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surface , dolphins swim around me , rising one by one , playful and curious . We stay until the jungle rains arrive , doing their best to beat us back down to the water as we clamber up into the boat .
It ’ s time to find refuge again , to string up camp under the protection of the mesh of ancient , entwined boughs . Tonight , Juan has a daring plan . “ We do it all the time , since we were kids ,” he tells me , putting the finishing touches to his camp for the night . “ We start when we ’ re , maybe , six or seven . Once we ’ re as big as the medium-sized ones , we sneak up on them , crouching , and , boom !” He casually demonstrates the act of launching himself onto an Amazonian caiman , showing me how he wraps his arms around its metre-long jaw . He laughs as he mimics the action of thrashing through the water on the gigantic predator ’ s back .
I ’ m left to handle the dinner as Juan goes to wrestle crocodiles at the riverbed .
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The Amazon rainforest ,
Yasuni National Park
He leaves me a machete , an oar , a tin can and our fishing wire , along with a box of ingredients he carried in . I say nothing , preferring my position as cook to that of Amazonian Crocodile Dundee .
We ’ d already made a small fire , which smoulders on the damp kindling as I cut slits in the sides of the tin can . Through these I pull the wire , wrapping it around propped sticks once I ’ ve skewered the piranhas . Rice is bubbling slowly , very slowly , in the tin can . The oar is stacked with garlic and tomatoes , chopped as meticulously as is possible with a 45 cm-long machete . I rotate the piranhas , their razorsharp teeth less threatening when charred .
Juan returns unscathed and we perch around the fire to eat , our faces faintly illuminated by the flames . Another night lies ahead in which to swap jungle stories and stare into the impenetrable darkness that consumes the jungle floor .
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ESSENTIALS
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When to go : Visit during the dry season , from July to December , for a better chance of taking jungle hikes . But visit in the wet season , from January to June , if you want to experience traversing the mangroves via canoe along the high waters . Currency : Brazilian real . $ 1 = BRL4 Language : Portuguese is the official and common language , though there are roughly 300 Indigenous languages spoken within the Brazilian Amazon . Getting around : Arrive in the jungle
from the city of Manaus , accessible by air via daily flights from the major international hubs of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro .
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BOOK IT NOW
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Venture deep into the Amazon on a purpose-built expedition ship featuring a submarine excursion . Treat yourself with the palatial Owners Suite on the Seabourn Pursuit for the 14-Day Amazon Delta & The Coast of Brazil cruise . Departs Manaus , Brazil , on 24 October 2023 .
CALL US
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To book your trip , contact our agency today .
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image : GETTY . ILLUSTRATION : LIS WATKINS |
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