Brazilian Amazon – Places to Visit in Manaus
The city of Manaus, Brazil’s gateway to the Amazon. This is the capital of Amazonas, the largest state in Brazil. Since it is located in the middle of both the forest and the Amazon River, it is the most attractive place on the continent to see the rainforest. Of course, do not think that this is such a primitive small town. Manaus is a fairly large city with a population of approximately 2.5 and a half million. It offers travelers places suitable for every budget in terms of accommodation, eating and drinking. If you do not want to stay in the city, you can stay in wooden lodges (jungle lodges) established on the forest edge and on the river banks. Pretty cool and luxurious places. Like the Maldives Amazon branch.
Manaus is a place preferred by tourists both because it is a very important port city and because of its location in the Amazons. Apart from city trips, you have to make your trips to the Amazon forests with tour companies. You can’t dive into the rainforest inside your head.
Where is Manaus and How to Get There?
You can find direct flights to Manaus from many cities in Brazil, especially Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, the capital Brasilia and Belem. You can also go to Manaus via Belem and other cities on the banks of the Amazon River by ship/ferry. If you expect sleeper rooms and luxury cabins on these cruises, let’s say that business age. Generally, everyone on the ship sets up their own hammock and uses it as a bed. You keep the ranks pretty often. Again, you can query the situation according to the city you are in. You may come across them as some cities are located within the destination of large cargo ships, cargo ships or tour companies’ large ships with berths. But the prices will of course be quite high compared to other ferries.
Top tip: The distance between regions such as Sao Paulo and Rio and Manaus is approximately 4 thousand km. and there is no road transportation option for now. Does it end though? The part of Manaus with a road connection is the city of Boa Vista on the Venezuelan side. If you enter the region from the Venezuelan side, you can reach Manaus by car via the city of Boa Vista and the Roraima region. Apart from this, there are fast or slow ferries to Manaus from every city with a connection to the Amazon River, including those in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. The weather in Manaus is always very hot and humid throughout the year. Therefore, you will prefer thin clothes. As such, it is imperative that you take precautions against mosquitoes, the most troublesome situation in the Amazon.
Things to Do in Manaus
There are many different tour options for the Amazon Rainforest in the city. Whether daily, 3-5 days or longer. By the way; The native tribes visited within the scope of these tours are artificial places that are prepared purely for touristic purposes. FYI! None of them are members of the original Amazonian tribe. It is almost impossible to visit the real indigenous tribes in the Amazons. There are permits to go that are very difficult to obtain, and they live in isolated areas that require a guide. In any case, the natives themselves do not want to communicate with the outside world.
Top tip: If you do not intend to live in the Amazon for a long time, we think that a 4-5 day tour will be enough to experience the Amazon Rainforest. These tours first start with boats from the city of Manaus, then go to the bungalow houses prepared in certain parts of the forest for accommodation. You stay in these houses throughout the tour. There are guided walking routes, river cruises, and activities such as piranha hunting. Every moment of the trip passes like a movie scene. It gives mixed feelings like Indiana Jones cruising on King Kong island. One of the most special experiences of a person traveling the world will definitely be the Amazons.
One of the most interesting places you should see in Manaus is the point called Encontro das Aguas, where the waters of the Rio Negro and Solimoes Rivers meet but do not mix. Where you can go by boat and see, you can see that these two waters of different colors form a border without mixing for kilometers due to the difference in temperature and density. An amazing natural phenomenon.
Anavilhanas National Park, which contains more than 400 large and small Anavilhanas Archipelagos, is one of the most unique natural beauties in the region. The islands on the Rio Negro can be visited as part of the tour. Here you can observe rare pink river dolphins and a wide variety of native birds.
While there are such impressive Amazon Rainforest tours in Manaus, it doesn’t make much sense to recommend you to visit the city, but the Amazon Theater (Teatro Amazonas) is the place we can say to stop by while you’re here. It is a beautiful building with a Brazilian flag pattern on the roof, both inside and outside. You can watch an opera or concert in the actively used theatre. Also, the city in general is not very peaceful in the evenings. We do not recommend walking around with machines in your hand at late hours.
