The Amazon - The Rough Guide to Brazil - page 357

Belterra
The unusual town of BELTERRA is a quiet little place that looks bizarrely like an
American country village on the wrong continent. It mimics small-town America
exactly, with whitewashed wooden houses, immaculate gardens, fire hydrants,
churches and spacious tree-lined streets. The only jarring note is the potholed
roads. The town was set up in the 1930s by automobile tycoon Henry Ford
when his rubber plantation in Fordlândia (see below) was struck with blight.
Today, Belterra is better preserved than its sister settlement Fordlândia; there's
not much to do within the town itself, except stroll around and soak in its highly
unusual buildings.
ARRIVAL AND ACCOMMODATION

5

BELTERRA

By bus There are regular buses to Belterra from Santarém's Av
Rui Barbosa by the Banco do Brasil (every 30min; 1hr; R$4).
Pousada Bela Terra Estrada 1 #10, Centro T 93 9161
2250, E [e-mail].

Belterra doesn't offer much in terms of accommodation -
this simple pousada is as good as it gets. There's a handful
of basic musty rooms that will do the trick for one night if
you end up missing the last bus back to Santarém. R$90

Fordlândia
he town of FORDLÂNDIA , 233km south of Belterra, was set up by automobile
tycoon Henry Ford in the 1920s as part of a doomed attempt to transform the area
into the world's largest rubber plantation. Here, Ford cleared vast tracts of forest to
plant thousands of rubber trees. Rubber tappers and their families were housed in
the town centre, while American dignitaries lived in larger residences on the
outskirts. Virtually all of the materials used to build the town were brought over
from the United States on two large vessels, including the large riverside warehouse,
the rubber factory and all its heavy machinery. The rubber trees were eventually
struck with a fungus that stumped their growth, leading Ford to abandon the land
and establish the town of Belterra. Today, this sleepy town is still functional, and
walking around is extremely atmospheric, with trees growing through the roof of
the rubber processing factory and machinery still lying around, including 1920s
bulldozers and trucks.
ARRIVAL AND ACCOMMODATION FORDLÂNDIA

By boat Slow boats leave Santarém for Fordlândia daily at
4pm returning at 7pm (10-12hr; R$47); fast boats take much
less time and cost just a fraction more (Tues, Thurs & Sun 1pm
& 5.30pm; 4hr 30min; R$53), returning from Fordlândia
around 2.15pm (Mon, Wed & Fri) when the boat from Itaituba
stops by. Note that sometimes the boat fills up in Itaituba and
won't stop in Fordlândia if there are no seats available.

Pousada Americana Av Boa Vista 31 T 93 3505 3073,
W pousada-americana.blogspot.com. A surprisingly
good accommodation choice in remote Fordlândia, this
welcoming family-run guesthouse offers clean and
spacious a/c rooms with wi-fi throughout. Owner Rita
rustles up som e tasty meals at very reasonable prices too
(R$15). R$120

Alenquer and around
About 111km north of Santarém, through a maze of islands and lakes on the north
bank of the Amazon, is ALENQUER , a typical small Amazon river town rarely visited by
tourists. The town is rather dull and won't on its own detain you for more than an hour
or so. The streets are pleasant, the waterfront occasionally bustles and has a good view
of the river, and there are a couple of atmospheric public buildings from the days of the
rubber boom. However, the surrounding countryside is strikingly beautiful with lakes,
an abundance of wildlife and the rustic tourist complex of Vale do Paraíso , centred
around the gorgeous Cachoeira Paraíso , a lovely waterfall that is accessible by road.
Another reason to visit the area is to see Cidade dos Deuses , a unique complex of rock
formations hidden within the jungle.