I'm going in mid-February into the Amazon for a few weeks. My main concern is footwear. Anybody have any personal experiences?

I've read some guides provide rubber boots, I've heard to wear WP hiking boots, I even talked to a friend that just wore running shoes. Any help is much appreciated.

my only suggestion is 99% deet bug spray. You will get eaten alive either way, but this way will be a little less.

As for hiking shoes, I cant tell you anything amazon specific, I bought some Columbia hiking shoes online before I went to SA. They have been some of the most comfortable shoes that I have owned, and regret I cant wear them more often without looking weird.

I second the bug spray comment.

I would also advise you to wear wicking socks and take a lot of them. Everyone is different as far as what kind of shoes to wear. I despise hiking boots, so I typically wear a trail shoe that drains well or has good ventilation. Gaiters are also another thing to consider.

my hiking shoes = trail shoes fwiw

Agree with above about bug spray. Did alot of jungle hiking and we always just wore tennis shoes but lately wore Teva type shoes and they were good. Taking malaria prevention?

Thanks guys. I do plan on taking plenty of 99% DEET spray. I hear they're pretty bad down there, especially the black flies.

Spore Ag, I do plan on it, but haven't looked into it much. I passed on malaria prevention in SE Asia and made it out alright. I'm going to take the "better safe than sorry" approach in SA though. Any suggestions on which one to get?

i dont know if you get much choice.....if you have two or so weeks in SA before the amazon, you could just go to the pharmacy there and buy it for cheaper and avoiding the pointless doctors visit without a prescription

I was only in the amazon for something like 3 hours...and my legs were f'n eaten alive by those small black bugs

FWIW...these are the shoes I bought for SA

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032ANG92/ref=oss_product

I went with a cheaper pair...but they worked great

[This message has been edited by defroach (edited 11/30/2010 7:49p).]

Low parasite incidence you can take 100mg tetracycline twice a day. Example is dry season and altitude. We used to use quinine but would not advise it now. Moderate to high just do the Malaron. With high incidence it is not worth saving money. I have bought local pharmaceuticals like diamox and ended up tossing them. Malaria is is not good thing.

Go to the CDC website and look at the area where you will be. It gives a list of the effective anti-malarial drugs for that specific region. We're going on a mission trip out of Iquitos, Peru in July. We got our yellow fever shot at the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District and they will give prescriptions for anti-malarial drug as well.

I appreciate the help fellas.

Hiking in Amazon =