Things to do in The Amazon
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Waterfalls
There are 80 identified waterfalls, caves and pools in the area, of which ten to fifteen are open and accessible to the public during most of the year. The tourist office encourages visitors to use guides for all the sites, though several of the most popular ones are perfectly easy to visit on your own.
Cachoeria de Roncadeira is the tallest in the area (70m), and Cachoiera Escorrega Macaco, just a hundred meters away, is nearly as tall (60m). Both tumble picturesquely down sheer rust-brown cliffs, fringed by green vegetation and moss-covered stones. Both have small pools for wading and swimming, while Roncadeira is sometimes used for rappelling.
The falls are located 1.…
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Jaime Rodriguez
An experienced local guide fluent in English, Spanish and Pemón, he leads excellent Roraima tours emphasizing local culture and customs. A vivid and engaging storyteller who breathes life into the landscape and chilly tepui-top evenings, he is in the process of developing a Pemón guide cooperative.
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Kamadac
A German- and Venezuelan-owned agency, it offers staples (Gran Sabana, Roraima) as well as some more adventurous tours (Auyantepui, Akopán Tepui).
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Kamadac
This tour operator runs a delicious pizza parlor with a huge choice of toppings.
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Beaches
Across the channel from town is Praia do Farol, a broad attractive beach that's good (and convenient) for swimming and sunbathing. Continuing clockwise along the shore, a rocky outcrop called Ponta do Boiador marks the beginning of Praia da Princesa. This is the island's best beach, stretching 8km, with rough surf and backed by dunes, palms and the occasional structure or rocky outcrop.
The island has several tidal channels (known as furos, or 'punctures', in Portuguese) which connect inland lagoons to the ocean, and vary in size and strength according to the tide. The channel separating Algodoal from Praia do Farol can be waded at low tide, while canoes ferry people acro…
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Waterfalls
You need a vehicle to visit the waterfalls here. You can rent a car from Manaus, or take the bus and hire a taxi in Presidente Figueiredo. Or book a guided tour at Pousada das Pedras, which is certainly the easiest and more informative route.
The best and easiest falls to visit are Iracema (12km from town), Santuario (16km), Portera (19km) and Suframa (11km); further away is Pedra Furada (60km). About 12km from town is the town of Balbina, where the Water Mammals Preservation Center shelters manatees and other animals. Nearby, Caverna Maruaga - an attractive cave with a waterfall at its entrance and a clear shallow river running over its floor - was closed for fears of co…
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Museu Histórico Municipal
‘Have animal, will stuff’ seems to be the motto at Guajará-Mirim’s Museu Histórico Municipal. Monkeys, falcons and anteaters are among the slew of birds and mammals stuffed (none too recently, it seems) and posed in a tree in the museum’s foyer. Inside the main room, a stuffed anaconda is stretched the length of the main salon, while another is wrapped around a crocodile, also stuffed. A few other oddities, like conjoined-twin piglets preserved in formaldehyde, complete the bizarre natural history collection. The museum is housed in the old Madeira-Mamoré train station, and has some mildly interesting train memorabilia, and there are two genuine steam locomotives …
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Fábrica de Preservativos
Acre's rubber tappers have fewer and fewer places to sell their product, pushed out by cheaper (but inferior) Asian and synthetic latex. However, condoms - called preservativos or camisinhas in Portuguese - are one of few mass-market items still commonly made from 100% natural latex. The Brazilian government has long promised Xapuri a condom factory, which will buy locally produced rubber, and employ a couple dozen factory workers at the same time.
Nearly complete - finally! - the factory reportedly will offer tours to visitors. Done properly, the visits could be a fascinating; ask at your hotel for the latest.
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Marco Inicial do Brazil
Oiapoque was long thought to mark the northernmost point of Brazil. The saying Do Oiapoque ao Chuí (from Oiapoque to Chuí) is still a common phrase meaning all of Brazil. The town itself has a monument - Marco Inicial do Brazil and a motto, Aqui comença o Brazil (Brazil starts here) - to mark the distinction. The only problem is that it is not the northernmost point: Monte Caburaí, on the Venezuelan border in Roraima, beats it by a good hundred kilometers!
Oiapoque took the news in stride, tweaking its claim to say the town has the northernmost coastline, which is true.
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Classic Peru & Amazon
- Peru, Lima, Machu Picchu, The Amazon, World
- Tours › Explorer
13 days (ex Lima)
by Intrepid
Be awestruck by Ollantaytambo, Spot Peru's exotic creatures in the Amazon Jungle, Savour traditional ceviche in coastal Lima, Be awestruck by Ollantaytambo, Ste…Not LP reviewed
from USD$3,140 Advertisement
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Galapagos & Peru Adventure
24 days (ex Quito)
by Intrepid
Get acquainted with Quito's dizzying altitude, Bike around San Cristobal, Explore the Galapagos Islands, Scale a volcano on Isla Isabela, Snorkel through underw…Not LP reviewed
from USD$5,840 -
As Misões
As Misões is a mildly interesting complex overlooking the mouth of Lago de Tefé and the main channel of the Rio Solimões. Founded in 1897, it has a well-kept garden, huge decaying church, and a cemetery full of former missionaries. The main building was a church-run vocational school where many of Tefé’s masons, metalworkers and other skilled tradesmen were trained. The elfish priest, Padre Altino from the north of Portugal, gives spirited tours to anyone who’s interested. The best time to come is Tuesday to Friday; to get there, hire a boat from the waterfront.
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Jungle Trips
Tabatinga and the Colombian town of Leticia lie side-by-side on the eastern bank of the Amazon, about 1100km west of Manaus, while the far bank belongs to Peru. This area, known as the 'triple frontier', is a logical travel hub and also happens to be good for taking jungle trips, particularly to remote areas up the Rio Javarí (the Brazil-Peru border) and further up the Rio Amazonas in Colombia.
Most travelers base themselves in Leticia, which is more pleasant and better equipped than Tabatinga or the small villages on Peruvian side.
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Museu da Borracha
Housed in a beautifully restored mansion, the Museu da Borracha has three small rooms with exhibits on the history of rubber-tapping. One room explains the extraction and processing of rubber, including the transition from using small axes (which killed the tree) to a tool called a cabrita (little goat), which only scrapes the surface. Other displays cover migration into Acre, the life and work of Chico Mendes and the Rural Workers Union, and relations with indigenous communities.
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Waterfalls & Bathing Pools
Half a kilometer from Praça Leopoldo de Bulhões - and reputedly connected to it by a tunnel - are the Poções, a series of small waterfalls and refreshing natural bathing pools, and beyond that the remains of São Luiz, the original settlement of the 1720s gold prospectors. About 4km from town are Cachoeiras do Paraíso, another series of natural bathing pools, though they often dry to a trickle from June to September. Local kids can lead you to either for a small tip.
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from USD$2,430
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Serra do Lajeado
East of town, Serra do Lajeado has scores of beautiful ecological attractions, especially waterfalls, swimming holes, trails and even ancient cave paintings. Its sheer cliffs make it a popular destination for rappelling and paragliding, as well. Unfortunately, most of the land is privately owned, and at the time of research the best and most accessible attractions were closed to visitors by the landowners. Call the Centro de Atendimento ao Turista (CATUR) for the latest info.
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Museu do Xapuri
This modest but interesting museum covers the history of Acre and Xapuri, which was once a major hub for commercial activity, thanks to its location at the confluence of two rivers. Rubber, nuts, wood and other products were floated downstream to market, while roaming merchants (mostly Lebanese and Syrian, interestingly enough) used the waterways to peddle everything from shovels to perfume. Housed in an attractive mansion that served as the city hall from 1929 to 2000.
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Casa Chico Mendes
Just across the street from the Fundação Chico Mendes, the teal and pink Casa Chico Mendes is just that: the simple wood house where Mendes, his wife and two children lived until his murder. This is also where he was killed; tours conducted by docents from the Foundation (required) include a graphic description of place and moment he was shot, even the bloodstains still on the walls. Photos are not permitted inside the house, but outside is OK.
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Vila Mosqueiro
The island's main town, Vila Mosqueiro, is on the southwest tip of the island. Av Beira Mar, the main drag, starts in town at Praia Farol and runs northward along the shore past Praia Chapéu, Praia do Murubira, Praia Marahú and Praia Paraíso, in that order. The other main road in Vila Mosqueiro is Av 16 de Novembro, which intersects with Av Beira Mar between Praia Farol and Praia Chapéu, at a small plaza and church.
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Fundação Chico Mendes
The visitors center of the Fundação Chico Mendes contains wall-size photos of Chico Mendes with his wife and children, tapping rubber trees, and leading empate s – work stoppages designed to stop clear-cutting in the rain forest. There are some personal effects, including the blood-stained clothes and bath towel he had when he was murdered, and numerous awards given to Mendes, both before and after he died.
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Churrascaria Triângulo
True, the ambience here is quite lacking – it’s a hotel restaurant – but if you’re famished and in the mood for meat, you are sure to get your fill here. The rodízio is sort of an all-you-can-eat meat buffet: waiters pass by your table with long skewers of fresh-grilled meats that you can sample as long as your stomach and chair hold up. It also includes all the self-serve side dishes you like, as if you’ll have room.
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Palacio Rio Branco
Acre’s first capital building, the imposing Palacio Rio Branco is now mostly a tourist attraction. A maze of interconnected rooms contain interesting and well-done displays on prehistoric artifacts, indigenous communities, Chico Mendes and the Acrean Revolution. Docents are available for free guided tours, though you’ll have to understand Portuguese. (Same goes for the all displays.)
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SESC
An example of Rio Branco’s unexpected hipness is the city’s SESC complex, which operates as much as a cultural center as a social-services office. It sponsors lectures, screens creative film cycles and festivals, even stages live performances, all open to the public, and most free or under R$10. Stop by for a schedule, or keep an eye out for fliers at the other sights around town.
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Pizzaria Tribos
One of a handful of kiosks in a small park a block off the main plaza, Tribos serves up tasty pizzas at small outdoor tables and gets kudos for playing something other than forró or Brazilian pop (or simply blasting the TV). Select from one of the dozen or so usual suspects – shredded chicken, prosciutto, tuna, palm hearts – while head-bobbing to Maria Rita, Natiruts or some good ol’ U2.
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