Visiting the Amazon Rainforest is hugely popular, and for good reason. It’s one of the most bio-diverse areas in the entire world. From sloths to monkeys, one of every ten known species lives in the Amazon. That’s worth a visit! But surely you’re now wondering how to visit the Amazon rainforest.
The best Amazon tours will leave you feeling stunned.
Amazon Rainforest tours in Brazil are typically the first thing people think of as Amazon destinations, but you can (and should!) visit the Amazon in Peru or Ecuador as well. The Amazon isn’t the only place to see rainforests, either! There are tons of other rainforest adventure travel tours you can consider.
Can you visit the Amazon Rainforest?
Yes, but since the Amazon is such a popular and amazing destination, it’s important to visit in an ethical way. This means going with a tour or a well-trained guide. The best Amazon tours have local guides to help you navigate the forest so you don’t get lost. Plus, they know a ton about the wildlife and fauna! They can also take you to visit indigenous tribes that they have pre-existing relationships with, so you’re not just barging in on a tribe that may not be interested in contact with tourists.
So, can you go to the Amazon Rainforest? Absolutely, but make sure you go with a tour and have a guide with you. Guides will help your visit and experience in the Amazon Rainforest reach its fullest potential while still ensuring that your visit is ethical and not damaging to the area or the wildlife.
[Related: Brazil Adventure Travel: 9 Things to Know Before You Go]
How to visit the Amazon Rainforest
Editor’s note: This information on visiting the Amazon Rainforest was accurate at the time of publishing. Please refer to each individual program for current data.
1. AFS Brazil Global Prep: Amazon River Odyssey — Leave the first review!
This isn’t any regular Amazon tour; it’s an incredible river odyssey in the Amazon Rainforest. This trip includes a stay in the capital of the Amazonas region, Manaus. You’ll see the sights and dance with the locals! You’ll also stop by the Terra de Cachoeiras or Land of Waterfalls. After that, it’s a six-day river odyssey down the Amazon River. Accommodation includes hammocks in the jungle (how cool is that?!). You might even spot some wildlife like alligators or piranhas.
- Where? Brazil
- When? July
- Duration? 10 days
- Read AFS USA reviews
2. Amazon Jungle Survival — Leave the first review!
Are you tough enough to survive in the Amazon jungle by yourself? This survival excursion spends over a week teaching participants essential skills like how to locate a clean water source, construct traps to catch food, and even hunt with a bow and arrow!
You’ll also learn skills like starting a fire without a match or lighter, building a shelter, and finding your way out of the jungle. Then, you’ll have the chance to prove yourself during the Isolation Phase — two days where you’re completely on your own! You’ll come away from this incredible tour with new skills and new self-confidence to top it all.
- Where? Guyana
- When? Year-round
- Duration? Two weeks
- Read Fronteering reviews
3. Amazon Rainforest Wildlife Rescue in Ecuador — 10
Are you especially excited about the wildlife in the Amazon forest? This tour features the rehabilitation of wild animals that went through abuse and trafficking. Participants will stay at a beautiful property located deep within the forest and interact with animals such as parrots, monkeys, turtles, and even wild cats! What better way to tour the Amazon than to care for its residents? You’ll have a blast working with wildlife rescue on this Amazon forest tour.
- Where? Ecuador
- When? Year-round
- Duration? 2-12 weeks
- Read Kaya Responsible Travel reviews
4. South America Semester: Andes & Amazon — 9.33
Looking for Amazon Rainforest tour packages that are longer than just a couple weeks? Look no further. This “gap year” tour lasts about 3 months! Participants will spend at least 2 weeks trekking through the Amazon forest, learning about conservationism and rubber-tapping along the way. The program also includes a visit to Mt. Tunupa, a multi-colored volcano that overlooks the Salt Flats in Bolivia, and even a hike up Machu Picchu! Well-rounded and packed with incredible experiences, this gap-year will transform you as a traveler and person.
- Where? Peru and Bolivia
- When? Year-round
- Duration? 3 months
- Read Where There Be Dragons reviews
5. South America Gap Year Semester | Pacific Discovery — 10
Speaking of programs that allow you to explore a little bit longer, this gap year helps participants to travel around South America, especially Peru and Ecuador. You’ll have incredible opportunities like snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands, biking Machu Picchu, and helping with service projects for local villages. Once you make it to the Amazon portion of the trip, you’ll be rafting down the Jatunyacu River in the Amazon Basin. As if that wasn’t cool enough, you’ll also see tons of wildlife and maybe even learn about how chocolate is made. Yum!
- Where? Ecuador and Peru
- When? Fall or Spring
- Duration? 9-12 weeks
- Read Pacific Discovery reviews
6. 15 Day Spanish Language + Amazon Experience Tour — Leave the first review!
This program has a heavy focus on the Spanish language, a huge plus for travelers looking to become bi- or even trilingual. You’ll get incredible language immersion and opportunities to practice Spanish with the locals while you explore Ecuador. This trip features an Amazon excursion for three days — enough time for you to experience the incredible natural beauty, but short enough that you’ll have plenty of time for other Ecuadorian adventures such as a coffee tour, South American cooking class, and salsa dancing!
- Where? Ecuador
- When? Year-round
- Duration? 15 days
- Read Worldaway Learning Tours reviews
7. Volunteer: Amazonas Explored — 9
This Amazon tour combines the best of both worlds: volunteer work that will make a difference and amazing adventures in the Amazon forest! One week of this program is spent in local villages (that are occupied by “a playful troop of monkeys”), helping residents to build bathrooms and other necessary structures as well as teaching children English. The other week(s) are spent exploring the Amazon jungle further by hiking, canoeing, tubing, visiting an Amazonian animal refuge, and meeting with a shaman. If you stay an extra week, your tour can also include hiking two active volcanoes, visiting the ocean, swimming with whales and dolphins, and finishing off at the "Center of the World", the equator line!
- Where? Ecuador
- When? Year-round
- Duration? 1-4 weeks
- Read Volunteer Eco Students Abroad reviews
8. 8-Day Indigenous Cultures & Amazon Rain Forest Tour — Leave the first review!
If you’re interested in visiting the Amazon Rainforest, chances are you’ll love touring the Cloud Forest in Ecuador. This tour gives you both in one trip! Plus, you’ll spend time with indigenous tribes of Ecuador like the Otavalos People of Imamabura, a Pre-Incan Tribe in the Cloud Forest, and an original Amazonian Tribe. You’ll experience both incredible forests firsthand and connect further by getting to know the people and culture. Plus, you’ll probably get to try some common local foods, such as a rainforest tree slug (we’re not kidding!).
- Where? Ecuador
- When? Year-round
- Duration? 8 days
- Read Worldaway Learning Tours reviews
9. Traditional Plant Medicine, Herbalism, and Ethnobotany — 9
This is a great Amazon tour for our travelers with a knack for or interest in natural medicine and herbalism. Participants are housed with a local family who practices herbalism. You’ll get to see firsthand what practices and plants are used! You won’t just see the Amazon forest; you’ll also learn how to use its resources to help people who are sick. You can fulfill your lifelong dream of touring the Amazon while simultaneously helping people. It’s a win-win!
- Where? Ecuador
- When? Summer
- Duration? 2-12 weeks
- Read Amazon Learning reviews
Can’t pick? Compare These Programs Side-by-Side for FREE with MyGoAbroad
Visit the Amazon Rainforest and meet our planet’s lungs
This is a once-in-a-lifetime event — enjoy every moment of responsibly visiting the Amazon Rainforest.
There are tons of awesome ways to visit the Amazon Rainforest! You can go on a tour with a local guide who can help you get the most out of your trip. You can amp things up and make it a river tour where you cruise down the Amazon river in style. There’s tons of volunteer tours where you can see the forest and make a difference in conservation efforts. You can even help rehabilitate the wildlife! The best Amazon tours all have amazing pros, so you really can’t go wrong.
Whatever ethical way of traveling you choose, you’ll love the Amazon! From lush forests to big woven roots, elephants to poison dart frogs, you’ll see amazing things. Basically, touring the Amazon guarantees that you’ll have an incredible and life-changing experience.
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