Manaus Travel Guide

(Last update: Oct 03, 2011 )

Coexist with indigenous tribes who hunt with bow and arrow in the planet's largest rain forest, or succumb to the worldly pleasure of consumerism in the most important free shop in South America. Outing in search of alligators or venture into the heady nightlife of the "Paris of the Tropics". Fishing piranhas at the evening or witness a performance of opera in a sumptuous theater in the very jungle. Anything is possible, though it seems impossible, in the lush and contradictory Manaus, queen city of the northern Brazil, capital of Amazonas state, where ecotourism coexists harmoniously with the luxury of five star hotels.

Oasis of comfort in the jungle

Not even in your wildest dreams you could think of adjusting the air conditioning at your leisure in a luxury suite built on top of an ancient tree, while a cautious jaguar or a giant anaconda, is prowling your garden. Yes, the "Hotels of Jungle" exist, and if you go to Manaus, you will have them at your fingertips, and in exchange for a large amount of money. They are in dozens and with very different forms. Obviously, the more farther they are, the more truly wild will be your stay. There are some of them located in ecological reserves and they include in their packages several entertaining and informative contacts with Indians, who captured the alligator with his hands and then sent them back to their habitat intact, jungle walks, bird watching, piranha fishing, among other adventures.

To visit Manaus, 2850 miles far from Rio de Janeiro, and especially for trips into the jungle, it is advisable to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever and prevent Malaria by means of drugs or using repellents and clothing that covers the entire body to avoid getting bitten by the mosquito that transmits it.It is also advisable to carry a good bottle of sunscreen to overcome the very strong near equatorial sun.

Sailing by where the waters kiss each other.

When you take the boat to go to the "Meeting of the Waters" perhaps you have heard that name thousands of times, but you surely never could have imagined what you would going to attend just a few kilometers later. In a little while to enjoy watching the colorful houses of the natives, resting on stilts, and, with luck, be able to photograph the dolphins that often haunt the place, Tuxuxi and Rosa, appears as if by magic, a perfect line formed by the brown waters of Solimoes River and blackened waters of Black River.These rivers run parallel without mixing giving birth to the Amazon, the world's largest river, which wriggle around bicolor and fast, looking for the Atlantic Ocean. You can take the tour to visit any native village and also the Monkey Island, where primates victims of illegal trade are rehabilitated. The walks by the park are made through elevated walkways or canoe, depending on the time of year you visit the site. Between May and June, for example, during the period of increased flooding, canoes sail deep into the park at the height of the treetops.

Most tours then travels beyond the "kiss of the waters" until the Janauary Ecological Park, a sort of mock-up of the jungle where you can see up close the wonderful fauna and vegetation of the area, and even eating in uniques floating restaurants along the river.In them, as in most of the restaurants in the region, you can experience a huge variety of fish and seafood, being the star: the pirarucu, fish that can weigh the same as half a cow and the meat has the same firmness, but with a taste delicious and very special. It is also recommended taste the huge variety of delicious tropical fruits and regional dishes prepared with native plant.

Other walks can be made along the Black River with a huge variety of waterfalls, beaches and ecological parks.

Wild city, crystal jungle.

The cosmopolitan and port Manaus, surrounded by jungle, mosquitoes as big as bats, and birds chirping as truck horns, boasts all the good and the not so good of whichever big cities in the world. In its urban chaos are the best restaurants in the Southern Cone, which offer native delicacies and international dishes, a very wide range of theatrical, musical and artistic works, and a complete nightlife, sophisticated and adapted for all tastes. In the old city, close to the floating gate, you can visit several museums sited in ostentatious buildings from the late nineteenth century, when Manaus lived a wild economic boom thanks to the rubber industry. There is also the imposing and neoclassical cathedral, with its tall bell towers, and the Municipal Market, a captive exotic bazaar where you can haggle fruit, meat, vegetables and Amazonian fish with unpronounceable names and delicious tastes. Just fifteen minutes from the city is Mindu Municipal Park, an area of ecological interest of huge variety of flora and fauna in which you can scour various ecosystems. The place is the habitat of Sauim of Manaus, the city's pet monkey, which is in danger of extinction.

Shopping in the jungle

After the apogee and death of the "rubber boom", Manaus was plunged into a deep slumber of decades, until it aroused when it was declared tax-free port, so unbridled consumption in dozens of shopping malls is an activity which no visitor can resist to succumb. Due the existence of the Industrial Pole,in which were installed known brands and manufacturers of all kinds of items, you can buy at very suitable prices, electronics, gold, lingerie, video games, sunglasses, watches, jewelry and thousands of articles more. There is also a wide range of medicines and natural herbs, talismans of religion Umbanda and native crafts to take home as souvenirs.

One of the essential places within the city limits, is the Forest of Science in which you can see River Wolves, which are like giant otters, sea cows (manatees), buildings bees, crocodiles, exotic orchids and thousands of species of animals and plants. Giant sea cows, manatees calls, buildings of bees, crocodiles, exotic orchids and thousands of species of animals and plants.

To stroll through the city are not very recommended public transport, because despite being cheaper than the taxis, they can stop whenever desired and the other not.

The opera in the jungle

Inherited Jewel from their ancient wealth, the huge Amazon Theater or Opera House is an architectural marvel that crowns the city "Mother of the Gods" as indicatesthe indigenous origin of its name. With capacity for 700 people, this unquestionable witness of the fleeting splendor of Manaus lived between 1879 and 1912, when the "rubber boom" became this city in one of the most prosperous of the continent. This legendary building took a decade to be built with noblest materials brought from Europe.Carrara marble, iron from England, French stained glass and bronze from Belgium make the building whose dome is made of thousands of ceramic tiles that draw together the flag of Brazil.

Rainy winter, drought summer, heat always.

If there is a essential artcle to walk around Manaus at any time of year, is the umbrella, since unexpected rains, intense and short, occur almost daily, like it were arriving to refresh the heavy humidity (over 80 percent) and the sweltering heat requiring constant hydration. In Manaus there are two distinct seasons, both of high temperatures, dry summer, which lasts from June to November and with temperatures up to 38 degrees, and a rainy winter, which runs between December and May.The average annual temperature is 30 degrees Celsius. A good time to visit the region is the beginning of summer, the rains have diminished and excursions can be closed during the flood.

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