Amazon River Pink Dolphin Adventure

A wonderful day exploring the area around Manaus on the river. Everyone we encountered throughout the day was very pleasant and did whatever they could to make the day better. The tour was slightly different than described in two ways (probably interconnected): the number of people on the tour is limited to 20 according to the description (our boat had 60 people on it), and the time was originally supposed to be approximately 5 hours (ended up being 7 hours). I think the larger group required more time to complete each activity. The problem for us was that we needed to be back on shore by 2:45PM in order to catch the last shuttle to our cruise ship. Something that had been communicated to the tour operator when we boarded the ship in the morning. Fortunately the boat was able to drop us (and two other groups) off at the cruise ship dock rather than where we started. Otherwise we would have missed the last shuttle to the ship through the port. Very thankful that we made it back on time. 4 stars instead of 5 is because the tour operator that we booked through on Viator was not actually “operating the tour.” Instead, we were taken to a boat independently operated that consolidated tours sold by many vendors. Problems arose when the timing of our return came up, because the guys on the boat said the company we bought the tour from was responsible for getting us back on time, not them. Alls well that ends well I guess. I am pretty laid back, but people from the other groups on the cruise ship were getting quite upset that nobody would guaranty our on time return. Again, great day in all other respects.

The whole trip is, at best, horrifically exploitative to animals. I think it’s actually worse than that, though. I think it’s abusing and maybe torturing these poor creatures. So first, you’ll see pink dolphins that are trapped in an enclosed area (to ensure that they’re always there for the tourists) so that they can’t escape and will never know freedom. Then the guide will feed them and encourage people to pet them. No responsible company would ever feed and pet legitimate wildlife. Then you’ll have the option to go fishing. Again, to make sure everyone can catch a fish, the conditions are awful and abusive. There are so many fish crowded in such a small container. They barely have space to move around. Then you’ll move to a part of the trip where people try to shove a sloth, snake, macaw, crocodile, etc. in your arms for a picture. This is an infamous practice and is known to support illegal wildlife trades. The sloths are ripped from their mothers as babies and experience extreme stress when passed along to strangers. I know their faces look calm but they’re internalizing the trauma; they typically die within 6 months. The situation isn’t much better for the macaws, crocodiles or snakes. Often, they’re clipped or drugged to make sure they don’t struggle. All in all, it was a TERRIBLE experience and I never would have supported such a horrible practice if I’d realized it would be like this. If you’re looking at this trip, I assume it’s because you love animals. If that’s the case, please choose a different tour that will treat them with respect and not torture them for money, all the while trying to tell you these restrained, overcrowded, dying animals are happy.

Some of the activities were a waste of time and lengthened the day dramatically. We waiting on the boat for over an hour for everyone to get there. This was supposed to be an English tour but most of the people spoke Portuguese and that was the primary langusge most used by the guide. The facilities at the dolphin were run down and dangerous because of missing flooring on the deck. Would not recommend this tour.

We got to do everything as described on the site. The dolphin experience was amazing we did get into the water up close and got to touch them. The food was local and good. We saw monkeys and caiman after lunch. Visiting the local people was interesting and educational. Bonus I got to hold a sloth!

We had to wait for an hour before everyone joined, which was very frustrating. But the tour itself was great.