UK-based luxury travel company Black Tomato has launched a new charter journey allowing travellers to explore the Amazon in a unique way. The Rhythm of Water, as the 8-night experience is called, gives curious-minded people the chance to immerse themselves in the Amazon rainforest like never before.
Although Amazon cruises are nothing new, Black Tomato’s newly-launched The Rhythm of Water promises to leave travellers with a new perspective on the region. Through a selection of exclusive experiences, voyagers get the opportunity to explore rarely-seen sides of the Amazon.
“When you study a map of the Amazon, it looks like the roots of an ancient, sprawling tree. But maps are just that: abstractions. To really understand the Amazon, you have to spend time in the Amazon. This new trip – which can’t be booked anywhere else – offers you all the time your family will need. Following the streets of Rio, its ‘heart’ is a private river journey that will carry you up the Rio Negro and into stretches of the rainforest that travellers rarely – if ever – get to see. Through a host of carefully curated encounters, we’ve prepared a journey whose heartbeat is a kind of beautiful ‘boredom’ – where silence, nature, and human connection will guide and give structure to your days,” Black Tomato explains on its website.
The Rhythm of Water-journey is available from May through November and starts off in Rio de Janeiro. Guests are lodged in an oceanfront room at the Fasano Rio de Janeiro, which will be their home base for 48 hours. During their time in the city, photographer Vitor Marigo will act as their guide and take them to some of Rio de Janeiro’s most stunning spots.
From Rio, guests will then fly to Manaus, the largest city in the state of Amazonas and an “essential stepping stone” to explore the Amazon. After a night at the Villa Amazônia-hotel, the real adventure and the essence of the trip can start.
Up the Amazon
Up to six guests will embark on a one-way expedition with a full-board riverboat on the Amazon River Basin’s Rio Negro. Functioning as a safe haven, the boat will take travellers up the river and into the wilderness. Thanks to a combination of canoe rides, walks, and even tree climbing sessions, travellers get to enjoy the forest in a seldom-seen way.
“There are many communities who make their livelihood along the banks of the Amazon, and we’ve designed today’s encounter as a chance to genuinely connect with them – learning who they are, how they live, and to more intimately understand their approach to the river and rainforest that they depend on. There’ll be time to sit, to listen, to ask questions. You won’t feel like outsiders with big “tourist” signs hovering above your heads, but like part of the community – gaining a deeper and more intimate understanding into how they see the world”, the day 7-programme reads.
An overnight stay in the forest, guided by Lieutenant J. Araújo, marks the perfect way to end the trip before heading back to Manaus by floatplane and then São Paulo.
The Rhythm of Water-journey can be booked through inquiry, with prices starting at £12,800 (€14,750) per person, excluding flights and based on a 2-person room.
