Witnessing the Unique Phenomenon of the the Amazon River’s Unmixable Waters and Navigating on a Speedboat Through Amazonian Waters (private tour)

• The Rio Negro (Black River) and Solimoes River meet, but their waters don’t mix

Get ready to discover one of the many amazing features of the largest river on Earth: the Amazon River, whose flow is even larger than the flow of the next eight largest rivers in the world combined!

On our speedboat we’ll navigate to the confluence of the two rivers that form the Amazon River: the pitch-black Rio Negro and the cream-colored Solimoes River. That confluence is known as “the meeting of the unmixable waters.” Due to a unique quirk of nature, the waters of these two tributary rivers flow side by side for about 8 miles (12 kilometers) without mixing, due to a large difference between the rivers’ flowing speeds and temperatures. The difference in color between the two rivers is so stark, in fact, that the two “unmixable” waters can even be distinguished from satellites orbiting in space! And while stationed right on the confluence, you can even dip your hand into the waters on either side of the boat and feel the difference in temperature between the two rivers.

During our navigation, we’ll see from a distance the houses of the riverside Amazonian villagers, some built on stilts and others being floating houses, to protect themselves from the huge increase in the water levels during high tide season (it’s up to a 32 feet/10 meter increase!).

We’ll stop for lunch at one of the floating restaurants on the banks of the Amazon river. This restaurant is stationed next to the Janauari National Park, a large natural reserve. We’ll be greeted by “ribeirinhos” or “riverside dwellers,” who run the floating restaurant as well as a handicraft market next to the restaurant.

Within the National Park, the Vitoria Regia (Royal Victory) giant water lilies grow during the year. These are the largest water plants on Earth, and can reach up to 7 feet (2 meters) in diameter. Generally their leaves are decayed or have disappeared altogether during low tide season (September to December). If they happen to be in full leaf at the time of our visit, our guide may decide to venture into the park to check them out.

On our way back to our lodge, we’ll navigate the Amazonian waters on our speedboat with your private guide, while checking out local flora. During the low tide season we’ll go through canals that are navigable throughout the year. If at the time of your visit the waters are high enough, we’ll venture with our speedboat within the flooded forest among the trees, for a close up sight of Amazonian flora.

Our full day exploration comes to an end as we head back to our lodge having experienced some of the awesome and truly unique sights the Amazon river has to offer!

Important: the tour’s exact itinerary and duration may change subject to weather conditions and decisions of the tour guide to optimize your tour experience.