Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 302

TRAVELLING BY BOAT IN THE AMAZON
The range of boat transport in the Amazon runs from luxury tourist vessels and large three-level
riverboats to smaller one- or two-level boats and covered launches operated by tour companies.
Prices are generally calculated per day: as a rule local boats are less expensive than tourist boats
and launches . On longer journeys there are different classes; avoid cabine , sweltering cabins, and
choose instead primeiro (first class), sleeping in a hammock on deck. Segundo (second class) is
often hammock space in the lower deck or engine room. The cheapest tickets (food not included)
for the four- to six-day Belém-Manaus trip cost around R$150-200 (for primeiro hammock space).
Only boats headed to Tabatinga usually have food included in the ticket price (though it gets
monotonous; best bring a few treats).
It's sensible to buy tickets in advance, for which you can often get a reasonable discount,
and always to get on your boat at least two hours before it's due to depart to secure a decent
berth. With all boat journeys, make sure you ask how long the previous journey took as boat
durations can change depending on the height of the river (and may end up lasting much
longer than planned). Bring provisions, and prepare to practise your Portuguese!

3

(rather pricey) artesanato stalls compete
with numerous restaurants, cafés, a
cinema, and exhibition and live music
spaces in a refurbished warehouse area.

scientific research institutes in the
Amazon, and it's also hugely enjoyable.
Its gardens and zoo contain dozens of
local animal species, including spider
monkeys, caimans and macaws.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Belém's Val-de-Cans/Júlio Cesar Ribeiro Airport
( T 91 3210 6000) is 10km out of town. Buses from here
with route card “Marex Arsenal” or “Marex Pres. Vargas”
pass by all major areas in the city centre (R$2.20). A taxi
will set you back around R$35.
Destinations In addition to the usual domestic routes,
there are also several flights a week to Fort de France
(Martinique), Cayenne (French Guiana), Paramaribo
(Suriname) and Georgetown (Guyana).
By bus Belém's rodoviária is situated some 5km from
the centre at Praça de Operário ( T 91 3266 2625); any
bus from the stops opposite the entrance to the station
will take you downtown (R$2.20); those with route card
“Canudos Praça Amazonas”, “Arsenal” and “Tamoios” all
stop at Praça da Republica and the Estaçao das Docas.
Destinations Transbrasiliana ( W transbrasiliana.com.br)
serve Belo Horizonte and Brasília while Itapemirim
( W itapemirim.com.br) and Expresso Guanabara ( W expresso
guanabara.com.br) serve Fortaleza, with the latter also
serving Recife. Belo Horizonte (1 daily; 43hr); Brasília (1 daily;
33hr); Fortaleza (2 daily; 24hr); Recife (1 daily; 36hr).
By boat Boats dock on the river near the town centre, just
east of the Estação das Docas; Amazon Star ( W amazonstar
.com.br) and Navio Rondonia have the most comfortable
boats. One of the cheapest places to buy tickets is Hotel
Fortaleza (see opposite), or, failing that, one of the ticket
booths in the departure lounge at the port (don't purchase
them on the street).
Destinations Ilha de Marajó (Mon-Sat 6am & 2pm, Sun
10am, with return 5pm; 3hr); Macapá (Tues, Wed & Fri

Praça da Republica
Heading inland up Avenida Presidente
Vargas, you reach the shady Praça da
República, a popular place to stroll. The
magnificent Theatro da Paz (Tues-Fri
9am-1pm & 2-5pm, Sat & Sun
9am-noon; R$4 including guided tour;
W www.theatrodapaz.com.br) faces the
square. Built on the proceeds of the
rubber boom in Neoclassical style,
it is one of the city's finest buildings;
tickets for performances here -
everything from opera classics like
Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana
to performances by the in-house
symphony orchestra and the Amazônia
Jazz Band - are often free.

Basílica de Nazaré and around
Fifteen minutes' walk from the theatre
is the Basílica de Nossa Senhora Nazaré
(daily 5am-8pm; free), supposedly
inspired by St Peter's in Rome. It
certainly has a wonderful interior, and is
the focal point of the Cirio de Nazaré,
the largest religious procession in Brazil,
which takes place each year on the
second Sunday of October. Nearby,
the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi at
Avenida Magalhães Barata 376 (Mon-Fri
8am-noon & 1-5pm; R$2; W museu
-goeldi.br) is home to one of the major