Reserva Extrativista Baixo Rio Branco-Jauaperi
Amazonas
This newly minted extractive reserve is an outstanding place to immerse yourself in the best the Amazon has to offer, with excellent wildlife-watching –…
Must-see attractions in The Amazon
Pará
If you came to the Amazon to see primary rainforest, look no further than the Floresta Nacional do Tapajós. Wildlife is a possibility – from birds to…
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…
Amazonas
Although this state park was established in 1990 to preserve the unique canyons carved out by the Rio Aracá, it wasn't until recently that the massive…
Pará
The floodplains east and southeast of Santarém are among the Amazon's most rewarding excursions. Flooded for much of the year, the plains are home to…
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…
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…
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…
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Belém
An ambitious renovation project converted three down-at-heel riverfront warehouses into a popular gathering spot, with restaurants, bars, shops and even…
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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…
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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…
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Amazonas
About 105km by river from Leticia, eco-fierce Palmarí's rambling lodge and research center sits on the south (Brazilian) bank of the river, overlooking a…
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Amazonas
Spanning nearly 23,000 sq km, Jaú is Brazil’s second-biggest national park, and one of the largest tracts of protected tropical rainforest on earth. It…
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Parque Nacional de Anavilhanas
Amazonas
Stretching along the Rio Negro for almost 130km and with 400 islands, this national park, centered on the Anavilhanas Archipelago, is one of the most…
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…
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…
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…
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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…
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Amazonas
Zacambú is one of the closest reserves to Leticia, about 70km away by boat. Its lodge is on Laguna Zacambú, just off Río Yavarí, on the Peruvian side of…
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Pará
Henry Ford briefly moved his Fordlândia operations to this tidy little town in the 1940s and this site, 40km from Santarém, makes for an easy day trip…
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Amazonas
Spanning over a 10,000 sq km, Floresta Nacional de Tefé can be visited through various community-based tours. Most begin with a long boat ride across Tefé…
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Pará
This large (9940 sq km) Amazonian rain-forest national park lies west of the town of Itaituba (population 65,000), which is 250km southwest of Santarém…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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Pará
Praia de Araruna is a narrow, virtually deserted beach with mangrove stands and separated from Praia Barra Velha by a wide tidal channel. High tide can…
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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…
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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)…
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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…
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Pará
Praia Grande is, as the name suggests, a big beach: it's a long wide swathe of golden-brown sand about 500m south of Salvaterra proper. A slew of beach…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Manaus
The ‘Image and Sound’ center at this handsome cultural complex has a huge collection of films, including century-old documentaries by Portuguese filmmaker…
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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,…
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Pará
Praia do Pesqueiro is Soure’s most popular beach, a broad swath of soft beige sand, backed by thatch-roofed restaurants. Pesqueiro is about 12km north of…
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Pará
Housed in a large yellow waterfront mansion, this museum is also known as the Centro Cultural João Fona, after the Pará artist who painted the frescoes on…
