Manaus to Belém, best boat

Hello,

I'm looking for information about boats that go from Manaus (Manaos) to Belém, through the Amazonas. I've read that the best one is the "Navio Amazon Star", but after that I've seen this picture: http://www.dmotioninfo.com/video/22011664/navio-amazon-star-manaus-a-belem#related-videos, or directly this one, it's the same.

Can any of you recommend a better one or the way to find it?

Thank you very much in advance, K.

Hey there - we just hopped on the first boat available when we arrived (also by boat... from Bolivia) in Manaus. I couldn't hear the sound on the video, but it's of a cabin which is an expensive way to travel on the boats. I've most often heard that cabin folks don't like the way the humidity and heat builds up in the enclosed space. I traveled from Manaus to Belem in a hammock space on... Onze de Maio, I think. You're packed in like sardines, but you gt used to it. And the showers for the main peeps on the boat were much bigger.

Hope that helps!

Sadly, this is about the best you can expect to find on the Amazon river, in terms of sanitary conditions, etc. Unless you pay for a private ensuite room, you'd be dealing with a shared bathroom in worse condition than the one on the video.

Agreed. Stop thinking of them as cruise ships for tourists, and start thinking of them as public transport systems for locals, because that is what they are.

You know that bathroom looks consideranly cleaner and more spacious than the one in the hotel I stayed at in Manaus. Threads like this make you realise that getting rid of universal military service in most developed countries was a retrograde step, at least in terms of people being able to cope with the realities of life.

We went from Belém to Manaus on Amazon Star, and spent a bit more for a "suíte", which is what you see in this video. There is one cabin available on the vessel with a double bunk, however I suspect that it's never available. The "suíte" was fine, the shower is river water, the A/C worked, the ventilation was OK, the bunks OK.

The M/V Rondônia also runs this route and is "bigger and better". The only vessel which might be described as a cruise ship" is the "Iberostar Gran Amazon". We have seen the former heading downriver, however have not seen the latter.

There is also a multitude of older "traditional" vessels, like the Santarem and Amazon Clipper.

We chose the Amazon Star because it was the only one which could take our vehicle as well as ourselves.

Note: there is a tour company called "Amazon Star" which, as far as I can tell, has nothing to do with the vessel "Amazon Star".

If interested, http://suramericacontraelreloj.blogspot.com.co/2011_03_01_archive.html gives some pictures and discussion.

Thank you very much to all of you!!!

Hey Guys,

I have a little problem and hope you can help me!

Me and a friend of mine want to do the boat trip from Belem to Manaus in the middle of January. We know, how it will work and a bit how it will be.
But the questions are:
Should we book the Boat Trip before we go to Belem? An agency told us, that the boat will cost 500 Reais and will leave only on Saturdays and Wednesdays.
Are there also other boats which will leave on Fridays for example?
Will it be cheaper to book the boat in Belem?

We will arrive in Belem on an Thursday at 14:30. Then we will have some time to organize some things in Belem. But we also have the fear, that the boats will be full and we will not get on it to Manaus because in Brasil will be at this time also holiday time for the Brasils.

Thank You!

Q: Should we book the Boat Trip before we go to Belem? An agency told us, that the boat will cost 500 Reais and will leave only on Saturdays and Wednesdays.
A: I would wait until you are in Belém.

Q: Are there also other boats which will leave on Fridays for example?
A: there are several boats, no idea when they leave these days.

Q: Will it be cheaper to book the boat in Belem?
A: Maybe - depends on the boat, the agency, etc.

Q: We will arrive in Belem on an Thursday at 14:30. Then we will have some time to organize some things in Belem. But we also have the fear, that the boats will be full and we will not get on it to Manaus because in Brasil will be at this time also holiday time for the Brasils.
A: they'll pack you on somehow, so unless you want a cabin you should be able to find a place.

A general comment - working to a tight schedule is not a good plan - you need to build in some flexibility.

I agree with all the advice on here so far and will add my 2¢. My travel companions, who are both Brazilian, and I tried to research Amazon cruises before we got there but the advice we received from everyone is that you just have to go to Belem and be flexible. If I were you, I would insist on seeing the boat and your quarters before you pay. We did this and they gave us some b.s. excuse why this wasn't possible and insisted we pay in cash, although there was a sign in the window saying "We accept Visa." After the first day we knew why!

Best advice so far is stop thinking of these boats as cruises or pleasure crafts in any way. I took the N/M Onze de Maio I from Belem to Manaus. What I learned too late is that it's a cargo boat with no amenities whatsoever. Even though they charged me $600 US for a private cabin, what they neglected to say was that it had no sheets, no blankets, no towels, no soap and no glasses. Now, I could have accommodated for all this had I known before I was on board, but by the time I discovered I would be trapped on this boat for 6 days living like a homeless person, it was too late. Our fare came with meals, which were served next to the banos with such a horrible smell that it was impossible to eat. I subsisted for the week by living on ham and cheese sandwiches purchased separately from the little cantina and of course cases of cold beer. I met lots of great people on board the boat; there is nothing to do but watch the scenery, drink and tell stories. Would I do it again? Probably not. But like so much travel, I'm glad I did.

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