Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane The airport (Aeroporto de Eduardo Gomes;
T 92 3652 1212) is on Av Santos Dumont, 17km north of
town. It is served by both bus #306 ($2.75) and the
executive red and white minibus #813 (R$4.20), both of
which thread a circular route through the city centre.
Many tour operators will offer airport pick-up if you're
booked with them, usually a cheaper option than an
airport taxi (R$50).
Destinations Belém (4 daily; 2hr 10min-2hr 55min);
Cuiabá (6-8 daily; 3hr 45min-10hr).
By regular boat Boats dock right in the heart of the
city, either by the Mercado Municipal or a short way
along in the floating port. If you're arriving from Peru or
Colombia, don't forget to have your passport stamped at
the Customs House (see p.312) if you haven't already
done so in Tabatinga. Tickets for the regular services on
the Amazon (see p.316) can be bought from the ticket
windows inside the Estação Hidroviária off Praça da Matriz
( T 92 3088 5769, W portodemanaus.com.br), next to
where the boat departure list is posted. Before buying your
ticket, ask for a pass ( papel do permissão ), which allows
you into the docks (you'll need your passport, too) where
the bigger, long-distance riverboats are moored; here you
can have a look at the boats before deciding which you
want to travel on. Smaller boats with no regular schedules
are found in São Raimundo, northwest of the town centre;
take bus #101 from Praça da Matriz and ask the attendant
to tell you when to get off - turn left at the blue-and-
white-tiled community centre and go straight down the
hill, where you'll eventually come to the beach. There's no
ticket o ce, or shade (wear a hat); you'll have to ask
around for departures. Tanaka operate both regular and
express boats to São Gabriel da Cachoeira; in the express
boat you have to sit upright in your seat for the whole
journey - many end up sleeping in the aisle.
Destinations Belém (Wed & Fri noon; 3-5 days; R$325);
Rio Madeira to Porto Velho (Tues 6pm; 4 days; R$170);
3
JUNGLE TRIPS FROM MANAUS
The nature and quantity of the wildlife you get to see on a standard jungle tour depends
mainly on how far away from Manaus you go and how long you can devote to the trip. Birds
like macaws, jabarus and toucans can generally be spotted, and you might see alligators,
snakes and a few species of monkey on a three-day trip. For a reasonable chance of glimpsing
wild deer, tapirs, armadillos or wild cats, a more adventurous trip of a week or more is required.
On any trip, make sure that you'll get some time in the smaller channels in a canoe, as the
sound of a motor is a sure way of scaring every living thing out of sight. The Rio Negro region
has water with high acidity because of the geology of its main sources in the Guyana Shield.
Because of this, it tends to have fewer mosquitoes which is an obvious bonus; but it also tends
to have less abundant wildlife than some of the lakes and channels around the Rio Solimões.
Plenty of tours combine both the Solimões and Negro rivers in their itineraries.
TOUR ITINERARIES
The one-day river trip , usually costing R$140-150/person, generally includes an inspection
of the famous meeting of the waters (see p.313), some 10km downriver from Manaus. The
other most popular jungle river trips tend to be the three- to five-day expeditions . If you
want to sleep in the forest, either in a lodge, riverboat or, for the more adventurous, swinging
in a hammock outside in a small jungle clearing, it really is worth taking as many days as you
can to get as far away from Manaus as possible. The usual price for guided tours, including
accommodation and food, should be between R$150 and R$200 a day/person (no matter
the sales pitch). As well as the itinerary, check that you're getting what you need in terms of
security, health and safety, food, sleeping arrangements, guide quality and transfers.
The most commonly operated tours are three-day trips combining both the Rio Negro
and Rio Solimões , although some trips only cover the former, as it is more accessible from
Manaus. Four-day trips should ideally also include the Anavilhanas Archipelago on the
Rio Negro, the second-largest freshwater archipelago in the world with around four hundred
isles, as well as a good day's walk through the jungle. On the Solimões, some of the three- to
five-day options include trips to Lago Mamori or Manacapuru.
If you want to forgo organized tours entirely and travel independently, note that
commercial boats are a very inexpensive way of getting about on the rivers around Manaus.
The best place to look for these is down on Flutuante Três Estrelas, one of the wooden wharves
behind the distribution market, further along the river edge from the Hidroviária (waterway) at
the back of the Mercado Municipal. You'll need perseverance and a good grasp of Portuguese
to negotiate passage.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search