The Advocate

A Bird’s Eye View in the Amazon Rain Forest

Adventure travelers looking to up their exhilaration are heading to the Amazon Rain Forest for a sky-high Tropical Tree Climbing eco-tour. Recreational tree climbing and wildlife photography amid the canopies of the earth’s largest rainforest gives passionate eco warriors a new perspective on awesome.

Eco-adventure destination Tropical Tree Climbing is reaching out to thrill seekers, nature lovers, and photographers at all skill levels with a two-day, one night Amazon Rain Forest journey to the tree tops. The truly adventurous can even opt to sleep in a magnificent jungle canopy, and wake to surroundings few are lucky enough to experience in a lifetime.

Tropical Tree Climbing has offered recreational Rainforest tree climbing and wildlife photography opportunities to travelers since 1998, when professional photographer and tree climbing guide Leonide Principe and his wife Vanessa Mariño purchased 670-acres of virgin rainforest in northern Brazil. The couple set out to bring recreational tree climbing to Brazil’s Amazon, and through Tropical Tree Climbing they succeeded, offering a wide range of unique adventure experiences in the Amazon Rainforest for small groups of all ages and abilities.

“We are a small, family operated business dedicated to bringing a fresh perspective to the recreational and educational travel experience,” says Mariño. “We designed our tours for the enthusiastic nature traveler and wildlife photographer with a commitment to operating in a sustainable manner. We are very conscientious stewards of the earth and the local inhabitants.”

As a travel operator, Tropical Tree Climbing maintains partnerships with various lodges in the area. However, Mariño says that most TTC clients prefer to stay onsite at the Naturalia Sustainable Lodge for a different one-of-a-kind wilderness experience. Guests enjoy the Naturalia’s extremely peaceful location, situated in the Environmental Protection Area of Cave of the Maruaga and surrounded by 667-acres of natural rainforest. The lodge’s minimal infrastructure and attentive staff provide serene and comfortable accommodations.

Their dream of adding an official tree climbing training school to the Brazilian Amazon came to life in 2006, and in 2007 they partnered with Tree Climbers International Master Instructor Tim Kovar to launch their recreational tree climbing education program. Kovar, founder of Tree Climbing Planet, travels worldwide teaching people to climb into forest and jungle canopies to expand their senses, and to intensify their personal connection to the natural world.

Tropical Tree Climbing offers recreational and educational travel experiences to its clients, and customizes the experience to match the interests of each small group that books a tour with TTC. By keeping the group sizes small, Principe says that he and their expert guides are better able to provide truly personalized expeditions for a never-to-be-forgotten adventure. Visitors are immersed in the Rainforest’s exotic landscapes with hiking excursions and opportunities to safely scale the highest of the Amazon’s, and experience the jaw-dropping view of the jungle below.

For those travelers whose minds aren’t sufficiently blown by the tropical tree climbing tours, Principe hosts an Amazon Wildlife Photo Safari, selectively offered from July to October. The focus of the Safari is to photograph the Amazon’s extraordinary rainforest ecosystem including wildlife and flora.

Principe, founder of Amazon Stock Photography and author of several books on photography, shares his expertise and photographic skills with Safari participants honing their skills in this other-worldy terrain. Making use of the Rainforest’s natural light, studying frameworks and shooting angles, and adapting to the principle of non-interference ethics enhance the visiting photographer’s knowledge base and understanding of nature photography.

The Amazon Wildlife Photo Safari includes a journey to Jaú National Park, including the Anavilhanas Archipelago. The largest fresh water forest park in the world, this area is not heavily explored by tourists. Safari participants will be awed by its ancient paths, waterfalls, and creeks. The park’s monkeys, sloths, dolphins, pacas and magnificent exotic bird population can be observed and photographed on jungle nights, or in the river close to sunset. Riverside communities offer genuine northern Brazilian charm, and give a human touch to this region where nature still runs the show.

Travelers can choose between any one of six recreational tree climbing short trips lasting from one to six days, a life-changing customized adventure in the Amazon Rainforest, or the Amazon Wildlife Photo Safari. Principe provides a remarkable opportunity to see the Amazon Rainforest from its most awe-inspiring vantage points. Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Italian are spoken, and guests with special physical challenges are assisted through special techniques and equipment so they can participate fully with no effort.

For more information on Tropical Tree Climbing eco-excursions through the Brazilian Amazon, visit the Tropical Tree Climbing website, and fill out the contact information request form for more information.