Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Praia Ponta Negra
Bus #120 from Praça da Matriz (40min; R$2.75)
The river beach at
Praia Ponta Negra
, about 13km northwest of Manaus near the
Hotel
Tropical
, is a very popular local excursion, and at weekends is packed with locals. Once
the home of the Manaós, today the beach is an enjoyable spot for a swim, with plenty
of bars and restaurants serving freshly cooked river fish. The beach is at its best between
September and March, when the river is low and exposes a wide expanse of sand, but
even when the rains bring higher waters and the beach almost entirely disappears,
plenty of people come to eat and drink.
5
Parque do Mindú
Rua Perimental s/n • Tues-Sun 8am-4pm • Free • Bus #422 from Praça da Matriz (1hr; R$2.75)
he
Parque do Mindú
,
out in the direction of the airport in the Parque Dez
district, about 6km from the centre, is the city's largest expanse of public greenery,
incorporating educational trails where visitors can walk along suspended walkways.
The park is home to a number of species of flora and fauna, including agoutis and the
endangered primate tamarin. The park is a pleasant spot for a stroll; it gets busy on
weekends when locals head over from Manaus.
Bosque da Ciência
Av Otávio Cabral s/n, Aleixo • Tues-Fri 9am-noon & 2-5pm, Sat & Sun 9am-4pm • R$5 •
T
92 3642 3192,
W
inpa.gov.br • Bus #125,
#215, #515 or #517 from Praça da Matriz (1hr; R$2.75)
he
Bosque da Ciência
is an ecological park of about 130,000 square metres located
to the west of Manaus. It was created by the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas de Amazônia
(National Institute for Amazon Research; INPA), and is home to otters, manatees,
monkeys, snakes and birds. The museum within the grounds displays the giant leaf of the
coccoloba plant, the largest ever found in the Amazon measuring 250cm by 144cm.
Museu do Seringal Vila Paraíso
Igarapé São João, Tarumã Mirim • Tues-Sun 8am-4pm • R$5 •
T
92 3631 3632 • Catch a boat from the Marina do David in Ponta Negra
(hourly; 40min; R$9)
he
Museu do Seringal Vila Paraíso
re-creates the living and working conditions of rubber
barons and tappers from the beginning of the twentieth century. The rubber baron's
mansion displays lovely pieces of furniture and memorabilia, including a gramophone,
a 1911 piano, an Italian sewing machine and other objects imported from the Far East.
Within the grounds are also a chapel, the modest housing quarters of a rubber tapper and
a rubber-smoking hut where liquid latex was solidified into rubber bales.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
MANAUS
Destinations
Belém (5 daily; 2hr); Boa Vista (2 daily; 1hr
20min); Brasília (5 daily; 3hr); Porto Velho (4 daily; 1hr
30min); Rio Branco (3 daily; 2hr 40min); Rio de Janeiro
(2 daily; 4hr); São Paulo (several daily; 4hr).
BY PLANE
The Aeroporto Internacional Eduardo Gomes (
T
92 3652
1212) is at Av Santos Dumont 1350, Tarumã, 17km from the
town centre. The airport is served by bus #059, #126 and
#306; if travelling from the centre, catch a bus from Praça
Matriz. A taxi to/from town is about R$70. Many tour
operators offer airport pick-up if you're booked with them;
Antônio Gomes of Amazon Antônio Jungle Tours (see
p.374) offers airport pick-up for R$60 (up to four people),
while Geraldo Mesquita of Amazon Gero Tours (see p.375)
can organize a van pick-up for up to ten people (R$120).
Manaus serves all major Brazilian destinations.
BY BOAT
Slow boats
Slow boats dock at the Estação Hidroviária where
you also need to go to buy boat tickets to most destinations.
Destinations (via slow boat)
Belém (Wed & Fri 11.30am;
4 days; hammock R$180, double cabin R$800); Porto Velho
(Tues & Fri 6pm; 4 days; hammock R$200, double cabin
R$600); Santarém (daily except Sun 11am; 30hr; hammock
