Tour Guide: Amazon Adventure

Boldly go where no man has gone before. Well, go where few have gone before, anyway. Brazil-based Amazon Nature Tours offers a new boat tour that, by our calculations journeys farther up the Rio Negro than any other tour company.

Impressed? It gets better: Amazon Nature Tours began as a lumber company in the 1980s, but soon realized the importance of rain forest conservation. They began their eco-tour operations in 1989, employing locals and finding other ways to help support local communities. Amazon Nature Tours explains that for many of their crew members, their children are the very first in their families to attend school. So they're no longer harvesting lumber, but cultivating economic development instead.

Departing every other Sunday from Manaus, Brazil, the seven-night/eight-day "Voyage to the Heart of the Amazon" tour travels up the Rio Negro, an important left tributary of the Amazon. Guests will enjoy swimming in the "cleanest water in the world," observing monkeys and other wildlife in the Lago Janauari Ecological Park, hiking in the forest, and visiting with local settlers.

The 82-foot Motor Yacht Tucano carries a maximum of 18 passengers in its nine cabins. The ship's observation deck runs the entire length of the upper deck, with plenty of room to spread out from other guests. If you are feeling a little seasick on deck, the main salon inside has 15 windows and a mini library with popular books and board games, so you won't feel you're missing out on the sights from indoors. Amazon Nature Tours operates all year round, so you might find a bit of comfort indoors during the rainy season.

Check out other Tour Guide picks from IT, or see what tours Traveler recommends in Tours of a Lifetime.