The Amazon River at a glance
The Amazon River begins in the Peruvian Andes and ends at the Atlantic. The river and the rainforest around it are not the same thing: this guide is about the water, the boats on it and the towns on its banks. In Peru, the Marañón and the Ucayali join near Nauta, and the Amazon carries on from there. In Brazil, the dark Rio Negro meets the sandy Solimões east of Manaus, and the two flow on as the lower Amazon.
You see the river mainly from a boat. That can be a cruise of several nights with excursions in small boats, a lodge stay, or a short program from Leticia or Manaus. The pages below cover cruises, tours, the Meeting of the Waters, river dolphins, piranha fishing, the animals, the towns and the practical questions of season, flights and where to sleep. Prices are for 2026 and in the currency of the country, and they change. For a comparison of jungle lodges across Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Bolivia, see the lodge guide.
Our picks: on the Amazon River
For the deepest trip, a lodge stay of three days near Iquitos or Leticia. Short on time in Manaus, the full day on the river or the Anavilhanas speedboat shows the most for the money.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Three days on the river from Leticia
- Two nights in lodges
- Meals and guides
- Boats and activities
Two nights in jungle lodges with boats, guides, meals and activities on the Colombian Amazon. Airport taxes are extra.
Check availability →
Wildlife lodge for three days from Iquitos
- Two nights in a double room
- Boat and excursions
- Airport pickup
Two nights in a double room at a jungle lodge, with the boat, the excursions and most meals. Plan an arrival flight before 9 a.m.
Check availability →
Two days on the river with one night ashore
- All transport and entry fees
- Meals with a drink
- English-speaking guide
A simple guest room with a bed and mosquito net for one night, with the Meeting of the Waters and piranha fishing on the programme.
Check availability →
Jungle immersion for two to five days
- All meals
- Canoe, kayaks and SUP
- Piranha fishing
One to four nights by package with jungle trails, canoe, kayaks and piranha fishing. Hotel or airport pickup is an add-on.
Check availability →
Anavilhanas archipelago and jungle walk
- Transfer and speedboat
- Bilingual guide
- Lunch and water
Eight hours by speedboat up the Rio Negro to the Anavilhanas islands, with a walk in the forest and lunch.
Check availability →
Full day on the Amazon from Manaus
- Hotel pickup and return
- Lunch, fruit and water
- English-speaking guide
A day on the river with the Meeting of the Waters on the programme, lunch and hotel transfers in Manaus.
Check availability →Amazon River tours, cruises and day trips
River cruises, jungle lodge stays and boat excursions from Manaus, Iquitos and Leticia, with live prices and availability.
Ways to see the Amazon River
Example prices per person in 2026. Each row is a different product.
| Option | Where | Length | Example price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short cruise, Amazon route | From Manaus | 3 days, 2 nights | $1,330 |
| Short cruise, Rio Negro route | From Manaus, with Anavilhanas | 4 days, 3 nights | $1,775 |
| Adventure ship | Peru, boarding in Nauta | 3 nights | $1,947 to $2,194 |
| Luxury ship | Peru, Pacaya-Samiria area | 3 nights | $3,860 to $4,390 |
| Lodge program | Leticia | 2 to 4 days | From COP 850,000 to COP 2,000,000 |
The Peru and Manaus prices are package prices per person; the Peru prices assume two sharing a cabin. The Leticia prices include lodging, meals, river transport and guides. For most first-time visitors with a few days, the Manaus short cruise or a Leticia program is the simplest way in. Choose a Peru ship if you want the upper Amazon and its side rivers. Details are on the cruises page and the tours page.
Plan your Amazon trip
Start with the cruises and tours, then pick the pages for the places you want.
Amazon River cruises
Peru and Manaus routes with 2026 price examples.
Amazon River tours
Boat excursions, lodge stays and a Leticia program with prices.
Meeting of the Waters
Where the dark Rio Negro meets the Solimões near Manaus.
Pink river dolphins
Boto and tucuxi: where they live and why watching is not touching.
Piranha fishing
How tours handle it and what the Brazilian fishing licence costs.
Amazon River animals
Giant otters, manatees, caimans and river fish.
The river, the towns and the mouth
Where the river runs and the places you reach it from.
Amazon River facts
Length, source, flow and basin, with the Nile question left open.
Where is the Amazon River?
Course, countries and the points where rivers join.
Manaus
The opera house, the MUSA tower and the port on the Rio Negro.
Iquitos
A city of the Peruvian Amazon with a rescue center nearby.
Pacaya-Samiria
A national reserve you visit with an authorized operator.
Leticia
The Colombian town where Brazil and Peru meet.
History, season and logistics
The background and the practical pages.
Belém and the river mouth
The estuary, the Ver-o-Peso market and the island of Marajó.
Amazon River history
Orellana, the rubber boom and Indigenous societies.
Weather in Manaus and Iquitos
Monthly climate for the two main river cities.
Best time to visit
High water, low water and what each means for a trip.
Getting to the Amazon
Airports, passenger boats and the fast ferry from Iquitos.
Where to stay
City hotel, river lodge or ship cabin: how the locations differ.
A few things to know before you go
Points that save you from common mix-ups.
The two rivers do mix
The dark Rio Negro and the sandy Solimões run side by side for kilometers, and swirls blend them further downstream. The line is real, and so is the mixing.
Meeting of the Waters →The length is an open question
Length figures run from just over 6,450 km to 6,992 km, and whether the Nile or the Amazon is longer depends on how you measure. There is no settled answer.
River facts →Not every Iquitos cruise boards in Iquitos
On Peru river ships, guests are often taken by road from Iquitos to Nauta and board there. Check the boarding point before you plan flights and hotels.
Cruises →There is no single Amazon ticket
Pacaya-Samiria is visited with an authorized operator, and the operator's services are separate from the reserve's entry fee. No one pass covers the river.
Pacaya-Samiria →The cheap ferry fare is not for visitors
On the fast ferry between Iquitos and Santa Rosa, the economy fare of PEN 80 sits next to a fare of PEN 300 for foreign passengers. Budget for the higher figure.
Getting there →Dolphins are endangered
Both the boto and the tucuxi are listed as endangered. Seeing one from a boat is not permission to feed it or swim with it.
River dolphins →More independent Amazon guides
Separate guides from the same team, each with its own focus.
Amazon River: frequently asked questions
Where does the Amazon River start and end?
It starts in the Peruvian Andes and flows to the Atlantic. Which Andean stream counts as the source depends on the criterion, and the river has no single agreed starting point. For travelers, the Marañón and Ucayali junction near Nauta and the meeting of the Rio Negro and Solimões at Manaus are the points that matter. The map page shows the course.
How much does an Amazon River cruise cost?
It depends on the ship, the route and the number of nights. The 2026 examples on this site run from $1,330 for 2 nights from Manaus to $4,390 for 3 nights on a luxury ship in Peru, per person. Tips, flights and individual transfers are not part of these examples. See the cruises page.
Is the Amazon longer than the Nile?
That is disputed. One measurement gives just over 6,450 km and puts the Nile ahead, another gives 6,992 km and puts the Amazon ahead. Both depend on where you start and which mouth channel you follow. The facts page explains it.
Can I be sure to see pink river dolphins?
No. Dolphins live in places such as the Anavilhanas archipelago near Manaus and around Puerto Nariño near Leticia, but a place where they live is not a promise of a sighting. See the river dolphins page.
Do I need vaccinations for the Amazon?
The German Foreign Office lists no mandatory vaccination for direct entry from Germany to Peru or Brazil, and recommends yellow fever vaccination for the Amazon regions (as of October 2026). Colombia asks for proof of yellow fever vaccination from travelers arriving from Brazil aged 1 or older, given at least 10 days before. Rules depend on your nationality and route, so ask a travel-medicine doctor about yellow fever, malaria and dengue.
Is amazon-river.org an official site?
No. This is an independent travel guide with no link to any government, tourism authority, ship operator, lodge or tour company.