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The journey begins
Follow the water.
Our journey starts high in the west of South America. Water from the Andes feeds streams and rivers that eventually become part of the enormous Amazon system.
Fable Culture β’ River Expedition
FOLLOW THE AMAZONFrom the Andes to the Atlantic
Follow the water across South America. Listen to the rainforest, discover animals hiding beside the river and meet some of the people and places connected by this enormous water system.
Start the journey βFollow the route
The Andes
Scroll to travel. Look around. Listen carefully. There are things to discover along the way.
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THE ANDES
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Sound stop
Hear the journey begin.
Before the Amazon becomes an enormous river, water begins its journey through much smaller streams and waterways.
Close your eyes for a moment. What clues tell you that this is moving water?
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The river grows
Rivers join rivers.
Waterways from across the basin join larger rivers as the journey continues east. The Amazon is not simply one long channel β it is an enormous connected river system.
Tributaries keep feeding the system as we travel downstream.
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Entering the forest
The soundtrack changes.
Dense tropical forest now surrounds the waterways. Birds, insects, frogs and mammals can all contribute to the rainforest soundscape.
How many different sounds can you pick out? Don't worry about naming them yet.
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Mystery sound #1
Something is shouting in the trees...
Dense forest can make animals difficult to see. Sometimes hearing them is much easier.
What do you think made that enormous noise?
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Look up!
The forest has different levels.
Conditions change dramatically as you travel from the forest floor towards the tops of the tallest trees. Tap each level.
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Mystery sound #2
There's noise above us.
We're looking towards the canopy now. Listen before you choose.
Which animal could be calling above the river?
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Look at the river now
This is getting enormous.
A NASA-led study estimated that the Amazon basin holds about 38% of the water stored in the world's rivers β more than any other hydrological region evaluated.
The little waterways we started beside are now part of a vast continental system.
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Weather incoming
Here comes the rain.
The river is only one part of the water story. Rainfall, vegetation, soils, waterways and the atmosphere are connected.
Listen for rain, wind and anything else happening behind them.
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Mystery sound #3
What on earth is THAT?
Forget the classic cartoon 'ribbit'. Rainforest animals don't always sound how you expect.
What kind of animal is making this strange call?
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Night falls
Don't guess this one. Just listen.
The forest doesn't become silent when daylight disappears. A different collection of animals becomes easier to hear.
Give it ten seconds. How many separate sounds can you notice?
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The river rises
The forest can become part of the river.
Seasonal flooding transforms parts of the Amazon floodplain. Tap below to see why that matters.
PEOPLE + RIVER
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A very important stop
The Amazon is someone's home.
The Amazon is not an empty wilderness. Around 47 million people live across the region, including Indigenous peoples, river communities and people living in towns and cities.
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Many peoples, many cultures
There isn't one 'Amazon culture'.
The region contains extraordinary cultural and linguistic diversity. Tap to discover more.
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Life beside the water
Why can the river matter to people?
Life differs enormously across the Amazon, but waterways can play important roles for many communities.
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Back on the water
The river is our road.
We've travelled a long way from the small waterways near the beginning of our journey. Listen to the water around us now.
Imagine travelling here by boat. What might you notice along the banks?
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Something moved!
Did you see that in the water?
Not all rainforest wildlife lives among the trees. Tap the ripple.
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The landscape changes
The Amazon faces difficult pressures.
The future of the region involves forests, rivers, livelihoods, land, resources and the rights and needs of people who live there.
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Nearly there
Now look at the size of it.
The Amazon basin discharges more river water to the ocean than any other basin. NASA's study estimated about 18% of global river discharge to the oceans.
Think back to the small mountain waterways where our journey began.
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Before we reach the ocean
What would you protect?
You've encountered water, forest, wildlife and people. Planning the future means thinking about several needs at the same time.
Choose four priorities.
ATLANTIC
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Journey complete
The river meets the ocean.
From high ground in the west, through forests, floodplains and communities, our journey has followed the water towards the Atlantic.
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Final sound
One last listen.
We've reached the end of our route. The water we've been following is now meeting the Atlantic.
Mountain water β rainforest β flooded forest β enormous river β ocean. You made it.
Destination reached
The Atlantic Ocean
Look back at what you encountered along the route. Every stop was part of a much bigger story.
β Back to South America