Manaus
To get to know Amazonian Rainforest and its giant biodiversity is one of the most remarkable experiences you can get on one single journey. Both when you are navigating on the rivers, living the lives and listening to stories of the riverside communities, or tasting unimaginable local fruits. It is a sensation of an unique contact with a reality so different than from what we are used to. The following information serves for you to get a better idea of how big an experience it really is to visit this largest tropical rainforest in the world.
The Brazilian Amazon is spread out over the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, and parts of Maranhão and Tocantins. It has a size of approximately 5,2 million km² and represents almost 55% of Brazilian territory – which in itself has already a continental portion – and besides Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest is also present in eight other countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guiana, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Manaus is the capital of Amazonas, the largest state of Brazil. This modern city is known as the heart of the Amazon and is the main starting and finishing point for most tourism expeditions, and all trade dealing with the vast Amazonian Rainforest area. The Amazon is a true spectacle of nature, water, and biodiversity, and it offers the perfect setting for clients remaining tropical rainforest in the world.
During the dry season, the levels of most rivers in central Amazon begin to drop, which then makes the notorious river beaches become visible. The Ponta Negra beach is one of the most sought after, and by the riverside, several kiosks are offering drinks and snacks.
RESTAURANTS
Manaus’ gastronomy is extremely rich and contains many exotic flavors. Most dishes are made with fish and prepared in the most diverse and creative ways delighting residents and visitors alike. Anyone visiting Manaus will have plenty of opportunities to taste the local culinary and fishes such as pirarucu, tambaqui, tucunare, pacu, acara-açu and many more. Generous by nature, the rivers of Amazonas shelter an amazing fauna which comes close to 3000 different species. But the delicious Amazonian dishes go further than its fishes. Everything is unique in the Amazon.
Banzeiro $$$$ Regional | Rua Libertador, 102 – Nossa Senhora das Graças / Phone:(92) 3234-1621
“Banzeiro” is a common used term in the Amazon to designate the waves formed in the rivers, meanwhile you give way to a vessel. From this expression came the Banzeiro Cozinha Amazonica, a restaurant wich offers the best of the Amazon Culinary. Main fish recipes, such as the Tambaqui Rib, the Pirarucu and the oven grilled Matrinxã are prepared in a unique and exclusive way, with a touch of the French Cuisine.
Choupana $$$$ Regional | Rua Recife, 790 – Adrianopolis / Phone:(92)3635-3878
This place looks like a hut with thatched roof and pillars made with trunks of a totally rustic, regional tree called Aquariquara. Has an essentially regional cuisine menu. The Amazonian fish are the major attraction, but it also offers different types of meat and poultry. Serves only A La Carte with reservation, except for groups of more than 30 people that can arrange a special buffet, with reservations in advance. It is an indoor and air-conditioned place, with capacity for 145 people.
Churrascaria Bufalo $$$ Barbecue | Rua Pará, 490 – Vieiralves / Phone: (92) 3131-9000
One of the oldest steak house in Manaus. It features an innovative buffet, with more than 20 different choices of meat, sausages and white meat. Has a good variety of salads and charcuterie with cheeses. Offers a diverse buffet service and works with both, all you can eat and with kilograms system. Has a capacity of 200 people, and opens every day, for lunch only. Easy to reach with a walking distance from the downtown hotels.
Moronguetá $$$ Regional | Rua Jaith Chaves, 30 – Porto do Ceasa / Phone: (92) 3615-3362
Moronguetá is one of the most popular fish restaurant, located in Vila da Felicidade, a little away from downtown. It offers an open air ambience and capacity for 120 people. From here, you will have an extraordinary view of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões encounter, especially beacause they have their own telescope. The name of the restaurant comes from indigenous language Nheegatu and means “speaking of good things”. The menu is full of regional fishes, prepared without high sophistication, in order to keep the original flavors.
Suzuran $$$ Japanese | Av. João Valério, 792 – Vieiralves / Phone: (92) 3584-4429
It is considered the best and most traditional Japanese restaurant in Manaus. The menu blends Japanese and Amazonian cuisine, giving a special flavor to the dishes. It is running by a Japanese family that lives in Manaus over 30 years.
Village $$$ Contemporary | Rua Recife, 948 / Phone: (92) 3234-3296
This restaurant is known as the most luxurious in Manaus, being the main reference of sophistication and good taste. Has a large variety menu pleasing the most demanding tastes, and includes since fishes dishes from regional cuisine to the most elaborated international cuisine ingredients.
Insider’s Tip: Tacacá
No trip to the Mazon is complete without trying a TACACÁ, a very popular typical meal in all of the Amazon Region (Manaus) as in other regions, such as Acre, Pará, Rondonia and Amapá. The dish originates from the Para Indians and comes from a soup called “mani poi”.
The pure Tucupi Sauce is seasoned with salt, onion, garlic, chilli peppers, tapioca gum, dried shrimp and jambu. It is served in bowls, very hot and tempered with chilli. This delicacy has a score of fans in Manaus, with several selling points around the city. On the Ponta Negra Road is the highly popular “Tacacá da Tia Socorro”, and next to the Amazon Theatre lies the very sought after “Tacacá da Gisela”.
TOURS
From Manaus it is possible to take some tours
City tour with Opera Theater
Departure to visit the main tourist points of the city, including the famous and stunning Amazonas Theater, which is one of the most important theaters in Brazil and the main postcard of the city of Manaus that keeps alive much of the history of the rubber cycle, the golden age of the capital of Amazonas.
The theater preserves part of the original architecture and decoration. The architectural style is Renaissance, with eclectic details. In the external area, the famous dome draws attention for its exuberance, composed of 36 thousand pieces in the colors of the Brazilian flag, imported from Alsace, in France. In addition to this important symbol, the Largo de São Sebastião, the Rio Negro Palace, the Floating Port, and the Municipal Market “Adolpho Lisboa” are also visited, where you can find products from the charming Amazon cuisine.
Meeting of the waters
Departure from the hotel to embark on the Rio Negro with panoramic view of the floating port, regional rooms and the municipal market, then reaches the meeting point of the Rio Negro with the Solimões River that come together to form the Amazon River, after enjoying this fascinating nature event, the tour continues along the Rio Negro to the January Ecological Park, where you can observe the famous aquatic plants and indigenous handicrafts. Stop for lunch in the floating port followed by motorized canoe ride through several channels (Igarapés) of the Río Negro and Solimões River (depending on the level of the rivers). Return to the hotel through the jungle, where we can observe various types of birds from the exuberant Amazon rainforest.
Alligator Spotting
Departure from the Hotel for a wild experience! Discover the mysteries of the tropical night and have the chance to live a real adventure through the Solimões and Amazon Rivers. Specialized guides with lighting equipment will present the diversity of fauna and wild animals, such as alligators.
Pink Dolphin Tour
Departure from the hotel to the pier of the Tropical Hotel and embark on a speed boat to Lake Acajatuba or Ariau Creek. Here visitors will be able to see the freshwater dolphins of the Amazon and will have the opportunity to feed them and swim with them as well. During the return trip, everyone will enjoy the beautiful landscapes around the banks of the Amazonian rivers, also with the opportunity to see some species of birds and other animals.
Cruise through the Anavilhanas archipelago
Morning departure to the Manaus pier towards the Anavilhanas National Park, which houses the river archipelago of the same name and the different forest formations present in the region. The Anavilhanas Archipelago is one of the largest in the world, with more than 400 islands, about 130 km long and represents 60% of the park's area.
In the Anavilhanas National Park, the Negro River presents a unique environment that offers countless possibilities for sensations, experiences, and learning, in a maze of islands and mirrored black waters that change with the variation of the river level, in an invitation to challenge our limits and expand our worldview.
During the tour, you can enjoy the local fauna and flora and dive in the Negro River.
Panoramic flight through Amazonas
In this exciting tour, the plane crosses the banks of the Rio Negro towards the area of the flooded forest. In this region, depending on the time of year, it is very common to see the famous giant water lily. Following the flight over the dry riverbed, you can see one of the most exciting views: the Meeting of the Waters, covering the nine kilometers in which the muddy waters of the Rio Solimões do not mix with the dark waters of the Rio Negro. In this area, it is also possible to see the beginning of the Amazon River. Returning, it is possible to fly over the city, from the industrial area, the famous District, to the historic area of the city, with a beautiful view of the Amazonas Theater and the Floating Port.
Half day : Tree climbing
Departure from the hotel towards a forest area close to Manaus, more precisely in APA do Tarumã, to climb a beautiful Angelin (gigantic tree), just over 40 m high, with a view of the Rio Negro.
Feel the exciting exclusivity of being connected with nature in a unique way.