Originally we couldn’t disembark at Alter do Chão, only ship’s tours allowed off. That rule is now relaxed so we needn’t have booked the hike at great expense, but never mind! We board a zodiac to go ashore aiming for a secluded beach from where we commence the walk.
Initially a bit disorganised, shepherding strong-willed cruise guests is never easy, and this bunch of guests is a particular breed indeed. The majority onboard have booked for 79 nights since mid January, circumnavigating South America including the Antarctica adventure we enjoyed on this very ship in 2018. So they are tough, not at all like typical “week in the Caribbean” customers, and instead of lagging behind, it becomes a race to see who can go fastest!
The terrain is what’s known as “secondary jungle” which is to say it’s not millions of years old. Most likely three of four thousand years ago it was razed by locals to cultivate crops, now long gone and the new growth has firmly reclaimed everything. We find fabulous spider colonies, and get buzzed by a Black Vulture.
It’s only a short climb to the top of Serra Ibitra Piroca, just 350 feet but in 30+ degrees and almost 100% humidity it gets the heart rate up. The vegetation is thick so not much to see except a modern-day cross which replaces the old wooden one.
We soon return to the RIBs at the beach and get to swim in the Amazon, quite excited to add that to the list of achievements. Although I don’t intentionally drink it, I manage to get splashed a few times and to my surprise the water is really sweet!
After a very lazy afternoon back onboard we shower and dress for dinner with friends Matthew and Jahz. We enjoy snails, scallop, veal fillet and various puddings.
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