Jardim Botânico Adolpho Ducke
Manaus
Spanning over 100 sq km, this 'garden' is actually the world’s largest urban forest. There's a network of five short trails (guides and closed shoes…
Must-see attractions in The Amazon
Manaus
This gorgeous theater was built at the height of the rubber boom, using European designers, decorators and even raw materials. The original driveway was…
Belém
The name of this waterfront market, with its iconic four-turreted structure at its southwestern end, comes from colonial times, when the Portuguese would…
Manaus
Just beyond Manaus, the warm dark Rio Negro pours into the cool creamy Rio Solimões, but because of differences in temperature, speed and density, their…
Estação das Docas
Belém
An ambitious renovation project converted three down-at-heel riverfront warehouses into a popular gathering spot, with restaurants, bars, shops and even…
The Amazon
This simple wood house is where Chico Mendes lived with his family until his murder on the back steps in 1988. Tours include a graphic description of the…
The Amazon
Not only a great place for a meal or late-afternoon beer, Rio Branco’s refurbished riverside Mercado Velho is a favorite spot for city-sponsored cultural…
Manaus
Housed in a converted mansion, the Museu Amazônico has a small but excellent collection of indigenous items and artifacts from around the Amazon, many…
The Amazon
Parque Nacional Montanhas do Tumucumaque (Tumucumaque National Park) is Brazil’s largest national park, spanning nearly 39,000 sq km. It borders the…
Manaus
As close as you'll get to experiencing a real Amazonian ecosystem on a half-day trip from Manaus, this 9000-acre park has flooded forests, giant water…
Manaus
Manaus’ best beach has fine white sand and tea-colored water, and can be coupled with a visit to the Museu do Seringal for a nice city escape. Like all…
Mercado Municipal Adolfo Lisboa
Manaus
Manaus' historic city market was inaugurated in 1882, a downscaled replica of Paris' famed Les Halles market. Safe and bustling, the central building has…
Forte Príncipe da Beira
The Amazon
Remote Forte Príncipe da Beira, beside the Rio Guaporé, 210km south of Guajará-Mirim, was constructed by the Portuguese between 1776 and 1783 to…
Reserva Extrativista Pedras Negras
The Amazon
About 240km upstream from Costa Marques, the Reserva Extrativista Pedras Negras has good opportunities for hiking, canoeing, and spotting rare orchids,…
Museu do Seringal Vila Paraíso
Manaus
Located on the grounds of a former rubber-baron estate, this museum includes tours of the historic townhouse, a replica rubber-tapper shack and smokehouse…
Centro Cultural Palácio Rio Negro
Manaus
The former home of eccentric German rubber baron Waldemar Scholz, the Centro Cultural Palácio Rio Negro was built in the early 1900s and served for many…
Parque Estadual do Jalapão
The Amazon
Jalapão State Park is a 34,000-sq-km area in far eastern Tocantins, combining cerrado vegetation, hills, caves, crystalline rivers and springs, 40m-high…
Parque Nacional de Pacaás Novos
The Amazon
This rugged, 7648-sq-km national park includes Rondônia’s highest peak, Pico do Tracoá (1230m), and some spectacular waterfalls. Fauna includes rarely…
Estrada de Ferro Madeira–Mamoré
The Amazon
Right on prime waterfront, the massive warehouses and rusting trains at this historic railyard would make an ideal home for hip bars and restaurants,…
Basílica Santuario de Nazaré
Belém
Rather humdrum from the outside, the Basílica Santuario de Nazaré has a truly spectacular interior. Sink into a cushioned pew and admire the soaring…
Reserva Extrativista do Lago do Cuniã
The Amazon
This 558-sq-km reserve, created in 1999, lies 150km down the Rio Madeira from Porto Velho and is accessible only by river. It’s Rondônia’s largest fish…
Museu Emílio Goeldi & Parque Zoobotánico
Belém
This museum and zoo contains Amazonian species, from anacondas and white-whiskered squirrel monkeys to jaguars and giant river otters, plus an aviary,…
The Amazon
A tawny sandbar beach emerges on the far bank of the Rio Branco during low water, roughly December to April. Known as Praia Grande, it is indeed big and…
Belém
Closed indefinitely for renovations when we last passed by, this museum, once it reopens, has two parts: the impressive Igreja do Santo Alexandre and the…
Bosque da Ciência (INPA)
Manaus
Occupying a lush forest plot within the city, Bosque da Ciência (aka INPA, for the research institution that runs it) has enclosures for rescued manatees,…
Alter do Chão
A small slice of paradise just offshore from Alter do Chão, the 'Island of Love' is especially striking when the water is low (August to December) and…
Alter do Chão
This huge three-fingered lake is surrounded by forest and has places to swim, snorkel with fish and spot wildlife (including a resident family of monkeys)…
Museu do Estado do Pará
Belém
The State Museum of Pará is housed in the grand Palácio Lauro Sodré, originally the residence of Portugal’s royal representatives in Belém and later home…
Palácio Antonio Lemos & MABE
Belém
This rubber-boom palace served as city hall in the late 1800s, and its 2nd floor now houses the Museu de Arte de Belém. The museum has gorgeous wood…
Belém
The many idiosyncrasies of Belém’s famous religious festival, the Círio de Nazaré, are explained in this handsome museum, from the discovery of a tiny…
Belém
Overlooking Praça da República, the Teatro da Paz is one of Belém’s finest buildings. Completed in 1874 and built in the neoclassical style, the…
Belém
The city of Belém was founded in 1616 with the construction of this imposing fort, which was intended to protect Portuguese interests upriver from…
The Amazon
The long-standing Rubber Museum is well worth a look for its fascinating history of rubber-tapping in Acre. The museum's three rooms have displays ranging…
The Amazon
In its spiffy home on the main plaza, the Memorial dos Autonomistas has a permanent display on Acre’s battle for statehood, plus space for rotating art…
Belém
Bosque Rodrigues Alves' aging but well-maintained animal enclosures (which harbor tapir, bird, feline and primate species) and wide, tree-shaded paths are…
Manaus
The ‘Image and Sound’ center at this handsome cultural complex has a huge collection of films, including century-old documentaries by Portuguese filmmaker…
Belém
After years of slow, sad decline, Belém’s historic cathedral is once again radiant, thanks to a major renovation. The exterior gleams a brilliant white,…
The Amazon
Housed in a curious white tubular structure near Palacio Araguaia, the Memorial Coluna Prestes tells the life story of Captain Luis Carlos Prestes, who…
The Amazon
This small but intriguing museum tells how Xapuri, located at the confluence of two rivers, was once a major transport hub for rubber, nuts, wood and…
Centro Cultural dos Povos da Amazônia
Manaus
At the heart of this massive cultural complex is the excellent Museu do Homem do Norte (Museum of Northern Man), which contains an incredible array of…
