About the Image(s)

I am still on a cruise: I haven’t got access to all images taken over the past 8 weeks, so I hope it is in order to post 3 images here which demonstrate the differing non-wildlife views while spending a week within the Amazon River on an Ocean going cruise ship. We started in Southampton 6th January and return mid-March. Most of my photography whilst within the Amazon, Caribbean and Central American countries has been wildlife focused.

We sailed for 2 days up the Amazon to Manaus City (some 900 miles), spent 2 days there, 1 at a smaller city called Santana & 2 days sailing out. Manaus is how far container/goods ships can reach, so it is the main distribution hub with everything moving by water as there are minimal roads out of the city.

The main picture is of a typical Town or City view from the river - other than City Centre areas, where the buildings are more conventionally built - indeed Manaus (a city of 3m people) has some fine period buildings including the famous Theatre which we visited.

Note the buildings on stilts and the variety of river craft, including the larger boat bottom left which would be used as a ferry and have hammocks for over-night use. Others (not pictured) include mobile shops servicing villages.

The first Extra image is of a typical view from the ship while sailing in/out. The main deep channel is relatively narrow for such a huge river (up to 5 miles but sometimes less than a mile), but the total width with multiple channels and islands is far greater as demonstrated here. Virtually all sides are natural forest, with a small amount cleared for cattle and bananas round hamlets. Settlements are built on stilts like here. Egrets are flying by.

The 2nd Extra image is an example of traditional floating settlements - rare now, but continued by some, who have suffered greatly during the droughts of 2023/24 (access over mud only).

It was a fantastic experience and very interesting.