How To Choose The Best Amazon River Cruise According To Your Travel Style

The Amazon River is approximately 4,000 miles long and serves as the central vein of the Amazon Rainforest, the world's largest river basin and a wellspring of biodiversity home to millions of species of plants, animals, and insects. Often referred to as "the lungs of the planet," the Amazon is one of the world's most important ecosystems on which the regulation of the global climate depends. For nature-loving travelers this is one of the ultimate bucket list items of a South American vacation, as visiting the Amazon means embarking on a grand adventure in one of the world's most biodiverse destinations — but where do you even start?

There are some major population centers in the Amazon, like the Brazilian city of Manaus, but for the most part, it is a difficult region to explore by car. The best way to get around is to take advantage of the many rivers that sprawl across the rainforest — not just the Amazon River, which is the largest, but its many tributaries also. Riverboats and cruises provide the perfect means of transport to travel through the Amazon at a slow pace that will allow you plenty of time to keep an eye out for dangerous animals like jaguars and unbelievably rare ones like pink river dolphins.

The style of cruise you book though comes down to your travel style, so here's what you need to know about choosing the best Amazon River cruise.

Originating in the Andes Mountains and flowing east towards the Atlantic, the Amazon Rainforest sits in 8 countries; however, the three largest areas where you can find a wider variety of cruise companies are in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. Each country has its own advantages and will show you a different region of the rainforest. In Brazil, for example, you will embark from — or arrive in if you do a Caribbean-included cruise — the large city of Manaus, which shows a little bit of the Amazon's urban side.

Cruises leaving from the smaller Peruvian port of Iquitos tend to be more mellow as itineraries take you around the calm waterways of Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. To take an Amazon River cruise from Ecuador, you will need to fly to the even smaller town of Coca, where small cruise ships explore the natural scenery of Yasuní National Park.

Once you decide where you're going, you'll need to pay attention to the time of year you go. The best time to visit the Amazon is in the rainy season between December and May because the higher water levels means you will be able to get closer to the wildlife. The dry season between June and November is the hottest time of year, but it has some advantages like fewer mosquitoes.

When cruising the Amazon River, you can find a variety of price ranges and travel styles. The most comfortable options are luxury cruise lines like Anakonda Amazon Cruises in Ecuador (4-night trips starting at $2,294) and Delfin Amazon Cruises in Peru (4-night trips starting at $3,500). The latter even operates the world's only floating Relais & Châteaux, a luxury hotel association.

Slow boats, which work as long-distance ferries and cargo transport, offer a cheaper Amazon cruise alternative for ultra-budget travelers. Trips can last between 2-3 days — or longer if you want to combine multiple segments. Accommodations are very basic, with the cheapest ticket getting you a place on the boat where you can string up a hammock (which you will need to buy yourself) and may or may not include food. These journeys typically cost anywhere between $20 to $50 and do not include sightseeing stops as they are used strictly as transportation between port towns.

For something in between the extremely bare-bones cargo boats and the extravagant cruises, you can find middle-of-the-road cruises like the Amazon Clipper Cruises that leave from Manaus, Brazil (3-night trips starting at $807), or the Reina de Enin in Puerto Los Puentes, Bolivia (2-night trips starting at $363). These trips are shorter and include full board, private accommodation, and jungle excursions.