Travel Manaus, Brazil

Manaus is the Amazon’s largest city and a major port for ocean vessels – 1500km from the ocean. It is a sprawling urban jungle set inside the Amazon jungle, which can leave you feeling a bit unsettled.

Manaus is also the place you will want to refuel after a week in the jungle away from any connections to the outside world. Manaus is also where you will find most of the tour operators, but the city itself is full of attractions.

Be sure to check out Mercado Municipal Adolfo Lisboa, a miniature copy of Paris’ famed Les Halles market. Although the market here has an Amazonian feel rather than a European feel, you can still find many wonderful crafts and food. Another must see is the Bosque de Ciência (R$6), a huge park with as many animals out of cages as in cages. Here you can check out sloth, monkeys, turtles, manatees, anteaters, various tropical birds, and much much more. Manaus is also the only place in the world where you can see the pied bare-faced tamarin, Manaus’ own endemic primate. This animal is critically endangered and there are no know groups in the wild – so take the opportunity to go to Parque do Mindú and see then before they are gone (and the best part is that admission is free!). If you are not yet tired of seeing animals, the Zoológco do Cigs (R$2.50) is the place to go to see jaguars, anaconda, tapir, and other animals ‘rescued’ from the jungle by soldiers training nearby. But the tiny little enclosures are a bit depressing.

Manaus is also special because it is where the Amazon and the Rio Negro meet, but due to differences in temperature, density, and speed, the two rivers never actually mix, but flow side by side for a few kilometers before finally mixing (you can actually see the contrast just by checking out google maps). Tours to see the white and black rivers flowing side by side are available.

Where to Stay:

Manaus Travel Routes:

From Manaus you can head back home or continue to travel South America, as there are many routes into neighboring countries. Check out the Lonely Planet for more details. You can also take a flight back to Rio or São Paulo, or head to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

A much more exciting option is to fly to the for a once in a lifetime experience. Although there are three gateway cities into the Pantanal (Cuiabá, Corumbá, and Campo) but Cuiabá, in my opinion, is the best option as the tours out of here are more professional and more knowledgeable. To get here you will either fly here from Manaus (most likely via Brasilia) or take a bus or flight from Sao Paulo.