Please note that the itinerary is subject to change depending upon weather conditions and specific group interests.

Day 1: Arrive in Santarém
Days 2-4: Beaches, Belterra, Jamaraquá and Maguary
Day 5: “Island of Love” and Alter do Chão
Days 6-8: Eixo Forte
Day 9 - Santarem

Day 1 Arrive in Santarém

Arrive in Santarém, a city with a mild climate and pleasant breezes, located at the confluence of the Rio Amazonas and the Rio Tapajós. We will meet you at the airport and take you to a hotel so that you can shower, relax, and walk around town. That evening, we'll meet at a local restaurant for a nice local meal and go through the plans for the next 8 days.

Day 2–Day 4: Jamaraquá

The next morning after breakfast you'll travel by a micro-bus for approximately 3 hours to the small community of Jamaraquá, located in the Brazilian national forest FLONA Tapajós. We will stop on the way in Belterra, a town founded by Henry Ford in the 1920s in an elusive attempt to cultivate rubber to compete with plantations in Malaysia.

Along the way, we’ll also stop at a couple of pristine river beaches where you can jump in the water to cool off or just walk around. Depending upon how long everyone wants to  stay at the beaches, we’ll either have lunch along the way or wait until we arrive in Jamaraquá.

Once we arrive at the small simple family-owned inn on the waterfront in Jamaraquá, we’ll hang our hammocks for a rest before setting out for a couple of hours of afternoon activities of your choice, such as kayaking, swimming, or taking a short guided hike. Over the next couple of days, you’ll have chance to get to know both the communities of Jamaraquá and Maguary, and have a wide variety of
activities to choose from (please see the text box to the right).

Day 5 (Sunday): Alter do Chão

After breakfast we’ll leave for Alter do Chão, which is about 2 hours away. Alter do Chão is located on the freshwater Rio Tapajós and is known as one of the most beautiful river beaches in Brazil. After checking in to the hotel, you'll have the choice of either exploring the beach town and finding plenty of souvenirs or just unwinding on the renowned Ihla do Amor (Island of Love) beach, where you can also have fresh fish and cold beer while you relax. After an afternoon in the sun, you'll have a chance to return to your hotel room for a bit of a rest and then we'll regroup for dinner at one of the little restaurants in town.

Day 6–Day 8: Eixo Forte

After breakfast we’ll leave for the short drive to the Eixo Forte, a group of 16 tiny communities that are in the process of establishing their own community-based tourism program. While here, we’ll stay in local homes where you’ll have a chance to get to know your host families very well.

Over the next several days you will meet the people of many of the communities and participate in the various activities that the community already offers, such as horseback riding, swimming, a zip line through the tree canopy, hiking, local music and dance, and much more. You'll also be able to participate in meetings with community leaders and other residents that are working hard to build local tourism in their communities. You will be asked to provide candid feedback about what you feel the community has to offer and suggest where they might focus their limited resources to improve.

On two of the evening the communities will organize exciting cultural programs they’re organizing themselves, including a hands on demonstration of making farinha, a staple in their diet and an important social activity for the entire community.

On the last night, the communities will throw the group an authentic piracaia (party on the beach).

Day 9: Back in Santarém

After lunch we'll head back to Santarém , where you'll have an opportunity to relax, sightsee, shop, catch up on e-mail, etc. before one last dinner together.

Please consult Travel Dates to view the next schedule dates for the trip.

For reservations please complete the reservation form.