Booked here
The jungle day
Trek, dolphins, piranhas, night
- Length12 hours
- GuideEnglish, Spanish, Portuguese
- DolphinsProject and a swim
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Amazon river dolphin tour from Manaus, side by side
One-day jungle experience from Manaus
★ 4.8 · 485 ratings
Quick summary
An Amazon river dolphin tour from Manaus ranges from a full river day at a low fare to a 12-hour jungle day with a dolphin project, plus half-day and overnight options.
Dolphin tour essentials
Compare 4 side by side
Work out the cost of your dolphin day
Set your party size to see what each dolphin day costs.
- Our jungle day12 hours · per person, from $140
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View - Full river day1 day · per person, from $55
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View - Research base day9 hours · per person, from $140
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View - Negro half day4.5 hours · per person, from $110
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Starting prices as on the booking platform, converted at the ECB reference rate. You see the exact price at booking.
The dolphins are rarely the whole day. Here are the Manaus listings that include them, with starting prices, lengths and what each one actually does at the dolphin stop.
Editorial team, pinkdolphinsamazon.quest · Updated November 12, 2026 · 6 min of reading
Summary view
- Our jungle dayA day of 12 hours that mixes a trek, a dolphin stop and a night ride, from $140.
- Lowest fareA full river day that lists swimming with river dolphins starts from $55.
- Half dayA trip of 4.5 hours on the Negro River with a dolphin project, from $110.
- OvernightA river tour with a night in a simple guest room starts from $420.
- The ruleMolesting a cetacean on purpose is an offence under Brazilian law.1
How we sorted the Manaus dolphin tours
A search for a pink dolphin Amazon tour near Manaus returns different kinds of listing. Some listings put the animals in the title, and others mention them as a stop in a longer river or jungle day. Neither kind is better by default, so we compared them on what can be checked in each record: the length, the starting price, the guide languages, the stops and what the record says you do at the dolphin stop.
The tour sold on this site fills 12 hours: the hotel collects you at about 8 am and brings you back at about 8 pm. In between come a trek of 3 hours, a plain lunch, a visit to a dolphin protection project, piranha fishing and a night search for alligators. The dolphins are a single stop inside that day, and the same holds for the river days in the table below.
Because the animals sit inside a bigger plan, the useful question is rarely which tour has the most dolphins. It is which day you would enjoy even on a quiet hour at the water. Read the table in the next section with that in mind, and use the cards and the decision helper further down to match a day to your own priorities.
Side by side
Manaus days that include pink dolphins
| Day | From | Length | At the dolphin stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our jungle day | $140 | 12 hours | Dolphin project, chance to enter the water |
| Full river day | $55 | 1 day | Canoe watching, swimming listed |
| Speedboat market day | $58 | 7.5 hours | Interaction with freshwater dolphins |
| Speedboat with lunch | $63 | 7 hours | Platform swim, no touching |
| Safari-style day | $102 | 7 hours | Platform swim after lunch |
| Negro half day | $110 | 4.5 hours | Enter the water, touching described |
| Research base day | $140 | 9 hours | Project, chance to enter the water |
| Overnight river tour | $420 | 2 days | Dolphins on day 1 |
Starting prices only; the date and your party size decide the final price.
The Manaus dolphin days in one table
Prices in the table are starting prices taken from each listing, and the amount you finally pay shifts with the date and the number of travelers. The cheapest full river day starts from $55 and lists swimming with river dolphins among its highlights. A speedboat day of 7.5 hours with a meeting point at the municipal market starts from $58, though it has only 13 reviews so far.
In the middle of the range sit a speedboat day of 7 hours from $63 and a safari-style day of 7 hours from $102. Both are thinly reviewed, with 3 and 12 reviews, so their ratings tell you little yet. A half day on the Negro River runs for 4.5 hours and starts from $110, with 20 reviews so far.
At the top of the range are the multi-day trips. A 2-day river tour with a night in the jungle starts from $420, and an Amazon river cruise with pink dolphins, in the form of 3 or 4 days up the Rio Negro, starts from $800. Those are longer expeditions, so we only note that they exist and that both list a swim with the dolphins. If you are weighing a night in the jungle against a single long day, the next sections explain what the dolphin stop itself involves.
Time on the water
Dolphin days from Manaus by length
- Negro half day4.5
- Safari-style day7
- Speedboat market day7.5
- Research base day9
- Our jungle day12
Lengths as each listing states them.
In the water or from the canoe
The listings differ most in what you do at the dolphin stop, and the wording matters. The jungle day and the 9-hour river day both include a visit to a dolphin protection project and a chance to enter the water. The 2-day river tour describes the same, and the safari-style day takes you to a platform where the swim follows lunch.
Not every record sounds alike. The speedboat day of 7 hours says you swim near the dolphins from a floating platform, and then rules out touching them or posing for photos with the wild animals. The half day on the Negro River describes entering the water and touching the animals. One small-group listing goes further and says guests can feed the dolphins.
Those records disagree with each other, and the rules around the animals are not as loose as a listing can make them sound. We come back to that in the section on what the official sources say, and our swimming guide sets out the water rules in full. If touching or feeding a wild animal does not sit right with you, raise it at booking and ask what the dolphin stop is like before you pay.
Pick by priority
Which dolphin day fits you
Say what matters most and see the Manaus day that matches it.
If I want the lowest fare
The full river day
It starts from $55 and lists swimming with river dolphins.
If I want a full day with everything
The jungle day
A trek, a dolphin project, fishing and a night ride in 12 hours.
If I have only half a day
The Negro half day
A short outing of 4.5 hours, from $110.
If I want a night in the jungle
The 2-day river tour
A night in a plain guest room with a net, from $420.
If I want a low-impact meeting
Ask the operator before
ICMBio is looking for low-impact ways to meet these animals.2
Ways in
The jungle day, a river day or a half day
Lowest fare
Full river day
Meeting of the Waters, lilies
- Length1 day
- GuideEnglish
- Reviews431
Short option
Negro half day
Dolphin project and a beach
- Length4.5 hours
- AccessWheelchair accessible
- Reviews20
What the official sources say about dolphin tourism
ICMBio, the Brazilian federal conservation agency, says in a research-centre announcement that tourist contact in the lower Rio Negro rests today on fish offered to the dolphins and on the temporary capture of caimans.3 The same announcement describes a project to monitor those interactions and propose ways to reduce their negative impact on pink dolphins and caimans.4
The conservation assessment for the species is blunter. It records that in a number of Amazonas localities botos are lured close and tamed as a visitor draw, and that a state instruction ordering tourism with botos is already in force.5,6 Under federal law, intentionally molesting any cetacean is prohibited, and the decree article that says so attaches a fine to it.1
None of that makes a dolphin day wrong to book. It does mean the operator and the format are the point of the choice. INPA put a research platform near Manaus into service to fix visiting hours and low-impact rules for the contact, and it noted that other floating platforms in Amazonas had no regulated hours or species information.7,8 Choose a day where someone can tell you how the stop is run.
Our jungle day
From booking to the dolphin stop and back
At booking
Reserve, pay later
Nothing is due today, and a full refund applies up to 24 hours ahead.
Early start
Hotel pickup
Collection from your hotel at about 8 am.
After the drive
Castanho lake
West by road for about 1 hour to Castanho lake, then a motorized canoe.
Next
Trek and lunch
A trek of 3 hours, followed by a simple lunch.
Then
The dolphin project
The dolphin protection project, where entering the water is on offer.
Last
Fishing and the night
Piranha fishing, a ride until sunset, a night search for alligators and a return at about 8 pm.
Which dolphin tour suits which traveler
For a first visit with a full day to spare, the jungle day on this site packs a lot into a single outing: the trek, the dolphin stop, the fishing and a night ride all sit in the same 12 hours. It is also the most reviewed day in the table, with 485 reviews averaging 4.8 on GetYourGuide. The price reflects that length, since it starts from $140.
If the budget is tight, the cheapest full river day starts from $55 and has 431 reviews, though they average 4.1. If time is tight, the Negro River half day takes 4.5 hours and is marked wheelchair accessible in its record. Travelers who want a night out on the water can look at the 2-day river tour, with its mosquito net and simple private toilet.
Whichever you pick, bring the basics: swimwear and a towel for the water at the dolphin project, sunscreen and a hat because the canoe has no roof, and long trousers and closed shoes for the trek. The full river day listing adds repellent, rain cover and sunscreen to the list. In its Brazil advice the UK government suggests reviewing vaccine guidance 8 weeks or more before departure.9
Video
Swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon river
Our Brazilian Life on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
Currently, the interactions with these groups are based on offering food to the cetaceans and on the temporary capture of the crocodilians.
Before you book
Questions to ask and things to pack
Ask the operator3
- Whether the dolphin stop is a platform, open water or a canoe watch
- Whether touching is allowed: one listing forbids it, one describes it
- Who leads the stop and how the group takes turns in the water
Pack for the day3
- Something to swim in and a towel for the dolphin stop
- Sunscreen and a hat, because the canoe has no roof
- Long trousers, closed shoes and insect repellent for the trek
At booking3
- Full refund if you cancel a day ahead of the jungle day
- Reserve now and pay later, with nothing due today
- Ship groups can arrange their own start time
Booking, cancelling and when to go
The jungle day lets you hold a seat without paying today, and a cancellation made a day or more ahead returns the whole fare. The cheaper river days carry the same cancellation window, while the small-group dolphin trip from Lake Acajatuba lists free cancellation up to 2 days ahead. Read the window on the date you choose, because it is the thing you can rely on if the weather turns.
The jungle day listing says that where some activities happen can shift between the wet months of November to June and the dry months of July to October. Rain eases in the dry months, according to the INMET records for the Manaus station, though it never disappears, so pack a raincoat whatever the month.10
Cruise passengers should note that, on the jungle day and the 9-hour river day, a group from a ship can arrange a different start with the operator. For limited mobility the listing recommends a river day tour in place of this one. When you compare, ask whether the dolphin stop is a floating platform, a swim in open water or a watch from the canoe, because that decides how the stop feels.
FAQ
Straight answers to common questions.
How much is a dolphin tour from Manaus?
From $55 for a river day.
The cheapest full river day that lists swimming with river dolphins starts from $55, and our 12-hour jungle day starts from $140.
Can you swim with pink dolphins on a Manaus tour?
Several listings say yes.
The jungle day, the 9-hour river day and the 2-day river tour all describe a chance to enter the water with the dolphins.
Is there a Manaus tour built only around dolphins?
A small-group trip is.
A trip of 4 hours to Lake Acajatuba is built around the dolphins, and its record says guests can feed them.
Which Manaus dolphin tour has the most reviews?
The jungle day on this site.
It has 485 reviews averaging 4.8, ahead of the full river day with 431 reviews.
Is a dolphin tour from Manaus suitable for wheelchair users?
The Negro half day is marked so.
The half day on the Negro River is listed as wheelchair accessible, and the jungle day suggests a river day for limited mobility.
Are the botos protected by law?
Can I cancel a dolphin tour for free?
Yes, up to 24 hours ahead.
The jungle day and the cheaper river days refund the full fare when cancelled at least 24 hours before the start.
Sources
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade (ICMBio, gov.br) (article by an ICMBio researcher, Ciencia Hoje, May 2011) · Botos e turistas em risco ↩
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade (ICMBio, gov.br), CNPT · Projeto envolvendo o CNPT/ICMBio e instituicoes parceiras e selecionado em edital da Fundacao Grupo Boticario ↩
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade (ICMBio, gov.br), CNPT · Projeto envolvendo o CNPT/ICMBio e instituicoes parceiras e selecionado em edital da Fundacao Grupo Boticario ↩
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade (ICMBio, gov.br), CNPT · Projeto envolvendo o CNPT/ICMBio e instituicoes parceiras e selecionado em edital da Fundacao Grupo Boticario ↩
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade (ICMBio, gov.br), SALVE species assessment · Inia geoffrensis (de Blainville, 1817), ficha da especie ↩
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade (ICMBio, gov.br), SALVE species assessment · Inia geoffrensis (de Blainville, 1817), ficha da especie ↩
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA) · Flutuante Amigo do Boto-vermelho oferece ecoturismo responsavel e auxilia pesquisa para conservacao da especie ↩
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA) · Flutuante Amigo do Boto-vermelho oferece ecoturismo responsavel e auxilia pesquisa para conservacao da especie ↩
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (gov.uk) · Brazil travel advice: health ↩
- Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET) · Manaus (AM): boletim climatologico de julho/2023 ↩
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservacao da Biodiversidade (ICMBio, gov.br), SALVE species assessment · Inia geoffrensis (de Blainville, 1817), ficha da especie ↩
One-day jungle experience from Manaus★ 4.8 (485) · Cancel free of charge
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