Belem Manaus amazonas boat trip.

[Mehmet Zeki Avar]

In need of information and recommandations for the amazonas boat trip from belem to manaus with the bike on deck..
Can anyone share his knowledge and experiences;
1-for this boat trip
2-is it ok. to enter venezuela on bike via pacaraima/santa elena..
Insallah will get correct inf. here...
Best wishes...

[Peter Bodtke]

I booked passage on a barge simply to get across the Amazon, from Belem to Macapá. That trip took about 36 hours.

Its hard to find rates online as I could never find a website for regular service, but someone will post info sooner or later. Keep search here and sites like ADVRider.com for ride reports. Take a hammock, and snacks...and a few books to read. Meals will likely be included in the package.

Chance are you find its a fairly long trip up the Amazon, 5-6 days. The prices will vary on the nature of of the barge. A fast ferry will be more expensive, than a slow barge. Walk to docks in Belem and get quotes from the ticket agents...

Alternately, drop south from Belem and ride the Trans-Amazonian to Humaitá, then brave BR-319 to Manaus! That would be the ride of a life time! It's my dream route. https://goo.gl/maps/VHocvkfZRut

[Peter Bodtke]

PS: Venezuela is rather 'hot' in terms of political unrest at the moment. I traveled there in 2012, when it was only considered unsafe to dangerous. I would recommend staying out of Caracas and moving quickly through Maracaibo...

Museo de Arte Moderno Jesus Soto in Ciudad Bolívar if free and outstanding.
Angel Falls is amazing, but is very remote and flying there is recommended. The owner at Posada Don Carlos (Ciudad Bolívar) will store your bike (he rides a KLR) and set you up with a tour (cost ~$250 USD in 2012)

Take as much USD as possible with you if you venture into Venezuela. You will be able to trade privately for local currency way above the official rate. Spend it all before leaving, because the value drops greatly once you cross the border.

[gunt86]

Originally Posted by Mehmet Zeki Avar

In need of information and recommandations for the amazonas boat trip from belem to manaus with the bike on deck..
Can anyone share his knowledge and experiences;
1-for this boat trip
2-is it ok. to enter venezuela on bike via pacaraima/santa elena..
Insallah will get correct inf. here...
Best wishes...

I booked passage on a barge from Manaus to Belem in 2014. Technically it is illegal for people to travel on the barge with the vehicle (in my case a truck). I think I paid about R$1400 for two people and my truck. We slept in our truck or in our hammocks while on the barge. Besides the barge crew, there was a trucker and his wife with us on the barge. The barge crew provided us with meals and showers for the 5 day trip. I set up the barge trip with a broker in Manaus called Nortecom Transporte. I'd recommend that you also use a broker, it just makes it all a whole lot easier if your language skills aren't perfect and you don't have days to waste driving around asking which shipping company will let you travel on board with your bike. Sanave, Tropical Transportes, and TCD are big shipping companies which might be a good place to start.

As far as I know the Santa Helena crossing to VZ has never been closed. There isn't much of a smuggling operation on that border so there is no need to close it. You can fill up with fuel from the money changers in Santa Helena with discounted fuel from VZ. Stay at a nice hotel, it's dirt cheap.

[ainschic87]

I have written this on another thread but thought I would share here as well...

After researching for information on the boats from Belem to Manaus, I couldn’t find anything that was up to date. My husband and I completed this journey from the 9th September to the 16th September 2016 with two Yamaha Tenere’s (our ‘blog’ is on Facebook, search ‘The Two Teners’, Blog 13 has a detailed description of the trip).
We arrived in Belem on Wednesday 21st September 2016 and after researching and trying to understand Portuguese on websites for the ferries, thought there might still be a boat that would leave today. We went straight through town to the wharf (which is a dodgy area as we had been for warned by other overlanders) to see if there was a boat and discovered the gates to be closed. The point for the wharf is on iOverlander.
We went back on Thursday and found that the gates were closed but there is a guard that makes sure no riffraff comes in. He could have been there yesterday as well but we hadn’t hung around long enough to find out. Ask if there is a boat to Manaus. He might say it leaves another day (probably Saturday) but ask to speak with the captain and he should let you in.
We negotiated the price with the captain for 2 bikes and hammock space and it cost us R$1200. We seem to think they change the price depending on what kind of bike you have. If you aren’t on a tight budget, I recommend getting a cabin (around R$1000). The ease of being able to lock your door with all of your valuables inside plus the enjoyment of air-con AND your own bathroom. The bathrooms on the boat we went on (the Amazonia) were disgusting. You can also hang a hammock up if you have a cabin.
If you decide to only do hammock space (R$200), make sure you buy a hammock mosquito net, they are worth every dollar. Also bring plenty of water (we took 24L which was ample for drinking and cooking) and food to cook and eat. We didn’t eat any of the boat food and we didn’t get sick. The other ‘Europeans’ who ate the boat food got very sick. We used a JetBoil (with gas) to cook our meals. Also bring a chain and lock to lock all of your things to a post, camping chairs, extension cord (so you can keep an eye on your valuables) and a good book or two, games and cards (there is really not much to do on the boat).
The boat took a full 7 days to get to Manaus. We got off at Itacoatiara because it is an easier port to unload the bikes. It was also a great ride through to Manaus – dodging a few bike swallowing pot holes along the way, also saw monkeys in the trees! It took about 3 hours to ride to Manaus as compared with 10hours on the boat.
The ferry stops at about 4 different ports and sometimes you have enough time to get off and run to the supermarkets to buy a few ingredients. Definitely check with the crew as to how long the boat will be in port, the ferry won’t wait for you – as my husband found out. They stop at Santarem for a fair while, but it is in an area like the wharf at Belem. The other ports have little shops closer to the wharf which makes it easier and safer to get stuff.
Hopefully this helps someone out. We are now off to ride the BR319 to Port Velho and into Peru. Will update when we get a chance.
Safe wandering.
Ainsleigh and Ben
The Two Teners
p.s. Check out our blog on Facebook, just search ‘The Two Teners’

[livin9thedream]

Hey guys,

Thank you for this helpful information. I am riding South America on my BMW 700 GS since June last year and am on my way to Manaus (currently in Campinas). From Belem to Manaus it seems to be no issue...

My question is: Does anyone know how I get from Manaus to Colombia? Is it possible to take a boat all the way to Colombia? How are the roads after leaving the boat (in the months of April)?

I am traveling alone and the "infrastructure" seems to be a "challenge"

Cheers,
Dominik

PS: Check out my travel blog Zen Travelers – zen travelers or IG livin9thedream

[pickypalla]

you can go to leticia by boat and you would be in colombia. but you need to fly out from there or going further on the river to peru.