Get ready to discover a world of superlatives, filled with history, culture, a rich gastronomy and lots of adventure! Stay in the heart of jungle, walk through it, visit native indian villages, swim with the dolphins, taste the tucumã, cupuaçú, açaí and know a pre historic fish, the Pirarucú!
At some point in your life you may have already thought: “it would be nice to know the Amazon.” But when looking for some specific content, you found nothing really useful. It is very common and easy to find travel routes to Rio, Cusco, Buenos Aires, Miami, Paris, London, etc. But for the largest rainforest in the world, it is hard to get informations, which opens precedents for tales of monkeys walking on city streets, people creating alligators as if they were pet dogs, spiders walking over your blanket while you are sleeping and even making you get terrified by the legendary anacondas and the frightening piranhas, that will eat you alive. Bullshit!
Well, they tell interesting stories and some of then have inspired some movies. Of course it attracts some people to know this mythical world but, in the other hand, I met people around the world that was terrified by the idea of knowing the Amazon jungle.
Danger is anywhere, everywhere. Recently we heard a report (in years) of an alligator attack, it wasn’t here but at a Disney resort. It could happen here? Yes, yes it could. Although the food chain keep resisting, despite pressure by fires and illegal deforestation. “Oh baby, baby it’s a wild world”.
Don’t be afraid! The Amazon is beautiful! it’s alive! it’s an impressive lesson of life creation on our planet!
You will be able to stay safe in town and even safe in hotels inside the forest, at top of trees, near beautiful rivers where you can see the sunset painting the skies with birds in all colors, flying fast, looking for nocturnal rest. Meanwhile daily animals sleeps, you can go out for an alligators “hide and seek” in the rivers.
During the day, you can do the hiking trails in the woods with guides who grown up in jungle and know the secrets. Natural gardens of vitórias-régias (photo above), waterfalls, fishing and even a swim with the friendly botos (dolphins). You can meet those who live on the banks of the rivers, you can visit an Indian tribe that despite the pressure of the modern world, still keeps its traditions, rites and beliefs.
And if you feel inebriated of so much forest, so much peace, so much nature, you can still enjoy the sights and cuisine of a modern city, spiked in the very heart of jungle – Manaus.
Go out and Drink the tacacá soup in the San Sebastian square; Enjoy a tour inside the imposing Amazonas Theather and check for a scheduled show in there; Eat a tambaqui fish in the city’s fish restaurants, not only in touristic places, but in that one that we, the locals, go; Take a ride in our city parks like INPA, Mindú, MUSA; It is hot? It is daylight? The night has come? don’t think, just get out and go drink a cold beer at Armando or Caldeira bars or go to Cachaçarias and get ‘mistreated’; Savour regional and regionalized dishes in Waku-Sese or Banzeiro restaurants; Enjoy the night in the Porão do Alemão rock pub; Walk freely by Eduardo Ribeiro avenue; Visit the Museum of Amazonian Man, the Rio Negro Palace, The Adolpho Lisboa Market, the Arena da Amazônia soccer stadium, the ruins of Paricatuba;
Go boating till the Meeting of the Waters (Rio Negro and Solimões); Visit a farm of Pirarucú (biggest fish of the world’s fresh water); In the morning, early ot not so early, get out for a regional breakfast on the road, or in the Parque 10 Market; Do not forget your swin suit, there are wonderful beathes of clean and sweet water, with white sands, like Tupé, da Lua that you reach by boat and also can meet a Seringueiro (rubber tapper) Museum. Meet other beaches at other side of river – by car – like Paricatuba and Japonês. Don’t forget to go for a day trip to Presidente Figueiredo city and know at least 3 waterfalls (there are more than a 100).
Go to Glacial ice cream shop and ask for the local flavores as tucumã, tapioca, açaí e camapú; In the late afternoon of a sunny day, go to the Ponta Negra beach, buy an acai bowl, or a guaraná and sit on the sand to testify one magical sunset, that turns the negro river in a large river of gold, gold color, gold that reveals the true El Dorado, our natural resources, gift of the gods.
I hope, in time, give tips of the attractions in the area. Come and meet the REAL and TRUTH Manaus city and the Amazon jungle!