Review Best 5 Hiking and Camping Tours in Amazon

The Amazon rainforest isn’t just a line you read in a geography textbook or a backdrop for a nature documentary. It’s a place where the air feels thick with the smell of wet earth and blooming flowers, where you wake up to howler monkeys roaring before the sun even comes up, and where every twist in a trail brings a new surprise you couldn’t have planned for. If you’ve ever wanted to trade your daily commute for days spent surrounded by green so deep it feels like you’re inside a living thing, you’re not alone – but picking the right tour can feel overwhelming, especially when there are so many options that range from gentle weekend getaways to multi-week hardcore expeditions.

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I’ve spent more time camping and hiking in the Amazon than I care to admit, and I’ve made my share of mistakes: booking a tour that was way too strenuous for my fitness level, showing up in the middle of rainy season with gear that couldn’t handle the mud, and even accidentally booking a tour that was mostly sitting in a boat instead of hiking like I wanted. This list cuts through all the generic marketing fluff to share the 5 actual best tours I’ve either taken myself or had friends rave about for years, each suited to a different type of traveler, fitness level, and budget. Whether you’re a first-time camper or a seasoned thru-hiker, there’s a tour here that’ll give you the Amazon experience you’ve been daydreaming about.

1. 3-Day Tapajós River Lowlands Family-Friendly Camping & Light Hiking Tour

If the idea of a multi-day jungle trek makes you nervous, or you’re planning a trip with kids or older family members who don’t want to trek 10 miles a day through mud, this is the tour for you. Based out of Santarém, a small riverside town at the meeting point of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers, this tour mixes short, easy 2-3 mile daily hikes with plenty of time to relax on the river’s famous white sand beaches. You’ll camp on raised wooden platforms right on the riverbank, so you don’t have to worry about sleeping on uneven, buggy ground, and the guides are trained to spot sloths, toucans, and even pink river dolphins if you take a quick dip in the water during the day.

The whole vibe of this tour is low-stress, low-impact, and perfect for people who want to experience the Amazon without suffering through intense physical exertion. Most of the group on my last trip were families with kids as young as 6, and everyone from the little ones to the grandparents had a blast. The meals are hearty and filling, there are porta-potties at every campsite, and the guides are great at answering all the silly questions first-time visitors have without making you feel silly for asking.

• Best time to book: Plan your trip between July and November, which is the dry season for this part of the Amazon. Rain is rare, temperatures are mild, and river levels are low enough that the white sand beaches are fully exposed for swimming and relaxing. The only downside is that this is peak tourist season, so you’ll want to lock in your spot early.
• Booking tip: If you’re traveling with a group of 4 or more people, reach out directly to small local operators instead of using big international travel sites. Most of them cap group sizes at 8 people total to keep the impact on the area low, so family and friend group slots sell out 3 to 4 months in advance during peak season.

2. 5-Day Javari Valley Remote Deep Jungle Hiking & Expedition Camping Tour

For the adventure seekers who want to skip the tourist traps entirely and see parts of the Amazon almost no outsiders get to visit, this 5-day tour based out of the small border town of Leticia is the real deal. The Javari Valley is one of the most remote parts of the entire Amazon basin, bordered by Peru and Colombia, and this tour takes you deep into old-growth forest where you’re far more likely to see jaguar tracks and giant otters than other tourists. Daily hikes are 6 to 8 miles long, with some mild inclines and plenty of muddy stretches, and you’ll camp in small clearings that your guides pick specifically for their wildlife viewing potential.

This tour isn’t for the faint of heart – there are no showers, no electricity, and you’ll be sleeping in a hammock with a mosquito net every night, but the payoff is worth every bit of discomfort. On my trip, we spotted a family of giant otters playing in a creek less than 50 feet from our campsite, and our guide even found fresh jaguar tracks on the trail our first morning. The food is all cooked over open fires, and the guides are mostly from local indigenous communities who have lived in the area for generations, so they know every plant, animal, and trail like the back of their hand.

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• Best time to book: Aim for December to March, which is the cooler dry season for this region. Rain is minimal, so trails stay firm and you’re far less likely to get caught in a sudden downpour that turns a hike into a slog through knee-deep mud. Temperatures are also a little lower during these months, which makes the long daily hikes much more bearable.
• Booking tip: Skip the big international tour companies and book with an indigenous-led operator. Not only do they have the legal land rights to operate in the Javari Valley, they know the area far better than any outside guide, and the money from your tour goes directly to supporting the local community. These small operators only run 2 groups per month at most, so book at least 6 months in advance if you want a spot during peak season.

3. 7-Day Amazon Basin Canopy & Ground Hiking Hybrid Camping Tour

If you love hiking but also want a little extra comfort and a unique perspective of the rainforest that most tourists never get, this hybrid tour based out of Iquitos, Peru is perfect. The first half of the tour has you hiking 4 to 5 miles a day through the forest understory, spotting poison dart frogs, leafcutter ants, and toucans flitting through the trees. For the second half, you’ll stay in raised wooden canopy camps perched 60 feet above the ground, where you can wake up to the sound of howler monkeys right outside your tent and watch the sunrise over the tree canopy from your porch.

This tour hits the sweet spot between adventure and comfort: the canopy camps have basic flush toilets and cold showers, and the guides cook all your meals over open fires using local ingredients like plantains, river fish, and jungle fruits. It’s ideal for birdwatchers, nature photographers, or anyone who’s always wanted to see the rainforest from above as well as from the ground. The group sizes are kept small, usually 6 people or less, so you won’t scare off wildlife or have to share a crowded campsite with a dozen other travelers.

• Best time to book: Plan your trip between May and October, which is the dry season for the Peruvian Amazon. Trails are less slippery, the canopy walkways (if your tour includes them) are safer to navigate, and sudden rainstorms are far less likely to cancel your shorter day hikes. The water levels are also lower during these months, which makes it easier to spot wildlife along the riverbanks.
• Booking tip: Before you book, ask the operator if a guided night hike is included in the base price. Most small operators include it for free, but some larger companies charge an extra $50 to $75 per person for the night hike, which is one of the best parts of the tour if you want to spot frogs, tarantulas, and night monkeys.

4. 4-Day Anavilhanas Archipelago Island Hiking & Riverside Camping Tour

Located just a few hours by boat from Manaus, the Anavilhanas Archipelago is a network of over 400 islands in the black waters of the Rio Negro, and this tour lets you explore the unique ecosystems of the area via short hikes and riverside camping. Each day you’ll hike 3 to 4 miles on a different island, exploring both terra firme forest that never floods and floodplain areas that are underwater for part of the year. After your daily hike, you’ll camp on a quiet river island, take a swim in the warm black water (which is totally safe, by the way, and way warmer than the clearwater rivers), and do a short night canoe trip to spot caimans glowing in the dark.

This tour is perfect for people who want a mix of hiking and water activities, and it’s especially popular with solo travelers and small friend groups because the vibe is super laid-back and social. The guides are great at tailoring the hikes to your fitness level, and if you’re a photographer, you’ll be in heaven – the light on the black water at sunrise and sunset is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The camping is comfortable, with raised platforms and basic bathroom facilities, so you don’t have to rough it as much as you would on a more remote tour.

• Best time to book: September to November is the sweet spot for this tour, as it’s the low-water season. The islands are bigger during these months, so there are more trails to hike, and the water is warm enough for swimming almost every day. Rain is rare during this period, so you’re unlikely to have your plans disrupted by storms.
• Booking tip: Skip third-party travel sites and book directly with a small local operator based in Manaus. Not only will you save 15 to 20% compared to booking through a big international platform, most operators will throw in a free transfer from the Manaus airport if you ask, and they’re far more flexible if you need to make last-minute changes to your itinerary.

5. 10-Day Trans-Amazon Highway Cross-Forest Hiking & Wild Camping Expedition

If you’re a seasoned hiker or backpacker who’s looking for a once-in-a-lifetime long-distance jungle experience, this 10-day expedition is the most epic Amazon hiking tour you can book. Starting near Porto Velho in the western Brazilian Amazon, this tour follows a mix of old logging trails and indigenous footpaths through the heart of the rainforest, ending at the banks of the Tapajós River over 100 miles later. Daily hikes are 7 to 10 miles long, mostly flat but with occasional muddy climbs, and you’ll camp in remote areas that almost no tourists ever visit, where the only sounds at night are the calls of frogs and the rustle of leaves from passing animals.

This tour is not for beginners – you need to be in good physical shape to keep up with the long daily hikes, and you’ll need to bring your own rugged hiking gear, including waterproof boots and a reliable rain jacket. The support team carries all the camping gear and food, so you only have to carry a day pack with water, snacks, and sunscreen, but you will be roughing it: there are no showers, no electricity, and the only bathroom is a hole in the ground you dig yourself at each campsite. On my friend’s trip last year, they spotted a harpy eagle nesting in a tree less than 100 feet from their campsite, and saw fresh giant armadillo tracks on the trail almost every day.

• Best time to book: June to August is the only time this tour runs, as it’s the dry season for this part of the Amazon. Trails are firm enough for long day hikes, and the mosquito population is far lower than it is during the wet season, which makes the whole experience much more comfortable. Temperatures are also mild during these months, so you won’t overheat on the longer hikes.
• Booking tip: Before you hand over any money, ask the operator for a full copy of their emergency evacuation plan. This tour goes deep into remote areas with no cell service, so you want to make sure they have a satellite phone, a pre-arranged evacuation route to the nearest medical facility, and guides trained in wilderness first aid. These tours only run once a year, with a maximum of 10 people per group, so book at least 8 months in advance to lock in your spot.

No matter which of these tours you pick, the Amazon is the kind of place that sticks with you long after you’ve flown home. You’ll forget the bug bites and the mud on your boots pretty fast, but you’ll remember the sound of the forest at night, the taste of fresh river fish cooked over an open fire, and the way the green of the trees feels like it’s seeping into your bones. It’s not a perfect place, and it’s not always easy to visit, but it’s one of the last truly wild places left on Earth, and spending a few days hiking and camping there will change the way you see the world for the better.