References
December 17, 2001
I am a producer on the wildlife adventure program The Jeff Corwin Experience which airs on the Animal Planet and Discovery Networks worldwide. In December of 2001 I had the pleasure of coordinating our shoot in the Brazilian Amazon Basin with the local tour outfitting company Swallows and Amazons.
Mark Aitchison was extremely resourceful from the very start as we corresponded about shooting options in the Manaus region. He by far had the most helpful ideas and feedback concerning our plans, as compared to the other companies I contacted. He also submitted the lowest cost proposal. Mark has a wide network of local contacts in the Manaus region and he did not hesitate to call upon them to make sure our shoot was successful as possible. Not the least of these was our guide, Conrad, who traveled with our crew at all times and was extremely knowledgeable about the region and its wildlife.
I would highly recommend Swallows and Amazons as a Brazilian tour operator for recreational groups and film and television productions alike.
Sincerely,
Holly WilliamsonEpisode ProducerThe Jeff Corwin Experience
Popular Arts Entertainment, 2006 W. Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506Tel: 818-562-6366, Fax: 818-558-7047, Email: hwilliamson@populararts.com
I am a producer on the wildlife adventure program The Jeff Corwin Experience which airs on the Animal Planet and Discovery Networks worldwide. In December of 2001 I had the pleasure of coordinating our shoot in the Brazilian Amazon Basin with the local tour outfitting company Swallows and Amazons.
Mark Aitchison was extremely resourceful from the very start as we corresponded about shooting options in the Manaus region. He by far had the most helpful ideas and feedback concerning our plans, as compared to the other companies I contacted. He also submitted the lowest cost proposal. Mark has a wide network of local contacts in the Manaus region and he did not hesitate to call upon them to make sure our shoot was successful as possible. Not the least of these was our guide, Conrad, who traveled with our crew at all times and was extremely knowledgeable about the region and its wildlife.
I would highly recommend Swallows and Amazons as a Brazilian tour operator for recreational groups and film and television productions alike.
Sincerely,
Holly WilliamsonEpisode ProducerThe Jeff Corwin Experience
Popular Arts Entertainment, 2006 W. Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506Tel: 818-562-6366, Fax: 818-558-7047, Email: hwilliamson@populararts.com
April 26, 2018
Having wavered for months about the wisdom of going on a trip along the Amazon with our nearly 1-year old son, we struck gold with Swallows and Amazons. We had the adventure of a lifetime and although our son will not remember the holiday, the rest of us certainly will! The team we were placed with were all stellar - the family team of captain Santana, his wife Carmen the cook, and their delightful daughter Isis couldn’t have been a better fit for us and in their affection for our son!! All the meals were delicious, and we were treated to the various varieties of local fish. Anand the guide was top drawer: he took on board what we had particular interest in, and the pace at which we could go at (limited mobility from some of our party) and gave us great insight into the ecology and culture of the region. Problem is we now have an Anand-shaped hole in our lives as we hear bird sounds and want to know what bird it is…!
The boat was beautifully maintained and up to very high standards - we could see that Santana and his family do this not just because it pays but because they love it and they love the land and water they’ve been raised on. Not that I’m a connoisseur in Amazonian tourism, but I suspect it’s pretty rare to find this. Most set-ups have large groups, rushing through different locations without taking the time and care to stop and gaze in wonder. We certainly didn’t want to be on a conveyor belt on the Amazon river and we were delighted that our experience was far from that!
Mark Aitchison was super-efficient and accommodating and excellent at allaying our fears and doubts about the trip. He assured us - as we dithered over whether or not to stay in a lodge or go on a boat - that the best way of getting to know the Amazonian region was like the locals do, by water, and that by travelling along it the landscape is always changing so there is always something new to see. He was proved 100% right and we are already dreaming up our next boat trip! We would recommend Swallows and Amazons to anyone at any stage without hesitating.
Don’t get me wrong - the Amazon IS wild and malaria is certainly a risk (although there are barely any mosquitos when travelling on the Rio Negro) - but the local team know the terrain well, care is taken, and the sheer exhilaration of being on an amazing boat pooling along the Rio Negro, in fantastic company, seeing landscapes and animals we’ll never see again - more than compensated for the risks.
Mark and Jess Simpson (Brits living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)Email: jeseddon@googlemail.com
Having wavered for months about the wisdom of going on a trip along the Amazon with our nearly 1-year old son, we struck gold with Swallows and Amazons. We had the adventure of a lifetime and although our son will not remember the holiday, the rest of us certainly will! The team we were placed with were all stellar - the family team of captain Santana, his wife Carmen the cook, and their delightful daughter Isis couldn’t have been a better fit for us and in their affection for our son!! All the meals were delicious, and we were treated to the various varieties of local fish. Anand the guide was top drawer: he took on board what we had particular interest in, and the pace at which we could go at (limited mobility from some of our party) and gave us great insight into the ecology and culture of the region. Problem is we now have an Anand-shaped hole in our lives as we hear bird sounds and want to know what bird it is…!
The boat was beautifully maintained and up to very high standards - we could see that Santana and his family do this not just because it pays but because they love it and they love the land and water they’ve been raised on. Not that I’m a connoisseur in Amazonian tourism, but I suspect it’s pretty rare to find this. Most set-ups have large groups, rushing through different locations without taking the time and care to stop and gaze in wonder. We certainly didn’t want to be on a conveyor belt on the Amazon river and we were delighted that our experience was far from that!
Mark Aitchison was super-efficient and accommodating and excellent at allaying our fears and doubts about the trip. He assured us - as we dithered over whether or not to stay in a lodge or go on a boat - that the best way of getting to know the Amazonian region was like the locals do, by water, and that by travelling along it the landscape is always changing so there is always something new to see. He was proved 100% right and we are already dreaming up our next boat trip! We would recommend Swallows and Amazons to anyone at any stage without hesitating.
Don’t get me wrong - the Amazon IS wild and malaria is certainly a risk (although there are barely any mosquitos when travelling on the Rio Negro) - but the local team know the terrain well, care is taken, and the sheer exhilaration of being on an amazing boat pooling along the Rio Negro, in fantastic company, seeing landscapes and animals we’ll never see again - more than compensated for the risks.
Mark and Jess Simpson (Brits living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)Email: jeseddon@googlemail.com
September 4, 2017
I am not sure how I came across Swallows and Amazons. I was searching for a credible, natural-history oriented small boat trip on the Amazon River. I checked departures from Coca (Ecuador), Iquitos (Peru) and Manaus (Brazil). In one internet search I came across Swallows and Amazons. I booked it for the four of us on a ten day trip from Manaus up the Rio Negro to Jau National Park this past July. It was worth every penny and the price was very reasonable.
Our hosts Mark and Tania met us at the hotel (hotel included in the tour), delivered all that they had promised and put us aboard a small, two deck boat with two guest cabins, with air conditioning too boot. The boat crew was phenomenal from the excellent Brazilian home cooking by Francesca, the very professional captain (Valdhino), the deckhand (Preto) and our wonderful guide who knows the natural history of this region quite well. Our guide, Anand, went out of his way to schedule several off-boat activities every day, in search of birds. Can I complain that there was TOO MUCH food? We felt compelled to overeat.
The experience of slowly motoring up the vastness of the flooded forest of the Rio Negro (the largest northern tributary of the Amazon system) is unforgettable. Macaws and amazon parrots flew alongside or over us every day. We searched in a small boat within the flooded forest canopy for the smaller birds. Hard work? Yes. But we did manage to get some of the antbirds, antwrens, manakins and owls. River dolphins – pink and grey were - ubiquitous. Anyone interested in this kind of experience can do no better. Highly recommended.
Frank BuonoSierra Vista, AZNational Park Service (Retired) Email: wbuono@earthlink.net
I am not sure how I came across Swallows and Amazons. I was searching for a credible, natural-history oriented small boat trip on the Amazon River. I checked departures from Coca (Ecuador), Iquitos (Peru) and Manaus (Brazil). In one internet search I came across Swallows and Amazons. I booked it for the four of us on a ten day trip from Manaus up the Rio Negro to Jau National Park this past July. It was worth every penny and the price was very reasonable.
Our hosts Mark and Tania met us at the hotel (hotel included in the tour), delivered all that they had promised and put us aboard a small, two deck boat with two guest cabins, with air conditioning too boot. The boat crew was phenomenal from the excellent Brazilian home cooking by Francesca, the very professional captain (Valdhino), the deckhand (Preto) and our wonderful guide who knows the natural history of this region quite well. Our guide, Anand, went out of his way to schedule several off-boat activities every day, in search of birds. Can I complain that there was TOO MUCH food? We felt compelled to overeat.
The experience of slowly motoring up the vastness of the flooded forest of the Rio Negro (the largest northern tributary of the Amazon system) is unforgettable. Macaws and amazon parrots flew alongside or over us every day. We searched in a small boat within the flooded forest canopy for the smaller birds. Hard work? Yes. But we did manage to get some of the antbirds, antwrens, manakins and owls. River dolphins – pink and grey were - ubiquitous. Anyone interested in this kind of experience can do no better. Highly recommended.
Frank BuonoSierra Vista, AZNational Park Service (Retired) Email: wbuono@earthlink.net
January 25, 2024
Excellent tour with professional guide!
We had a brilliant private 5 day tour with Swallows and Amazon, exploring the Rio Negro with our tour guide Anand. It felt like a truly unique and personal tour and we were very well looked after, including by a cook who joined us and provided our meals. We booked a small boat tour which is different to the usual large boat tours available through swallows and Amazon. The boat was a small motorboat and a bit uncomfortable after 5 days but it was perfect for what we needed and could afford. We think It gave us a much more wild and adventurous experience seeing the Amazon, which is what I wanted! The boat had a sun roof so you don't have to sit in the direct sun as you travel around the Rio Negro. We had a busy agenda filled with diverse and interesting activities, including piranha fishing, a forest walk, caiman spotting, visiting a Cabocle community and we even spent one night sleeping in a hammock in the jungle!! Luckily we had someone with a shotgun accompany us as we heard jaguars roaring near us all night. A truly wild experience. The lodge we stayed in on the other nights was lovely and private, with a private beach! The food was simple but good and nutritious. Caipirinhas were available and a welcome refresh in the Amazon heat! Our tour guide Anand has been providing tours for 20 years and it was evident in his guiding. He knew the forest and species extremely well and had many stories and tales to tell about the forest. He also knows the area well and the people who live along the river, which seemed really important for the activities. For example, a local person joined us on the forest walk and helped guide us. Highly recommend booking a tour with Swallows and Amazon's if you want a unique and professional tour of the Amazon. Mark booked the tour for us and was extremely helpful, providing thorough guidance and preparation materials and answering all my questions. He was understanding that we were on a limited budget and helped to organise us a small boat tour, which was much appreciated. It was a fantastic tour, and we absolutely loved the Brazilian Amazon! Hope to be back one day. Jasmine Upton Cornwall, UK Email: jasmineupton23@gmail.com
Excellent tour with professional guide!
We had a brilliant private 5 day tour with Swallows and Amazon, exploring the Rio Negro with our tour guide Anand. It felt like a truly unique and personal tour and we were very well looked after, including by a cook who joined us and provided our meals. We booked a small boat tour which is different to the usual large boat tours available through swallows and Amazon. The boat was a small motorboat and a bit uncomfortable after 5 days but it was perfect for what we needed and could afford. We think It gave us a much more wild and adventurous experience seeing the Amazon, which is what I wanted! The boat had a sun roof so you don't have to sit in the direct sun as you travel around the Rio Negro. We had a busy agenda filled with diverse and interesting activities, including piranha fishing, a forest walk, caiman spotting, visiting a Cabocle community and we even spent one night sleeping in a hammock in the jungle!! Luckily we had someone with a shotgun accompany us as we heard jaguars roaring near us all night. A truly wild experience. The lodge we stayed in on the other nights was lovely and private, with a private beach! The food was simple but good and nutritious. Caipirinhas were available and a welcome refresh in the Amazon heat! Our tour guide Anand has been providing tours for 20 years and it was evident in his guiding. He knew the forest and species extremely well and had many stories and tales to tell about the forest. He also knows the area well and the people who live along the river, which seemed really important for the activities. For example, a local person joined us on the forest walk and helped guide us. Highly recommend booking a tour with Swallows and Amazon's if you want a unique and professional tour of the Amazon. Mark booked the tour for us and was extremely helpful, providing thorough guidance and preparation materials and answering all my questions. He was understanding that we were on a limited budget and helped to organise us a small boat tour, which was much appreciated. It was a fantastic tour, and we absolutely loved the Brazilian Amazon! Hope to be back one day. Jasmine Upton Cornwall, UK Email: jasmineupton23@gmail.com