THE AMAZON

One of the most memorable things about a visit to the Amazon is what you hear in the jungle. There are the mysterious sounds inside the forest at night, when the many nocturnal creatures are roaming about, and at sunrise, when a myriad of birds take off over the jungle canopy. Some of the jungle birds are remarkably vocal, such as the flocks of bright green parrots or red macaws that scream out their wild complaints as they fly overhead. Everything in the Amazon seems larger than life, amplified and exaggerated. The colors are brighter, the temperature hotter, the plants bigger, and the fish tastier than you could have imagined. After you get settled in, you’ll be ready for some adventure. You’ll float in a canoe across a large, still lake to see lily pads the size of coffee tables and then, as night falls, you’ll hear the sounds of the jungle change from day to night. You’ll see the glowing red eyes of the caiman (kin to the alligator) sitting motionless in the water at night and feel the tug of a piranha at the end of your fishing line. High up in the jungle canopy, you’ll walk across suspended footpaths to observations towers, where you’ll spot monkeys, birds, and even giant sloth. In the morning, the pink river dolphins perform acrobatics around the lakes and at the Meeting of the Waters, where the Amazon River is born out of two completely different streams—one creamy white with mud and sediment, the other dark and warm, like tea.

Almost 60 percent of the Amazon Jungle lies within Brazil’s borders and about 50 percent of Brazil is part of the Amazon Jungle. In other words, the amount of Brazil that is not part of the Amazon is about equal to the amount of Amazon Jungle that is not inside Brazil. Without a doubt, the Amazon is Brazil’s most important national treasure, and national responsibility. It comprises almost two million species of plants and animals, one-fifth of the fresh water on the planet, and about as many secrets and mysteries as there are stars in the sky.

With an average temperature of 27°C, the Amazon can easily hover around 40°C during the day. Humidity chimes in at around 80 percent. There are only two seasons in the jungle: the rainy season and the very rainy season. The wet season is at the end of Brazil’s summer, December–May, when temperatures are cooler and heavy rains occur daily, a constant series of downpours. The “dry” season is June–November, when rains come on quickly and heavily and pass just as quickly. This is when it gets hot. Corresponding to these two seasons goes the level of the river—changing as much as 10 meters in depth between the two periods. During the wet season, the Amazon River and its tributaries bulge with water and cover the sandy beaches that appear in the Central Amazon during the dry season. Temperatures average 28°C in the wet season and 36°C in the dry season with humidity ranging from 80–90 percent.

The Central Amazon region is where two big rivers cut through the jungle, then meet up to form the Amazon River. There are vast areas that are off-limits to visitors, due to their native inhabitants or sensitive ecosystems (or both). But within the region are also numerous ecological preserves and national parks encompassing hundreds of square kilometers of virgin forest. Along the waterways are numerous jungle lodges, where visitors can stay in relative comfort (or total comfort in some cases) and organize their various safaris and excursions into the jungle and along the rivers. The capital of the state of Amazonas, the largest state in Brazil, and home to most of the Brazilian Amazon, is Manaus, a large city of almost three million inhabitants. Manaus is a shocking contrast to the surrounding environment. Many visitors want to get as far from it as possible, to experience the untouched aspects of the jungle. But there are many other cities and towns in the Central Amazon region, including São Geraldo da Cachoeira to the east, with a population of almost 80 percent indigenous or caboclo (indigenous and Portuguese mix), and the city of Parintins to the west, with its great Festival of the Ox. In between are numerous small towns and villages.

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Venturing out to the eastern edge of the Amazon is a mixed bag of nuts, as the attractions come in three different categories: urban, rural, and jungle. There are dense jungle areas, vast wetlands, and huge rivers that rush past archipelagos and island straits on their way to the Atlantic Ocean, where they are received in a great wave of resistance, known as the Pororoca. On the other hand, there are also urbanized areas and popular beaches (with kiosks, restaurants, and beach activities on weekends). Between these two extremes, you’ll also find working buffalo ranches and rural areas, where you’ll see the great mixture of cultures from the region—from aboriginal groups to descendents of the European colonizers. Nowhere is this culture more visible than in the arts and crafts you’ll find in the small towns and public markets.

The Eastern Amazon’s major city is Belém, with four centuries of historical architecture, a story spanning the city’s development up to the present day. Around Belém, much of the focus is on the beaches—both fresh- and salt-water—that rest along the banks of the many islands and waterways of the area. Some of these (mainly those on Mosqueiro Island) are urbanized and extremely popular with the city’s residents, especially on weekends in the dry season. The best beaches are the ones most difficult to reach: along the coast of Marajó Island and on the Island of Cotijuba. Of course, even better beaches are farther out still, in the vicinity of Santarém, 50 hours by boat upriver. In Santarém, you’ll also find some of the region’s best pottery and some interesting jungle excursions, including animal-observation safaris, fishing trips, and hikes out to some ancient cave paintings.

Perhaps the most sought-after destination in the Eastern Amazon is the Island of Marajó, where you’ll find a bit of everything that’s great in the region: semi-secluded fresh-water beaches, great ceramic pottery employing techniques passed down from the ancient aboriginal tribes, and jungle safaris featuring egrets, storks, blue macaws, caimans, monkeys, sloths, and many more animals of the forest.