(Translated from Portuguese)

Paradise. This is the word most people use to describe the view that graces the shores alongside the Tapajós River. This is also the concept that attracts tourists from all over the world to visit Amazon each year to experience how people live within the world's largest forest.

Often times, curiosity wins over cautiousness, and tourists go by themselves to explore the forest and its inhabitants. We call them the backpackers. They come allured by the forest's culture, the possibility of watching and learning from the people of the region, call caboclos.

They soon find out that not only the forest view changes as you explore, but also the culture within it. There are many cultures within Amazon and many stories to learn and discover. They are so close and yet so different that it can leave you in bewilderment. The same heritage doesn't always mean the same experience.

When we started to implement cCLEAR and became more familiar with the participants' way of life, we realized that  contact with visitors would enhance  their lives. For them, tourism is more than just making a living, but also a great way to make friends. Friends, with memories they will cherish for many years.

Tourism brings a world that is near, and at the same time far away from their reality. On one hand, they have access to information from around the globe, and on the other, they are geographically isolated and have to face the changes that progress brings to their doorstep.

The exchange of information and culture is precious to the communities and they treasure that experience as much as they treasure education. In their simple words, they are wise enough to recognize that knowing people from other places is a powerful tool. CEN's ecotour Unveiling the Amazon aims to be that tool, within cCLEAR project.

With the Unveiling the Amazon program we want to create a unique opportunity for visitors and for members of the community to teach and learn together, by participating in their daily routine. Visitors will be able to glimpse what it is like to live and to work within a river community. How nature sets the pace on their way of life and how that is being changed by the contemporary changes Amazon is facing.

The community members, on the other hand, will have the chance to see their life under a different perspective, putting themselves as the guides through the process. Moreover, they will have the opportunity to see the similarities and differences that makes their culture worth preserving.

More than a cultural exchange program, Unveiling the Amazon is meant to be a powerful and dynamic tool to develop awareness for both sides of this exchange.  You will be able to experience the unique and self-reliant culture the jungle has been housing for centuries, whereas they will realize that this dialog enriches their culture, preserving it for more centuries to come.

If this experience appeals to you, get in touch with CEN and join us on this unique experience. It will be a pleasure to meet you in person here in the Amazon.