Rivers & Coasts: The Amazon to Fortaleza Expedition

Belém, capital of the state of Pará, is a port city and gateway to Brazil’s lower Amazon region. By Guajará Bay, the riverfront district Cidade Velha (old town) preserves Portuguese-colonial architecture, including churches, colorful azulejo-tile houses and a 17th-century fortification known as Forte do Presépio. Ver-o-Peso is a vast, open-air market on the water selling Amazonian fish, fruit and handicrafts.

Navigating Brazil's Breves Narrows, upriver from Belem in the Thousand Islands region, is a mesmerising Amazonian journey. This natural passage, surrounded by towering walls of lush vegetation, creates a secluded green canyon in the heart of the jungle. Enigmatic wildlife such as scarlet macaws, and equatorial flora such as giant Victoria water lilies flourish. The welcoming locals, known as ribeirinhos, offer warm hospitality

Nestled within the world's largest rainforest, Afuá in Pará state, known as "Marajó's Venice" or the "Amsterdam of the Tropics," rests on fluvial Marajó Island near the Amazon's mouth. Built primarily on wooden stilts 1.5m above the waterways with boardwalks, this car-free city aims to become a net-zero emissions model. Residents travel the narrow streets by bicycle and boat, with many relying on fishing for their livelihood

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers.

Itaqui, a port in São Luís, Maranhão, provides access to the UNESCO-listed Praia Grande historic city centre. This area is home to over 3,500 colonial Portuguese houses, along with galleries and museums. Further inland, Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is renowned for its unique landscape of stunning white sand dunes sculpted by the wind and filled with rain-fed, crystal-clear blue lagoons

Sea days are rarely dull. Take the time to sit back and let the world go by. The ship’s observation decks provide stunning views of the passing ocean. A day at sea gives you the opportunity to mingle with other passengers and share your experiences of this incredible trip or head to our library which is stocked full of reference books. Get an expert’s view in one of our on-board lectures or perhaps perfect your photography skills with invaluable advice from our onboard professional photographers

Called the "City of Light," Fortaleza claims that the sun shines on it 2,800 hours a year. And it's a good thing, too, as the coastline stretches far beyond the city. To the east, along the Litoral Leste or the Costa Sol Nascente (Sunrise Coast) are many fishing villages. To the west, along the Litoral Oeste or the Costa Sol Poente (Sunset Coast), there are pristine stretches of sand. The shores here are cooled by constant breezes and lapped by waters with an average temperature of 24°C (72°F).Today Fortaleza, a large, modern state capital with more than 2 million inhabitants, is Brazil's fifth-largest city. It's also on the move, with one of the country's newest airports, a modern convention center, a huge cultural center with a planetarium, large shopping malls, several museums and theaters, and an abundance of sophisticated restaurants. At Praia de Iracema there's a revitalized beachfront area of sidewalk cafés, bars, and dance clubs. But if you wander along the shore, you're still bound to encounter fishermen unloading their catch from traditional jangadas—just as they've done for hundreds of years.