The Amazon River originates in streams that run through the Andes Mountains then flows mightily across South America through Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Considered the longest river on earth, the Amazon runs at least 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), carrying with it more water than any other river in the world.

The rain forest land around the Amazon and these tributaries become flooded every wet season, between December and May, when the river rises more than 9 meters (30 feet). Over 3,000 known species of fish swim in the Amazon River and more are constantly discovered.

No bridges cross the Amazon River, because the Amazon River mostly runs through uninhabited rain forests rather than near roads and cities. Instead, the Amazon River itself is the principle transport route for indigenous people by handcrafted balsa rafts and dugout canoes. Larger riverboats and modern steel hulled ships also carry people and goods along the Amazon. While cruising the Amazon you join a long tradition of foreigners exploring this great river since Spaniard Vicente Yanez Pinzon became the first European to sail into the Amazon in 1500.