Pangaea reaches Santa Isabel do Rio Negro which is as pretty much as far as she can go! Water levels are gradually dropping and the river is getting more and more shallow. From here Mike and his team will need to turn around and sail downstream back to the mouth of the Amazon River.

Santa Isabel do Rio Negro  – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 00°24′50″S 65°01′08″W Santa Isabel do Rio Negro (Saint Isabel of Black River) is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Its population was 7,617 (2005) and its area is 62,846 square kilometres (24,265 sq mi).[1] The Municipality was formerly called Tapuruquara.

Ten days after meeting the Young Explorers in Manaus  Pangaea has advanced slowly but surely up the Rio Negro discovering all there is to discover about life on the river and survival in the jungle. Mike has shared with the youths his years of experience from past expeditions and has given them the taste of 'real' adventure.

It's a beautiful world!

It's been a spectacular trip so far with the Young Explorers and the excitement continues as the team sail further up the Rio Negro into the remote areas of the Amazon.

Nature provides us with so many miracles. We are privileged to see these first hand. Now we understand what we must try to protect.

The small township of Novo Airão is charming after the chaotic city of Manaus. Pangaea stops briefly to visit the village with the Young Explorers. The Novo'Arte Handcraft Center encourages local people to learn local craft skillsand to cater for tourists rather that working in the forest.

The younger generation must experience Nature first hand to be able to understand it and want to protect it.

I love sharing my experiences with the younger generation. Each day in the day of a youth is a learning experience and adults must set the examples.

A thunder storm brewing as we prepare to leave Manaus.

Blog written by Lani and George

Finally we have arrived in the bustling metropolis of Manaus! After several long haul flights, it was surreal to finally be reunited with our fellow young explorers. The day began with the first challenge of the expedition: to find the containers for our water filter project. We hit the streets and instantly began to sweat as we entered the sauna of the central city. After scanning several shops that stocked everything from fishing line to native blowguns, we bargained and practiced Portuguese with the friendly Brazilian people. We found suitable plastic containers, which we will modify to house the Katadyn water filters in the next few days and distribute them to local people in need of clean water.

Later, we went for lunch next to the famous Opera House in the centre of Manaus. It was amazing to see the historic buildings and the strong Portuguese influence which remains in the ex-capital. We gathered up all our bags and walked through the streets to the port of the city. As we approached the Rio Negro, we rounded the corner and suddenly PANGAEA came into view. What a spectacular sight! Finally the expedition of a lifetime has begun, it almost doesn’t seem real that we are finally living the dream.

We were welcomed by the Mike Horn team and after a discussion of our plans at the round table, we were challenged instantly. We climbed the stays of the main mast and climbed along the boom, which was difficult with sweaty hands due to the humid climate. Our start-of-expedition fitness training continued with pull ups at the back of the boat, followed by jumping into the dark sweet water of the Amazon and completing 3 laps of the boat. The first day of the expedition has been a challenge that was attacked with a huge positive attitude and enthusiasm by all the young explorers. Already we are learning a huge amount from Mike Horn, and we are sure that it is only the beginning!