Amazon River

One of the least penetrable places on the planet is best penetrated, strangely enough, in more comfort than might be expected. By that I'm referring to the Amazon via boat. This region is lush with growth and ripe with biodiversity in both animal and plant life and supported by one of the largest systems of fresh water on the planet. Expect to encounter both plant and animal species that look different to anything you’ve seen anywhere other than a nature documentary. The real beauty of seeing the river and rainforest by boat is that guides are able to tailor the trip to the time of year and recent wildlife sightings so that each visitor sees as much as possible. The boat itself becomes an easily portable camp, movable between wildlife trails. As well as animals, the Amazon's birdlife is extraordinary and the lives of the indigenous inhabitants fascinating. The river varies in width and in some places there are islands in the centre of it. The best expeditions will see passengers setting off in smaller boats towards these islands or the shore a couple of times a day to enter the rainforest in different places after careful onboard sightings from experienced river guides. These aren’t the big game animals of Africa and it takes a practiced eye to spot these smaller creatures, especially amongst the heavy growth of the rainforest. Amazon explorations usually include in their itineraries stops in some or all of Iquitos, Santarem, Parintins, Manaus and Boca de Valeria, but the river's rich basin runs though nine countries and its the longest river in the world so there are many potential routes. The best way to choose would be to get local advice for the time of year you're planning to travel. While we're on statistics, there are one of my recent guides told me, 4,000 species of fish in the Amazon, and more than 1,000 different kinds of birds flying overhead. I would recommend a smaller vessel with less than 30 passengers, so you get to know the guides...