The Amazon is a lot more than creepy crawlies and humidity. It’s incredibly lush, it features a staggering amount of wildlife (monkeys, jaguars, dolphins, macaws, etc), and most importantly – since we are gay, after all – you can travel there in luxury. ‘Cause let’s face it, it’s a lot more fun watching wild apes while holding a glass of champagne.
You don’t have to travel in 5-star style, of course. You can camp along the Amazon, sleep in a pool of sweat, bathe in bug spray and experience nature in ways both charming and terrifying. But if you’re someone who appreciates both a skiff and a steak, perhaps Brand g – or a straight version of a luxury trip – is right for you.
For starters, the Amazon can be warm and humid, no doubt. But on Brand g’s river cruises, wildlife excursions mostly occur in the cool morning hours. During the warmer part of the day, you can enjoy the air-conditioned luxury of the river ship.
And our expert naturalists are well-accustomed to squeamish Americans, and will get you only as up close and personal with wildlife as your own comfort level allows. So, you can swim with river dolphins and let tarantulas crawl up your sleeve, or you can just watch as somebody else does. It’s all up to you.
Many people think of the creepier, scarier forms of wildlife (snakes, spiders, etc) in the rainforest, and assume any Amazon vacation will be chock full of GROSS. But there are many charming, adorable animals, as well, like turtles, the capybara (pictured above), the river dolphin, etc. The Amazon is a veritable panoply of creatures great and small, and there’s something for everyone.
Best of all, once you’ve spent the morning communing with creatures, you can come back to the ship and be pampered like a third world dictator. Get a massage in the spa. Have a four-course lunch. Sit in the hot tub and watch the glorious rainforest pass by.
On Brand g’s Amazon River Cruise & Machu Picchu Land Tours (which offer you two vastly different experiences in one South American trip) we charter the Delfin III, a 5-star river ship. With just 22 cabins, this ship is renowned for its high level of comfort and service.
All rooms on the Delfin III are suites. “Suite” is, of course, a misnomer these days – few “suites” on river or ocean ships (or, for that matter, a lot of hotels) are actual multi-room affairs. But these Delfin III rooms are much larger than average, and come with top-of-the-line amenities.
So, the Amazon is only as “icky” as the method in which you choose to visit it. And that’s entirely up to your own personal tastes.
But for us, we’ll pretty much choose running to the hot tub over running from a jaguar every time.
