Written by:Claire Dean
Published: 12-07-2022
Visiting the Amazon is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you and your family will cherish. Tropical rainforest represents a challenging travel environment for even the most seasoned explorers, however if you follow some simple steps, you can enjoy a successful Amazon adventure with the little ones. The joys of the Amazon are many. Prepare to be amazed by the remarkably diverse plant life, the immense size and power of the river, the kindness of local river-based communities, and the sublime beauty of wild, untamed nature.
Amazon Jaguar
An Amazon Adventure should make the top your list if you’re looking for an exciting vacation with your kids. Did you know that the Amazon measures a whopping 2.6 million square miles? And it contains some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world? A mythical land that has intrigued explorers for centuries, you and your kids will be amazed by its wealth of plant and animal life. That said, an Amazon adventure with kids comes with unique challenges.
White Lined Monkey Frog
Many of the animals of the rainforest occupy the tree canopy, making them difficult for kids to see on foot. The rainforest’s hot, wet climate also takes getting used to. But when you plan for success with the tips below, your whole family will treasure rainforest travel.
Jungle Lodge
Family Tips for The Amazon
Travel Like a Local
How do locals deal with the Amazon’s worst heat? They plan around it by taking an afternoon nap or siesta. So, plan your days around rest during peak periods of heat. That means, getting up early when temperatures are cooler and wildlife more active. Make lunch your activity cut-off point. Follow your midday meal with a nap and a short, late afternoon activity before dinner.
Hydrate Well
A tropical rainforest means high temperatures and high humidity. This combination can be difficult for anybody to acclimate to, especially the youngest travelers. So, even when you’re traveling like a local, remember to go at a slower pace so that your kids don’t overexert themselves.
Explore the Amazon by Boat
The best way to have an authentic Amazon adventure with kids is on a river cruise. Why? Because it allows your family to experience the natural abundance of the rainforest, connecting with nature and visiting local river communities. It also gives you and your kids a better vantage point for wildlife observation; not only of the animals in the canopy but also those that choose to make the river their home. From a boat, prepare to spot spider monkeys, black-headed uakari monkeys, black caiman and more. Your ears will ring with the raucous calls of birds decked out in vibrant oranges, purples, emeralds, yellows, and scarlets. While sightings are rare, tell your kids to keep their eyes peeled for jaguars too.
Amazon Cruise Ship
Our Pick for A Cruise ……
Delfin Luxury Amazon Cruise.
We recommend the luxurious Delfin II with spacious accommodation and gourmet cuisine, or the comfortable Delfin III. On both cruises, you can explore the incredible wildlife of the Tahuayo River and Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Enjoy Delfin’s personalized and attentive service. Additionally, the suites aboard the Delfin II can be interconnected especially for families. Enjoy kayaking the waterways, walking swing bridges to get a bird’s-eye view of the forest, scouting at night for caiman crocodiles, and enjoying the colors and creations of regional craft markets. Finally, before your journey home, you can visit the Manatee Rescue Center in Iquitos to feed the manatees and learn about these gentle giants of Amazonia. If you’re after something more comfortable from Iquitos, Peru, you can’t go wrong with a Delfin Cruise.
The Amazon is a vast biology lab.
Here, kids not only can understand mother nature, but also interact with many rare or uncommon species such as toucans, hoatzin, boas, butterflies, jaguars, poisoned frogs, caimans, pink dolphins and rare piranhas. Every blink of the eye is an opportunity for children to discover something new and probably previously studied but never seen.The Amazon is a big biology and social lab where kids have the opportunity to learn while they’re enjoying and living an adventure. The Amazon not only makes possible to see, hear and even touch some animals, trees or people that are even studied at school, it also creates a deeper understanding of the world. Local guides in the Amazon, either aboard a river cruise or in a lodge, are more than happy to share their knowledge, experiences and adventures, as well as the peculiarities and biodiversity of the rainforest. These specialist guides also help children feel involved and make them a significant part of the trip, by giving advice on what to do and what not to do, where to go and how to behave in a specific context in the rainforest.
Capybara and Bird
Every day is an adventure.
Being surrounded by a deep forest or navigating the longest river in the world is an adventure on its own. But the unique sounds and vibrant colors off a completely different experience. Every experience in the Amazon is a mixture of calm and adrenaline that captures the children’s attention and keeps them interested. Just imagine taking relaxed boat rides and then watching a pink dolphin swimming next to you, or walking into a forest and spotting an emerald boa constrictor resting in a tree.
It will widen children’s perspective.
Traveling is the best way to widen your horizon and your mind, and why not let your kids experience this during childhood? An Amazon Rainforest family vacation is an excellent way for a family to get to know each other in the deepest way, face their fears and find their passions. The rainforest is ideal for awakening the imagination of children, as well as their interest in the natural world.
Your family will have the opportunity to meet and play with indigenous children.
One of the highlights of an Amazon family trip is being in contact with local indigenous tribes. These communities still live in a traditional way. The Amazon Rainforest is the ancestral home of 1 million indigenous people, divided into at least 400 tribes, “each one with its own language, culture and territory.” So, there are plenty of opportunities for your children to interact with other children and see both the differences and similarities between them.
Local Amazon Children
Our pick For A family Orientated Lodge
Refugio Amazonas
Catch (and release) a baby piranha: When visiting the oxbow lake near Posada Amazonas, Mom and Dad may be more interested in spotting the elusive Giant Otters, but your children will be kept busy baiting their lines and catching baby piranhas. Meet the community: During Ese Eja day, learn what daily life in the Amazon is like with the Native Community of Infierno.
Visit a jungle farm and the farmer tending to his exotic fruits right in the heart of the Amazon.
Learn about the plants that the native community has been using as medicine for centuries! You’ll learn about one plant that turns you blue and another that numbs your tongue!
Climb the canopy tower to get a birds-eye view of the whole Amazon Rainforest!
Discover a new species: Your kids will delight in trapping insects at the light trap – and working with researchers to learn about the different species of moths and insects -and even identify a whole new species, if they are lucky!
Be confident to send your kids on a nature walk with the highly trained guides, who will bring the forest alive with stories and ‘treasure hunts for your little ones.
Jungle Lodge
