During the Amazon's high-water season, the forest floods to the canopy, creating an otherworldly drowned woodland. Paddle a silent kayak between the treetops, level with macaws and sloths, in a landscape that exists only a few months each year.
What to expect
You transfer by motorised skiff to the igapó — the seasonally flooded blackwater forest — then switch to sit-on-top kayaks for near-total silence. Paddling between submerged tree trunks 10 metres below the surface, you reach eye-level with the mid-canopy where toucans, macaws, and squirrel monkeys move through branches that are normally 30 feet above the ground. Your naturalist guide points out caiman resting on half-submerged logs and three-toed sloths sleeping in the fork of cecropia trees. The reflection of the forest in the black water creates a mirror-world of extraordinary beauty.
Good to know
Best experienced January–June when water levels are high; confirm season with operator. Half-day (approx. 4 hours) fits comfortably within most Amazon port calls. Waterproof dry bags provided; bring a hat, sunscreen, and a change of clothes. Kayaking experience helpful but not required — calm, enclosed blackwater is ideal for beginners.