Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PARAÍBA, RIO GRANDE
DO NORTE & CEARÁ
• Unusual geological
formations
• Festival in Campina Grande
• Beaches & dune buggies
The three states forming the
heartland of the Northeast
require a week. Paraíba is
famous for its
sertão
desert
interior, which is dotted with
geological formations such
as the striking boulder
Lajedo
do Pai Mateus
(see p232)
in
Cariri
.
Fossilized dinosaur foot-
prints can be seen at
Vale dos
Dinossauros
(see p232)
in
Souza.
Campina Grande
's
Festas Juninas
(see p232)
draws almost a million people
every June. Rio Grande do
Norte and Ceará are
renowned for their beaches.
At
Genipabu
(see p238)
and
Jericoacoara
(see pp240-41)
,
towering sand dunes can
be explored by buggy.
Lagoon and dunes, Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses, Maranhão
Capivara
(see p248)
mountain
range. The scenic colonial
city of
São Luís
(see pp252-4)
celebrates the Bumba-meu-
boi festival with great fervor.
AMAZONAS, RORAIMA,
ACRE & RONDÔNIA
• Intriguing, wild Amazon
• Trekking in the savannas
• Chico Mendes Museum
PARÁ & AMAPÁ
With Brazil's largest stretch
of primary tropical forest,
Amazonas needs five days to
visit. Most trips into the rain-
forest begin in its capital city,
Manaus
(see pp280-87)
,
which retains the lavish
Teatro Amazonas
(see pp282-
3)
from its rubber-boom
days. Though not as access-
ible as Amazonas, the other
three states offer attractions
that can be seen in three to
four days. Roraima's capital,
Boa Vista
(see p288)
, offers
trekking in the savanna,
while
Rio Branco
, the capital
of Acre, pays tribute to Chico
Mendes in
Parque Ambiental
Chico Mendes
(see p289)
.
River trips can be taken from
Porto Velho
in Rondônia
(see p289)
.
• Crafts in colonial Belém
• Wildlife-rich Ilha de Marajó
• Picturesque Santarém
The principal cities and
environs of the vast
Amazonian states can be
seen in a few days, as most
parts are largely inaccessible.
Belém
(see pp268-9)
is an
attractive city of colonial
buildings, craft markets, and
lively nightlife. To its north is
the seasonally flooded
Ilha
de Marajó
(see p270)
, once
part of an indigenous empire
that stretched all the way to
Santarém
(see p274)
, a three-
day boat ride away. The city
lies at the meeting of the blue
waters of the Rio Tapajós and
the Amazon river.
PIAUÍ & MARANHÃO
• Magical Delta do Parnaíba
& Lençóis Maranhenses
• Hills of Serra da Capivara
• Colorful São Luís
These two coastal states can
be visited over four to five
days. The swamps and river-
ine islands of the
Delta do
Parnaíba
and the dunes of
Lençóis Maranhenses
(see
pp250-51)
are best explored
in the wet season. The inte-
rior features the
Serra da
Picturesque setting of a typical stilt house on the Rio Solimões near Manaus, Amazonas
