Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
BIRDWATCHING AROUND MONTE ALEGRE
The water world
around Monte Alegre
is one of the richest birding sites in Amazônia. All
along the banks of the Amazon, huge freshwater lakes are separated from the river by narrow
strips of land. Depending on the time of year, the lakes either flood over the surrounding land,
become marshland or even, in places, sandy cattle pasture. The whole area is thick with
birdlife
: huge herons, waders of all kinds and a sprinkling of hawks and fish eagles. At sunset,
thousands of birds fly in to roost in the trees at the foot of the town. The stunning waterscapes
set against the dramatic backdrop of hills make a boat trip really worth doing, even if you can't
tell an egret from your elbow. Take everything with you for the time you'll be out - trips on
nearby Lago Taxipá are usually a couple of hours long. Augusto De Sousa Nemer (
T
93 9131
7707,
T
93 3533 1632) can organize boat trips for R$150. He can also combine a trip to Lago
Taxipá and the rock paintings for R$450.
local than this, with seating in the backyard virtually
shaded by rows of washing; at the time of research there
were plans to move the restaurant to the first floor. There's
free wi-fi, too.
Mon-Sat 11am-3pm.
brightened up with a splash of
yellow
or green paint. Free
wi-fi reaches some of the rooms.
R$90
Tonica
Rua Enarnes Chaves 147
T
93 3533 1976.
This
friendly family-run restaurant is worth visiting for the tasty
home-made cooking (R$28/kg). It couldn't get any more
Manaus
MANAUS
is the capital of Amazonas, a tropical forest state covering around one and a
half million square kilometres. The city is also the commercial and physical hub of the
entire Amazon region. Most visitors are surprised to learn Manaus isn't actually on the
Amazon at all, but on the Rio Negro, 6km from the point where that river meets the
Solimões to form (as far as Brazilians are concerned) the Rio Amazonas. Just a few
hundred metres away from the tranquil life on the rivers, the centre of Manaus
perpetually buzzes with energy. Escaping from the frenzy is not easy, but there is the
occasional quiet corner, and the Opera House square and some of the city's museums
make up for the hectic pace downtown. In the port and market areas, pigs, chickens
and people selling hammocks line the streets, and despite the sprucing up of town for
the 2014 World Cup, there's an atmosphere that seems unchanged in centuries.
For the Amazon hinterland, Manaus has long symbolized “civilization”. Traditionally,
this meant simply that it was the
trading centre
, where the hardships of life in the
forest could be escaped temporarily and where manufactured commodities to make
that life easier - metal pots, steel knives, machetes and the like - could be purchased.
Virgin jungle seems further from the city these days (just how far really depends on
what you want “virgin forest” to mean), but there are still waterways and channels
within a short river journey of Manaus where you can find dolphins, alligators,
kingfishers and the impression, at least, that humans have barely penetrated. Indeed,
most visitors to Manaus rightly regard a
river trip
as an essential part of their stay. Even
if you can't afford the time to disappear up the Amazon for days at a stretch, however,
there are a number of sites around Manaus that make worthwhile day-excursions, most
notably the
meeting of the waters
of the yellow Rio Solimões and the black Rio Negro,
and the lily-strewn
Parque Ecológico do Janauary
.
Brief history
Established as a town in 1856, the name Manaus was given for the Manaós tribe, which
was encountered in this region by São Luís do Maranhão while he was exploring the
area in 1616. Missionaries arrived in 1657 and a small trading settlement, originally
known as São José da Barra, evolved around their presence. The city you see today is
primarily a product of the
rubber boom
and in particular the child of visionary state
