Magellan at Alter do chao

Magellan in Santarem

We had an amazing day with Gil and his crew aboard his new boat leaving from Santarem to explore the river and wildlife of the Amazon and its tributaries. Gil is so knowledgeable about this area, the wildlife, the people. We explored narrow creeks in small motor boats with English speaking guides to see mangroves, giant waterlilies, priarucu fish, sloths, wood storks, great egrets, cattle egrets, water buffalo, and many more. On board the larger boat, we had a talk from Gil about his family, his roots and his work. Food and drink was on tap all day and we had a fabulous time. Gil's wrestling with a caiman was the funniest part of the day, especially when it arrived on the deck and ....................I won't spoil the surprise for you! I can highly recommend this trip to get close to the "real" Amazonia.

(Take from tripadvisor - Amazon River Cruise Gil Serique, Day Tour) 

New Review

Brilliant tour with amazing wildlife and a passionate guide

I found Gil through an internet trawl and followed up using Trip Advisor. He came highly recommended and I have to say the praise was indeed worthwhile. At first I was concerned about the where and how of meeting from a cruise ship part way up the Amazon, having only communicated by email with Gil but I needn't have worried, Gil was exactly at the gate to the docks a mere 50m from the ship, just where he said he would be! And having seen his photos, he was immediately recogniseable. The trip was comprehensive and perfect if you want to get to see the floodplain and only have a day to do it. Gil was most knowledgeable and so passionate and excited seeing birds and animals even though he must see them everyday. We had a river boat for a group of about 12 of us so we weren't crowded. Local drinks, nuts, fruit and fish were served during our trip which was really very leisurely but if this isn't a contradiction, jam-packed with excitment too. We also had time to get off the boat into 2 smaller motorised boats so we got to see parts of the floodplain that the ship tours don't cover. The joy of seeing a Hoatzin up close was absolutely amazing! Not to mention the dozens of other birds Gil spied from the boat. I can thoroughly recommend Gil and his crew for that special highlight from Santarem.

Ooops another one

Amazing tour of the beautiful Amazon-Gil is fantastic!!!

We were fortunate enough to go on a tour with Gil Serique out of Santarem, Brazil. We saw so much wildlife and learned so much history. He has such a positive, upbeat view of the world that it made the tour so much fun. I highly recommend this tour to everyone. We loved it.

Trip Advisor new review

Cool review written by Naturalist, ecturer and photographer Jeff Clark. The pictures he has taken are on his blog http://www.jeffclarkeecology.co.uk/blog/amazon-adventure-part-1


 Thank you so much Jeff for the great time!

Reviewed by Birderjeff

24 Mar 2018

A Snapshot of the Amazon Wildlife

Our ship the 'Braemar' had been delayed into Santarem by the strong current but Giles worked tremendously hard to make up for our lost time. We explored creeks finding a fantastic array of local wildife. Everything from Botos to Black-collared Hawks. A great experience and thoroughly recommended. I also got some great photographs courtesy of Giles expertise.We had a great time and Giles regailed us with stories of local and family history as well as his love of the Amazon Wildlife.

Fred Olsen's Braemer in Santarem