Pink River Dolphins Trip Report 2025

Amazon River, Brazil
July 14 - 18, 2025

 July 14, 2025. Arrival Day.

We made it! Everyone arrived on time, no flight delays, no missing gear. Happy guests equals happy me.

The river is high, and that alone has me buzzing with excitement for what we’re about to experience. I can’t wait to get in the water and connect with these animals again. 

What will we see? How many different dolphin species will appear? Will we find sloths this time, now that it’s the wet season? Can we do beach entries to frame some trees in the background? I wonder if the staff from last season are still here?

My mind is racing with questions as we ferry toward the lodge.

What I do know is this… today is a good day. 

There’s a warm breeze in the air, the river feels alive, and I’m filled with the kind of energy I’ve been craving. 

The jungle is lush and green. The water is so calm, it feels like there is two skies.

This trip is exactly the kind of emotional reset I needed.

The ride to the lodge was short, a huge contrast from last year. 

That season, the river was at a record low, the driest it had been in 100 years. 

Last season it took us forever to reach the lodge, and we had to climb a steep 25–30 foot embankment just to get there.

But this season? The boat pulled right up to the cafeteria door. Smooth. Easy. Beautiful.

And the staff? They were waiting for us with open arms. Like seeing old friends. It felt good to be remembered.

After a quick lunch, we geared up for our first water session at 3:30 PM. Time to introduce our group to the Botos, the Amazon river dolphins.

We visited the dolphin house, where habituated Botos are introduced to tourists.

Our group jumped in and immediately started playing with one curious dolphin that swam in. 

I hung back for a bit. 

In the distance, a small pod of gray dolphins (the other species of freshwater dolphins in the Amazon) was hunting. Above them, terns swooped and circled, taking advantage of the fish being chased to the surface.

The grays are shy and don’t interact like the Botos, so I stayed topside, trying to capture aerial footage while the group enjoyed their encounter. 

They had a blast, laughing, smiling, getting to know these bizarre, beautiful animals.

After capturing some footage of the gray dolphins hunting, I jumped in with the group to photograph the Boto. 

Shooting in this river is always a challenge. The visibility is terrible, and the light is all over the place—even in shallow water. 

The nutrients from the rainforest give the water its rich color, but they also block a lot of natural light.

I shot at 1/320, f/5, ISO 2000, and even then, it was tough. My settings were bouncing all over the place as I tried to dial things in. I think I can afford to drop the ISO a stop tomorrow, maybe clean up some of that noise and still hold enough exposure. 

I’ll give it a shot.

After a short while, we left the dolphin house to go look for sloths in the trees along the riverbanks. With the river running high, we had a good chance of seeing them close to the waterline. 

We did find two of them, high up in the canopy. Not close enough for great photos, but still a good start.

Then came the surprise.

As we made our way back to the lodge, we spotted another boat stopped by a small tree in the river. Just as we arrived, they pulled away. We moved in to take a look, and there it was… a young sloth, soaked and clinging to the tree. 

The boat before us had spotted it swimming. As we approached, it slowly started dropping back into the water so it could continue its journey.

It moved in super slow motion as it slowly started lower its body into the water. 

I had my underwater housing ready and fired off a few frames in the fading light. I’ve dreamed of photographing a sloth in the water for years, and finally, I had my chance. 

I was on fire, hoping one or two of those shots came out.

Stephanie jumped at the chance as well and got a few frames of her own.

We stayed with the sloth for a few minutes, long enough to observe, and snap a few images.

But we didn’t want to stress it anymore.

 So we left it to finish its crossing and motored back through water that felt like a dream.

The sunset this evening was so beautiful, so perfect. 

My soul is full. My mind is racing and filled with excitement for tomorrow.

 I can’t wait to see what the day brings.

July 15, 2025. Day Two

Damn. What a morning. 

We kicked off the day at Boto Beach, a shoreline spot that, during the dry season, turns into a wide, white sand beach. 

It’s also one of the best places to interact with wild Botos. 

And today... it delivered.

We had four dolphins hanging around, and the encounters were nothing short of magical. 

The light was perfect, soft, golden, and cutting just right through the water. The dolphins were playful, interactive, and curious. 

It was an epic morning, far exceeding anything I could’ve hoped for.

Our guests were glowing. 

So was I.

I’m still struggling to find the words to describe how good it was. 

Just pure joy.

To spend time with an animal like this is a privilege. Botos are one of nature’s great gifts, an ancient piece of this ecosystem that once helped balance life in the Amazon River. 

Sadly, with humans overfishing and shifting the river’s natural dynamics, the Botos aren’t the apex predator they once were. But they remain icons of the Amazon, symbols of beauty, mystery, and resilience.

In the afternoon, we visited the Boto house again. 

Today, we were greeted by three dolphins: Julian, Fred, and Doralisie. Unlike the other location, the team here names the individuals they regularly work with. 

Julian is the dominant male and made sure we all knew it, trying to chase off the other two in classic, playful dolphin drama.

While our group swam with the Botos, I turned my attention to the gray dolphins feeding nearby. They are super shy and don’t come in, like the Botos do. 

One started jumping, and we got lucky, and snapped a few frames as it leapt. 

It turns out that the Tucuxi do not jump very often so we got very lucky that they were jumping in front of us.

It’s always a challenge photographing jumping dolphins, but when it works, it’s special.

After we left the Boto House, we went on a sloth hunt. 

Our goal for this trip is to find and photograph 20 sloths. (Okay, so it is my goal, but I’ve made it a full team effort).

So far, we’ve seen five: three yesterday, two more today, one was a big male sloth.

Both sightings today were not close up encounters. Both were high up in the canopy. One of them was in the clear, but it was super hard photographing it. 

But that’s how it goes.

We kept searching.

As the light started to fade, we decided to head back.

 On the way in, we were gifted a final surprise: a white-throated toucan perched in the treetops, singing. It was a new species for me, and damn, it was beautiful.

We’re heading in now after an absolutely unforgettable day. 

I’m so grateful for the energy, the light, the animals, and for our guests, who got to witness something truly special today.

WOW WOW WOW.

Tomorrow can’t get here soon enough!

July 16, 2025. Day Three

We started the day with a bit of blah news…  a group of 18 people had reserved the dolphin area for themselves, which meant we had to wait. 18 is a lot of people.

I’m just not a fan of big groups, too chaotic. 

But, the delay worked out. The sky was cloudy early on, so waiting gave us a chance to get better light.

Instead of wasting time, we headed out for a sloth search. 

We found one early, but it was way up in the canopy, too high for any decent photos. 

A little later, we found a male sloth much lower, but he tucked in tight behind the leaves before we could get a shot. 

That’s just how it goes sometimes.

So far we have seen 7 sloths, 13 to go on our goal of 20!

Once the big group cleared out, we motored over to Boto Beach and jumped in.

Two dolphins greeted us right away. 

We waded out of the shaded area under the tree canopy and into the sunlight to take advantage of what little light we had. 

Even though the water is shallow, the nutrient-rich river makes visibility tough, the sunlight that does make it through paints the water a deep orange-red. 

It’s beautiful, but challenging.

We started photographing the dolphins as they zoomed past us.

One dolphin had marks on both sides of its dorsal area, almost like a brand.

I later learned that this dolphin had been speared or harpooned by a fisherman, then rescued and rehabilitated by local researchers. 

The marks help them track its recovery. If I understood correctly, 15 dolphins have been marked like this to monitor their survival.

One of the dolphins was incredibly playful, constantly nudging us. 

Dolphins can be quite nosy sometimes.

I love it. It felt like a mix of playful curiosity attitude. maybe they wanted food. We didn’t have any, but they stayed around us.

So funny to experience, and watch.

We stayed in the water for a couple of hours before heading back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, we visited the community center.

 It’s the same one we visited last year, where they make bracelets using locally harvested seeds. These beads are hand-drilled, painted, and sent all over the world for jewelry. Making your own bracelet here is a small way to support the community and bring back a souvenir with a story, way better than a gift shop trinket from the airport.

After that, it was back to sloth hunting.

Cruising along the riverbanks, it didn’t take long to find our first sloth of the afternoon, a male eating leaves just above the waterline. 

I managed to get a few shots before he tucked his head in to hide it’s face and pretended it was part of the tree.

Once they do that, forget it, they’re not moving.

A little further on, we found two more feeding in a tree, but they were too far for decent photos.

Proof of life only.

Then we spotted a female sloth, but she wanted nothing to do with us, tucked in instantly.

This seems to be the trend today, lots of tucks.

The outboard motors on our boats are pretty loud, and I think the sloths hear us coming. 

It does not take long before they get in defensive mode. 

We’ve talked about trying to cut the motor earlier, so we can glide in more quietly and maybe keep them visible a bit longer. 

Lots of trial and error going on with this style of shooting. 

The final encounter of the day was with a mom and her baby. 

The baby was tiny, tucked in tightly to her chest. 

Still, it was beautiful to see. 

Even if we didn’t get many frame-worthy shots, just being near them is a gift.

That said, we did manage a few photos I'm really happy with, small wins in a day loaded with good energy, playful dolphins, and quiet moments in the trees.

July 17, 2025. Day Four

We started the morning at the dolphin house. 

Unfortunately, Boto Beach was booked for a private group this morning, and after lunch the owners shut it down to rest both the dolphins and themselves. 

So, this morning our time at the Dolphin house was our only session for the day.

Still, the dolphin house was fun. A few Botos came in, and our group got in the water and enjoyed some solid interaction. 

It is simple, intimate playful moments with a very special animal, and a great way to start the day.

Afterward, we visited an indigenous rainforest camp. I am not big on people and tourist attractions, I prefer nature and animals, and less people. But I really want to try and give back to the locals here, even small gestures go a long way. 

It was peaceful and grounding, beautiful to see that the old ways still hold space in a modern world. 

But also heartbreaking. It’s a dying way of life.

 If the younger generation doesn’t carry it forward, this tribe, now only about 25 people strong, they could disappear entirely. 

All that may remain will be tourist videos and a few handmade trinkets that they made and sold to their visitors.

It reminded me of how fragile cultural heritage can be.

It was a meaningful morning.

After lunch, we headed out to search for sloths, monkeys, and birds. 

A solid meal, good energy, and off we went.

About 45 minutes in, we found a male sloth. 

We approached slowly, cutting the engine early, and it worked!

 He didn’t stay in the spot we found him very long, but he didn’t tuck, which gave us a rare window to grab a few nice photos before he vanished deeper into the trees. 

I was super happy with the encounter, and our guides. They are figuring it out.

 That brings our sloth count to 14, just 6 more to reach our trip goal of 20.

Later, we spotted another sloth up high near the riverbank. I sent the drone up for a few aerial attempts. 

It was tucked in pretty well, so not much to capture, but it was good flight practice, and we even tried a group drone shot, just for fun.

Then we came across the friendly monkey troop, the Cairaras. They are wild, but very used to people. 

Lodges in the area often bring guests to see them and offer them snacks. 

I know it’s a complicated situation, but for now, it’s a way the local communities support themselves. And honestly, I feed sharks, so I’m not one to judge. 

I’d rather go with the flow and try to understand than pretend I have all the answers.

These monkeys live on what becomes an island in the dry season. 

When it floods, they return to the treetops. But when the land’s exposed, they walk around on two legs like little people. It’s wild to witness.

Later, we encountered a troop of squirrel monkeys, also habituated, also great photo subjects. 

Watching them move, interact, and pose made for a fun and productive afternoon.

On the way back, we spotted one more male sloth. He was high up, but his back was exposed, and I managed to grab a few solid images.

I’ve been working with our boat crew to help them better understand how to approach sloths without causing them to tuck. 

Today was our best day yet. 

They moved slow, silent, and respectful, and it showed in the results. I’m proud of that.

We also stopped to photograph a few interesting birds along the way. 

The river is alive with feathers, colors, and movement if you slow down enough to see it.

July 18, 2025. Day Five

Our final day, and it’s a Travel day. 

But not without one more early morning session at Boto Beach.

We left the lodge at 7:00 AM, hoping to beat the other boats that also want to see the dolphins here… and maybe catch the dolphins before they got tired of people.

Maybe they’d be hungry, maybe playful, or maybe just curious.

Either way, I wanted to feel what the early morning energy was like in this place.

The light started out dark, but within an hour it was kicking, and so good!

This trip has far exceeded my expectations.

Every encounter, every moment on the river, it’s left me wanting more.

I’ve completely fallen for this place and these animals all over again.

On the way out, when we left the lodge, we picked up Washington, our boat captain, from his home.

He’s lived his whole life here, by the water, surrounded by forest. His house is simple but so beautiful.

A life built around tourism and fishing, sustaining his family, rooted in rhythm with nature.

I used to think life was incomplete if you didn’t get out and travel, if you didn’t see the world.

But not so much anymore.

If you spend your life deeply connected to a place like this, where every day brings you into relationship with the wild, I don’t believe that’s a wasted life at all.

In fact, I think it might be the most meaningful kind of life there is.

We spent a couple of hours with the dolphins this morning. These animals never stop amazing me, so strange, so beautiful, so full of personality.

What a privilege it is to not only see one of these rare animals, but to interact, and photograph one in its home waters.

I am going to miss this place.

The Amazon is truly special. It pulses with life and energy.

Being here makes you feel alive. It doesn’t just inspire, it heals.

It fills your soul.

I’ve heard people call the rainforest the lungs of the Earth.

I never fully understood, or appreciated what that meant, until now.

Even though I have been here before, something about this trip really sparked something in me.

To the people of the Amazon, thank you.

Thank you for sharing your home, your rivers, your animals, and your spirit.

Until next season… Because there’s no doubt, we’re coming back.