spear fish from metres away into almost black, nutrient-rich water.
Gateways to the Jungle
The Peruvian gateway-city to the forest surrounding the Amazon River is Iquitos. There are many things to do in Iquitos, including visiting the flooded Pacaya Samiria National Park, or the primate-rich Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve from the Tahuayo Lodge. The lodge recommends staying for a week or more to get the most out of the experience and to stand the best chance of seeing a plethora of diverse and interesting wildlife.
The main Brazilian gateway to the Amazon Rainforest is Manaus in north central Brazil, the largest city in the rainforest. For ideas on what to do in Manaus, you can visit the Anavilhanas Reserve and eco-corridor as part of the Tucano Jungle Cruise.
If you’re wondering where to stay in the Amazon Rainforest, there are now many different lodges that provide a wide selection of activities and offer rainforest experiences unique to their particular location.
Read more about these Amazon Tours in Peru here.
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The Amazon Rainforest, the Congo in Africa, and the tropical wilderness of New Guinea represent the world’s largest, most pristine and untouched jungles.
Jungle travel is becoming increasingly popular as tourists become more aware of the accessibility of these fragile and unique ecosystems. No longer content with a yearly vacation to a beach resort or villa, a desire to experience the natural world at its most wild is gaining popularity.
