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Manaus is the ideal point of departure for visiting the rest of the Amazon region. Tour boats leave Manaus for day trips to the meeting of waters where the black waters of the Negro River meet the lighter waters of the Solimões River flowing side by side without mixing for several miles.
Visitors can also explore river banks and "igarapés", swim and canoe in placid lakes, or simply walk in the lush forest. The more adventurous may even choose to spend a night or two in the jungle in close contact with nature.
The legendary Amazon is one of the planet’s enigmas. The world’s largest river basin, 2.5 million square miles (6.5 million square kilometers)
The Amazon is the planet’s greatest rainforest, it is a vast open-air greenhouse of global evolution and unsolved mysteries whose true potential remains largely unknown and untapped.
It is possible to fly for hours over the Amazon region and see no break in the carpet of greenery except for the sinuous curves of the region’s rivers. Before the rubber boom of the 19th century, Manaus was a small, insignificant town. With rubber came rich and splendid architectural accomplishments like the Amazonas Theater (completed in 1896 and restored in 1929) with its neoclassic faade and art nouveau interior including paintings by Capranesi and De Angelis. The green, yellow, blue and red dome is made up of tiles of tropical decor. It is a vast open-air greenhouse of global evolution and unsolved mysteries whose true potential remains largely unknown and untapped.
The Amazon River dominates Brazil, yet Brazilians are only just beginning to discover it. The world’s largest rainforest, spanning more than half of the Brazilian territory, is where a tenth of the world’s 10 million living species make their homes. Within the Amazon Basin resides a wealth of life richer than any place else on earth, including 500 mammals, 175 different lizards, 300 other reptile species, tree climbers of every kind, and a third of the world's identified bird species.
Millions of species remain undiscovered. Two of the best places to see some of this incredible wildlife is at the remote lodges in our special fishing and eco-tours.
Although the indigenous people of the Amazon have resided in this region for centuries long before the European Conquistadors ever set foot in Amazonia, the adventurer first credited to have voyaged down the river Amazon was Francisco de Orellana in 1542.
The region’s treasures - minerals, oils, animal skins, precious stones, gold, emeralds and eventually petroleum - have, over centuries, attracted many international explorers to this vast region and the its natural resources and raw materials, important to Western civilizations, have been exported in great quantities over the years.
Today, the growing awareness of the importance of the rain forest - both locally and globally - and the development of novel approaches to managing tropical forests provide reasons for hope that this incredible region will be maintained as one of the true vast natural paradises of our planet. The Rainforest supports many communities of indigenous people whose livelihoods and culture depend on the sustainability of the forest.
The most famous among the plants is guaraná. Known for its high caffeine content, the guaraná beverage provides energy and helps to reduce hunger. Ayuasca is another famous plant, which is used in spiritual awakening and ceremonies conducted by the Shaman. The Shamans, or Pajés (as they are known in Indian language), are not only the medicine men of the tribes and villages, but are also sorcerers and spiritual guides.
The music, dances, legends and myths of the Amazon are an important part in the local people’s culture. The involving rhythms of the Carimbó, siriá and lundu dances are very seductive, physically and spiritually. During the entire year, it is possible to attend and to participate in popular festivals, such as the Boi-bumbá, Marujada and Çairé. The people from this land carry in their blood the taste for lively dancing in the streets, and sensual hot rhythms.
The Amazonian cuisine is among one of the richest and most authentic in Brazil. The typical dishes use only natural and organic products, picked from the purest sources found in the Amazon flora and fauna, unique to any other place in the world. Eccentric names such as tucupi, tacacá, maniçoba, pirarucu, açaí, cupuaçu, bacuri and guaraná correspond to foods, fish or fruit, which are irresistible from the first bite. Amazonian cuisine has survived the ages practically unchanged and those who venture to discover its many marvels will be deliciously surprised by the wonderful flavors it beholds.
Traveling to the Amazon is an experience that should not be missed and one that must be part of your journey to Brazil.
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