ILHA DE MARAJÓ

During the rainy season, the entire east side of the Island of Marajó becomes a flooded marshland. Ironically, this is where most of the island’s 250,000 inhabitants live. The rural and jungle lodges shut down during this season as it’s difficult for tourists to get around. But in the dry season (June–January), the island is one of the Eastern Amazon’s best destinations for jungle and rural adventures, with an emphasis on bird-watching, caiman focusing, canoe trips, and buffalo rides. The island is huge, about 50,000 square kilometers, and most of it is virgin jungle and wetlands. There is a cluster of towns along the eastern coast, across the bay from Belém. Boats coming from Belém generally dock at Salvaterra, where the island’s best tourism facilities—and the best beaches—are located. Not far from Salvaterra are the towns of Soure (known for its ceramic artists and buffalo ranches, which are open for guest visits and overnight stays) and Cachoeira do Arari (known for its incredible waterways, lakes, and caboclo culture). Most visitors stick to these three centers, but if you’re adventurous, you can take a boat trip out past Breves Straits on your way to Macapá. The trip from Belém to the Island of Marajó takes about three hours.

Salvaterra

The main port of entry to the island and the largest center for tourism, Salvaterra is a favorite beach destination for residents of Belém. The most popular beach is called Praia Grande, and it has a number of kiosks and a semi-urbanized area. It also has fairly large waves that attract surfers from the city. You can walk from here to the lighthouse, which lets you see a more rustic area of the coastline. To find more secluded beaches, you can head to Praia Joanes, where you’ll find a small village and the ruins of a Jesuit church along the beach. There are a couple of economical hotels in Salvaterra as well as the Pousada dos Guarás, one of the island’s best accommodations.

Soure

The road north from Salvaterra stops at the ferryboat into the small town of Soure. Anything beyond that point is difficult to access by land. The town is what has made the Island of Marajó famous for its buffalo, as the island’s more significant farms are located in this region. In fact, here the buffalo outnumber the humans by more than two to one. No doubt, the macaws and caiman alligators also make humans a minority on the island. Buffalo meat is a common item on the menus in town and you can find leather goods at the leather-curing factory, the Curtume Marajó (Primeira Rua 450, Soure, no phone, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily). You’ll find sandals, boots, hats, purses, and all kinds of personal items for pretty decent prices. You’ll see buffalo all over town, pulling carts and carrying people from place to place. But if you want a closer look at a working buffalo ranch in the jungle, you can stay at the Fazenda Bonjardim (tel. 91/3242-1380, R$145), which provides a mixture of rural and jungle adventure. You can also spend a day at the Fazenda Bom Jesus (Quarta Rua, Km 8, tel. 91/3242-1380), a working buffalo farm about 10 kilometers from Soure. They specialize in day visits, where guests go on buffalo rides (getting on is the hardest part) and bird-watching excursions. A traditional island lunch is included for around R$20 per person for the day.

Besides buffalo, Soure is also famous for its rustic indigenous pottery in the Marajoára tradition. Here, you’ll find some of the most recognized potters in the region, and you can pay a visit to their workshops. The most famous and respected of the island’s potters is Carlos Amaral, whose works are found in museums around the world. To find his workshop, just ask around town. You might even get a ride there on a buffalo.

Finally, the coastline around Soure presents a few excellent beaches, most being quite secluded on weekdays but slightly more frequented on the weekends, when folks from Belém come to pay a visit to the island. Check out Praia do Pesqueiro, about 10 kilometers from Soure, with a few beach kiosks that serve seafood lunches. There are also some small sand dunes here, and during the week, it’s fairly secluded. You can take a bus or taxi to get here. Also, there’s Praia do Araruna, a more secluded beach that requires crossing a small waterway to reach. You can take a taxi most of the way there.

Cachoeira do Arari

If you want to see the rare blue macaw, the enchanting blue egret, or the giant stork, then you should make your way down to Cachoeira do Arari, about 70 kilometers from Salvaterra. The area is full of waterways and lakes and is a haven for tropical birds. They are easy to spot around Lake Arari from a canoe or boat. Besides bird-watching, you can check out the caiman alligators at night, fish for piranha, and pay a visit to the Marajó Museum (Av. do Museu 1983, tel. 91/3758-1102, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. daily, R$2). The museum has one of the best collections of original Marajoára pottery in the world, with pieces dating back more than 1,000 years. These are the pieces that present-day potters are trying to replicate all over the region.

You can get to Cachoeira do Arari from Salvaterra by boat (about five hours) or by car (about four hours along a difficult dirt road). You can also take a small plane and get there in 30 minutes. The best accommodations in the area are at the Fazenda Nossa Sra. do Carmo.