Must-see attractions in The Amazon

  • The Amazon rainforest, Brazil

    Jardim Botânico Adolpho Ducke

    Manaus

    Spanning over 100 sq km, this 'garden' is actually the world’s largest urban forest. There's a network of five short trails (guides and closed shoes…

  • Teatro Amazonas

    Manaus

    This gorgeous theater was built at the height of the rubber boom, using European designers, decorators and even raw materials. The original driveway was…

  • Mercado Ver-o-Peso

    Belém

    The name of this waterfront market, with its iconic four-turreted structure at its southwestern end, comes from colonial times, when the Portuguese would…

  • Encontro das Águas

    Manaus

    Just beyond Manaus, the warm dark Rio Negro pours into the cool creamy Rio Solimões, but because of differences in temperature, speed and density, their…

  • Estação das Docas

    Belém

    An ambitious renovation project converted three down-at-heel riverfront warehouses into a popular gathering spot, with restaurants, bars, shops and even…

  • Casa Chico Mendes

    The Amazon

    This simple wood house is where Chico Mendes lived with his family until his murder on the back steps in 1988. Tours include a graphic description of the…

  • Mercado Velho

    The Amazon

    Not only a great place for a meal or late-afternoon beer, Rio Branco’s refurbished riverside Mercado Velho is a favorite spot for city-sponsored cultural…

  • Museu Amazônico

    Manaus

    Housed in a converted mansion, the Museu Amazônico has a small but excellent collection of indigenous items and artifacts from around the Amazon, many…

  • Tumucumaque National Park

    The Amazon

    Parque Nacional Montanhas do Tumucumaque (Tumucumaque National Park) is Brazil’s largest national park, spanning nearly 39,000 sq km. It borders the…

  • Amazonian tropical rainforest environment, giant water lily pads on a calm river water surface.
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    Parque Ecologico Januari

    Manaus

    As close as you'll get to experiencing a real Amazonian ecosystem on a half-day trip from Manaus, this 9000-acre park has flooded forests, giant water…

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    Praia da Lua

    Manaus

    Manaus’ best beach has fine white sand and tea-colored water, and can be coupled with a visit to the Museu do Seringal for a nice city escape. Like all…

  • Manaus, Brazil - March 24, 2014: People walking at the Mercado Municipal Adolfo Lisboa in Manaus, Brazil.
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    Mercado Municipal Adolfo Lisboa

    Manaus

    Manaus' historic city market was inaugurated in 1882, a downscaled replica of Paris' famed Les Halles market. Safe and bustling, the central building has…

  • Forte Príncipe da Beira

    The Amazon

    Remote Forte Príncipe da Beira, beside the Rio Guaporé, 210km south of Guajará-Mirim, was constructed by the Portuguese between 1776 and 1783 to…

  • Reserva Extrativista Pedras Negras

    The Amazon

    About 240km upstream from Costa Marques, the Reserva Extrativista Pedras Negras has good opportunities for hiking, canoeing, and spotting rare orchids,…

  • Museu do Seringal Vila Paraíso

    Manaus

    Located on the grounds of a former rubber-baron estate, this museum includes tours of the historic townhouse, a replica rubber-tapper shack and smokehouse…

  • Centro Cultural Palácio Rio Negro

    Manaus

    The former home of eccentric German rubber baron Waldemar Scholz, the Centro Cultural Palácio Rio Negro was built in the early 1900s and served for many…

  • Parque Estadual do Jalapão

    The Amazon

    Jalapão State Park is a 34,000-sq-km area in far eastern Tocantins, combining cerrado vegetation, hills, caves, crystalline rivers and springs, 40m-high…

  • Parque Nacional de Pacaás Novos

    The Amazon

    This rugged, 7648-sq-km national park includes Rondônia’s highest peak, Pico do Tracoá (1230m), and some spectacular waterfalls. Fauna includes rarely…

  • Estrada de Ferro Madeira–Mamoré

    The Amazon

    Right on prime waterfront, the massive warehouses and rusting trains at this historic railyard would make an ideal home for hip bars and restaurants,…

  • Basílica Santuario de Nazaré

    Belém

    Rather humdrum from the outside, the Basílica Santuario de Nazaré has a truly spectacular interior. Sink into a cushioned pew and admire the soaring…

  • Reserva Extrativista do Lago do Cuniã

    The Amazon

    This 558-sq-km reserve, created in 1999, lies 150km down the Rio Madeira from Porto Velho and is accessible only by river. It’s Rondônia’s largest fish…

  • Praia Grande

    The Amazon

    A tawny sandbar beach emerges on the far bank of the Rio Branco during low water, roughly December to April. Known as Praia Grande, it is indeed big and…

  • Museu de Arte Sacra

    Belém

    Closed indefinitely for renovations when we last passed by, this museum, once it reopens, has two parts: the impressive Igreja do Santo Alexandre and the…

  • Bosque da Ciência (INPA)

    Manaus

    Occupying a lush forest plot within the city, Bosque da Ciência (aka INPA, for the research institution that runs it) has enclosures for rescued manatees,…

  • Ilha do Amor

    Alter do Chão

    A small slice of paradise just offshore from Alter do Chão, the 'Island of Love' is especially striking when the water is low (August to December) and…

  • Lago Verde

    Alter do Chão

    This huge three-fingered lake is surrounded by forest and has places to swim, snorkel with fish and spot wildlife (including a resident family of monkeys)…

  • Museu do Estado do Pará

    Belém

    The State Museum of Pará is housed in the grand Palácio Lauro Sodré, originally the residence of Portugal’s royal representatives in Belém and later home…

  • Palácio Antonio Lemos & MABE

    Belém

    This rubber-boom palace served as city hall in the late 1800s, and its 2nd floor now houses the Museu de Arte de Belém. The museum has gorgeous wood…

  • Museo do Círio

    Belém

    The many idiosyncrasies of Belém’s famous religious festival, the Círio de Nazaré, are explained in this handsome museum, from the discovery of a tiny…

  • Teatro da Paz

    Belém

    Overlooking Praça da República, the Teatro da Paz is one of Belém’s finest buildings. Completed in 1874 and built in the neoclassical style, the…

  • Forte do Presépio

    Belém

    The city of Belém was founded in 1616 with the construction of this imposing fort, which was intended to protect Portuguese interests upriver from…

  • Museu da Borracha

    The Amazon

    The long-standing Rubber Museum is well worth a look for its fascinating history of rubber-tapping in Acre. The museum's three rooms have displays ranging…

  • Memorial dos Autonomistas

    The Amazon

    In its spiffy home on the main plaza, the Memorial dos Autonomistas has a permanent display on Acre’s battle for statehood, plus space for rotating art…

  • Bosque Rodrigues Alves

    Belém

    Bosque Rodrigues Alves' aging but well-maintained animal enclosures (which harbor tapir, bird, feline and primate species) and wide, tree-shaded paths are…

  • Palacete Provincial

    Manaus

    The ‘Image and Sound’ center at this handsome cultural complex has a huge collection of films, including century-old documentaries by Portuguese filmmaker…

  • Catedral da Sé

    Belém

    After years of slow, sad decline, Belém’s historic cathedral is once again radiant, thanks to a major renovation. The exterior gleams a brilliant white,…

  • Memorial Coluna Prestes

    The Amazon

    Housed in a curious white tubular structure near Palacio Araguaia, the Memorial Coluna Prestes tells the life story of Captain Luis Carlos Prestes, who…

  • Museu do Xapuri

    The Amazon

    This small but intriguing museum tells how Xapuri, located at the confluence of two rivers, was once a major transport hub for rubber, nuts, wood and…

  • Centro Cultural dos Povos da Amazônia

    Manaus

    At the heart of this massive cultural complex is the excellent Museu do Homem do Norte (Museum of Northern Man), which contains an incredible array of…