Tabatinga to Manaus: Taking the Slow Boat Down the Amazon

This post details my travels by boat down the Amazon in Brazil, from Tabatinga to Manaus.

Here are some key points to bear in mind when planning for the boat trip of a lifetime down the Amazon from Tabatinga to Manaus:

• The boat starts in Tabatinga, Brazil, not in Leticia which is in Colombia
• The slow boats do not go every day
• It is scheduled to take four days and three nights
• There can be delays
• The cheapest option is to go hammock class
• Cabins are available, at a cost
• Three meals a day are included
• Drinking water is free and unlimited
• Going up river is significantly more expensive and takes a lot longer than going down river

The bottom deck is for cargo, with two decks for passengers, deffo not luxury:

The towns of Leticia in Colombia, Tabatinga in Brazil and Santa Rosa in Peru, all have a freedom of movement rule; there is no hard border, so you can just walk across the border as many times as you like. You can do the Trifecta Challenge if you want, three countries in one day.

The most convenient way to reach Leticia is to fly in from Bogotá.

Before you take the boat and possibly before buying your ticket, you will need to get an exit stamp from Colombia and then get your entry stamp for Brazil.

Since there is no immigration office in the actual town of Leticia, you’ll need to walk or take a tuk-tuk back to the airport to get stamped out of Colombia:

Once you have your exit stamp from Colombia, you have 24 hours to ‘enter’ Brazil.

Me and my buddy Clay were doing this trip together, so that’s why I am saying WE did this and that. OKAY?

Then we took a tuk-tuk to the immigration office in Tabatinga, where we got our entry stamp for Brazil.

We got the stamps done on our first day and then we stayed two more days in Leticia, before actually taking the boat.

Opening hours of the immigration office in Tabatinga:

Entry stamp for Brazil:

You will need Reais!

Don’t assume that you can easily cash get once you arrive in Manaus. Get Reais before you go. You will thank me later.

We tried to get money from two ATMs:

• Caixa Econômica Federal
• BANCO DO BRASIL

Both of these ATMs bailed on us. The first one didn’t have any VISA or MASTERCARD symbols. That could have been the problem.

The second one had both VISA and MASTERCARD symbols. We both had the same issue. That the system wasn’t working, yet locals were using the ATMs successfully.

We walked to the Terminal de Embarque Fluvial – Portobrás to ask about tickets.

The port is not open 24/7:

There are both fast and slow boats to Manaus, making stops along the way.

Some villages and town are only served by the fast boats. So if you want to stop off along the way, check everything first.

Tickets to Manaus on the slow boat cost 290 Reais.

Colombian pesos are NOT accepted.

If you want to pay by card, they charge a 10% commission.

Here is the schedule for the slow boat down the Amazon from Tabatinga to Manaus when I was travelling, mid April 2026:

For those of you who are short on time, the fast boat was going every day as of April 2026 leaving at 10 am. They take 30 hours and costs 1,010 Reais.

There can be cancellations.

290 Reais for the slow boat is around 57 USD. This buys you hammock space. Meals are included, as is drinking water.

We bought hammocks and two short lengths of rope in one of the many shops on the same street as the Hotel Solimões as a reference point. Just search for it on Google Maps.

I went for the cheapest one at 40 Reais (8 USD +/-) The two lengths of cord, needed to secure the hammock, cost 10 Reais.

You need to take your own plate, a tupperware tub is ideal and also a fork and spoon, and a mug for the coffee.

All the information above is Know Before You Go. This will help you plan your trip.

The information that follows is more ‘as it happened’.

The next day, armed with more intel, I walked to Tabatinga, which took about 30 minutes, to the Banco Bradesco which is just over the border on the right hand side, heading south.

I used my UK-issued VISA card without any problems.

There was no ATM withdrawal fee, charged by Banco Bradesco!

The daily withdrawal limit is 2,500 Reais.

I withdrew 1000 Reais to add to the 500, I had obtained in Mexico before leaving.

I relayed the info to my buddy and he came to join me. His US-issued card was also accepted without any problems.

On our third day in Leticia, we went back to the port to get our tickets.

It was all pretty straightforward.

We had to be at the port at 9 am. I asked, Brazilian time or Colombian time, knowing that there is a one hour time difference between the two countries.

Tabatinga works on Leticia time, so 9 am in Leticia is 9 am in Tabatinga (10 am in Manaus).

In preparation for the voyage, I bought a plate and cup (I had my portable water heater with me) at one of the stores in town.

Unsure as to what the food would be like, I bought three tins of tuna and a tin of sardines.

I read that the coffee is super sweet, so I bought some tea bags as well.

We took a tuk-tuk to the port.

You need to go to the desk and get a wrist band:

Then it’s a question of waiting until you are allowed to board the boat.

All travellers, backpackers, and gringos make a beeline for the upper deck. It’s less crowded there.

We spent some time adjusting the hammock.

Best place to set up your hammock:

You ideally want to be away from the TV, and bathrooms. If you are in the middle, there’s less breeze. If you are up front, there’s less breeze.

We were half way down on the outside. Seemed ideal. Though the motor is quite loud and of course it’s going 24/7.

The lower deck is said to be cooler, more so in Summer. Rainy season is the cooler time of the year. 30 degrees C or so. But we only had a little rain on the last day.

On our boat, the F/B M. Monteiro ll, there was a small kiosk selling snacks and soft drinks.

Drinking alcohol is prohibited!

Icy cold filtered water machines:

Separate bathrooms for men and women.

The shower water is semi filtered river water. It’s very refreshing, though keep your mouth closed.

Power sockets are provided but ya gotta remember that Mexican, Colombian flat style plugs won’t fit. The plugs are like this:

And are up high. If you can, buy an extension lead. We used a carrier bag to put the phones in whilst they charged.

If you have data, you can connect at the stops and at random points along the way.

Wi-Fi is available at cost:

• All the way to Manaus: 50 Reais
• 9 hours: 20 Reais

But I didn’t bother. I used by buddy’s hotspot to send message to my wife. The detox from social media was much needed.

First meal on day 1 was the evening meal, served at 5 pm.

Queuing up for dinner:

The food is served as per the photo:

Vegetarians will struggle.

Lunches and dinners were ok. It’s basic but what did you expect.

Breakfasts were not so good. Eat well at lunch and dinner and you can skip the breakfast.

And unless you want to get diabetes, avoid the coffee.

For me sleeping in a hammock is tough. They play havoc with my back.

It gets cold and windy in the night, so it’s essential that you have something to keep you warm. I had my sweater, puffer jacket, and rain jacket which I put over my legs, and my shemagh.

Best to lather up in mosquito spray, essential for the nighttime stops. When you’re moving though, there’s too much of a breeze.

The first night, I slept fitfully, until my buddy woke me, for the breakfast at 6.30 am.

I avoided the coffee.

I got a brew on after and made Clay a coffee and a tea for me.

Attracting attention with my portable water heater:

I slept again, until almost 10 am.

Lunch was at 11 am.

Dinner was at 5 pm.

This set the pattern for the rest of the trip.

Having people to chat with makes the time go a little faster. Four days, three nights is a long-ass trip.

The same duration as the train in Russia from Irkutsk to Vladivostok.

But you just have to switch off, slow down and enjoy the ride.

This is our progress in the grand scheme of things after 24 hours. The red dots are Leticia and Manaus:

MapsMe showed us cruising at 26 km/h for the first day and a half.

This is our progress after 48 hours:

The river started running slower so the current was less of a help, so we are down to 22 or 23 km/h.

The second night, I laid the hammock on the floor and slept like that.

I got some strange looks though.

Yes the floor is hard but I slept much much better. In hindsight, a yoga mat would have been better.

I know from experience, that sleeping directly on the floor gets easier after the first three nights.

Safety on board:

Keep all your documents and phone with you at all times, obviously. The hand is quicker than the eye.

It’s a good idea to have a bag that you can lock, not against anyone stealing anything, but it can and does happen in this neck of the woods, that someone will put ‘something’ in your bag.

The Policia Federal boarded at two of the stops, walking around looking at everyone, and picking up bags, checking their weight.

At the stops, sellers sometime come on board, so I never wandered off. I preferred to be paranoid than lose something.

Dramas:

On the first night, two young lads boarded. The next day at one of the scheduled stops, police boarded the boat.

They were questioning one of the two lads, the other was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe he got off before, no idea.

Some more plain clothes guys came on, went to another part of the boat, picked up a small carry on suitcase, a day pack and a hammock and threw everything over the side of the boat. Was a good test for the suitcase as it didn’t burst open.

They frog-marched the young lad off with all his stuff.

He was put into the police truck.

Just another day at the office.

On the third day, serious looking police pulled up along the side:

Everyone had to stand to the side as the sniffer dogs worked their way along the bags and possessions. One bag attracted the attention so the guards checked everything, nothing untoward was found.

Then they started manually checking each and every bag.

They had two floors to check. But we lost maybe just an hour. It’s just a routine patrol, just doing their job.

On the last night, at midnight, we pulled up to a pontoon where the DEA have their big boat moored, way out in the middle of nowhere.

Same as before, the sniffer dogs were doing their stuff.

We lost more than two hours.

It’s a long-ass trip. 1600 km down the Amazon, over four days, three nights. That’s the best schedule.

With seven or eight stops of an hour each, plus a few others that took just 15 minutes, mid stream, thats maybe 10 hours losts to stops, plus the DEA stops.

The best speed, as per Maps.Me was 26 km/h. Later on it was nearer to 20 km/h.

The schedule to arrive friday night was as tight as a pirañas butthole.

As I said before, it’s a long long way. 1600 km or 1000 miles.

Some expats living in Colombia, had flights booked at 3 am on the Saturday.

With 640 km still remaining at a slow 20 km/h, arrival time was looking like midnight on the friday night, +/-.

But then we picked up speed again, 25 km/h making a 6 pm arrival more likely.

It’s hard to predict.

The best answer to give when asked, when will the boat arrive is to say, we will arrive when we arrive. Think about it.

If I were flying out of Manaus, I would give myself 2 or 3 days breathing space. But that’s just me.

Killing time on the boat down the Amazon.

There are some killer sunsets:

You’ll have a lot of down time to reconnect with your inner self.

Time goes fast though. Breakfast at 6.30, lunch at 11, dinner at 5. By 7 pm its dark.

I used the time to write my notes and process photos for the blog posts.

Or adopt the 1000-yard stare.

Manaus loomed in the distance. We pulled onto port, exactly at 7 pm, making the trip 78 hours long. Three days, three nights plus 6 hours having departed at 1 pm, Manaus time.

We hadn’t booked a room, just in case we were delayed. Five of us walked through the almost deserted streets to a hotel on the edge of the historical centre.

The trip was over. Tabatinga to Manaus, down the Amazon.

Hope you all enjoyed this information packed blog post.