Brazil to Venezuela??
 

Have decided we don't need to pay the extortionate prices to ride a mud track through French Guinea, Suriname, or Guyana. Guyana if we have to. Has anyone picked up a boat in Brazil, crossed the Amazon, then carried on to Venezuela or even Cartegena? We looked at the posting of shipping from Guyana to England and that didn't sound bad, but reading about the roads, the visa fees and the french fees and expenses in French Guinea just put a sour taste in the mouth. The boat idea sounds good if possible.

gracias

joe

Yes
 

I think if you search the site, you will find that quite a lot of us have, at some time or other, taken the riverboat/s from Belem to Manaus. For me this was a great experience, 6 days, banana-shaped, in a hamaca. The road out of Brasil via Boa Vista and thence to Santa Elena can be a little lumpy in parts, but it's plain sailing through Venezuela, (if they now have bridges), and Colombia as far as Cartagena.

manausa to venezuela
 

through other contacts have learned that there is now a recently paved road from manasa, brazil across the river via ferry or bridge to venezuela. mike also said that because it is recently improved it should stay good for at least two rainy seasons. guess that ends the problem of going thorugh french guinea and suriname.

Dont forget that you have to cross from Brazil to F.Guiana on a canoe.....that bit really freaked me out. Ridden there once, and once was enough !

The road from Manaus to Venezuela is paved, a boat from Belem to Manaus would miss out a lot of mud, shit & hassle.

Guyanies
 

The road from Boa Vista through British Guyana is beautiful and takes you right though dense jungle. British Guiana, Suriname and French Guyana are pearls in South America with there colonial history, great people, wildlife From French Guyana there is one canoe crossing to Brazil but the fishermen will do all the heavy work. Then the road to Macapa on the mouth off the Amazon(where you can take the ferry to Belem) is just stunning goes through Indian territories.

The road through British Guiana (Boa Vista Lethem Linden Goergetown)is on the improve but can (as many roads) vary in condition. It can be a breaze when the bulldozers have just repaered it or can be hell after heavy rians, I experianced both situations, taking me two days and six.

Road Venezuela to Manaus in paved all the way. No ferries because of new bridge.