Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
for tourists to acquire necessary permits to enter these territories (permits can be
obtained usually in a few days through FOIRN, Federação das Organizações Indigenas
do Rio Negro, in town; Av Alvaro Maia 79;
T
97 3471 1632,
T
97 3471 1001), it
makes this one of the Amazon's most pristine regions to visit.
Pico da Neblina
São Gabriel is the jumping-off point for
Pico da Neblina
, which, at 3014m, is Brazil's
highest peak. At the time of research the National Park Pico da Neblina remained
closed, although there are signs it may soon reopen, which will most likely lead to a
revival of tourism in the area.
Bela Adormecida
The 1000m-high mountain of
Bela Adormecida
is easily reachable from São Gabriel.
Getting there involves navigating one of the area's most scenic rivers, the Rio
Curicuriari. It's also possible to camp at the summit - ask at
Pousada Pico da Neblina
.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
SÃO GABRIEL DA CACHOEIRA AND AROUND
Sete de Setembro along the beach (Mon-Sat at 6am, 7am,
noon & 3pm, Sun 7am & 3pm; 40min; R$3).
By slow boat
Slow services leave Porto São Raimundo in
Manaus on Fri at 6pm returning to Manaus on Tues at 9am
and Fri at 8am (3 days; R$270).
By fast boat
Boats depart Manaus on Tues and Fri at 3pm
(24hr; R$330), returning to Manaus on Tues & Fri at 8am.
It's a good idea to take your own mattress if travelling on
the express boat - you can stretch out on the floor and get
a decent night's sleep.
BY PLANE
Azul has three weekly flights from Manaus to São Gabriel
(Tues, Thurs & Sun). São Gabriel airport is about 15km
outside the town. A taxi into town is R$40 (15min).
BY BOAT
Boats arrive at Porto Camanaus, about 25km from São
Gabriel. Shared taxis meet incoming boats (R$20/person;
25min). A private taxi to the town is R$60. Buses also
connect the town to the port; buses meet the boats, while
if you're heading to the port from town catch a bus from Av
ACCOMMODATION
Pousada Pico da Neblina
Rua Capitão Euclides 322
T
97 9168 0047,
W
pousadapicodaneblina.com.
This
large yellow house sitting on a hill has lovely views over the
beach. Accommodation is in private rooms with bathrooms,
dorms, hammocks or tents. The friendly Australian owner,
who is also the owner of the long-established
Hostel
Manaus
in Manaus, can provide plenty of informati
on on
the area
, as w
ell as organiz
e tou
rs. Ham
mocks
R$10
;
camping
R$10
/person; dorms
R$25
; doubles
R$70
Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve
Located about 600km west of Manaus, the
Mamirauá Sustainable Development
Reserve
is a spectacular area of relatively untouched, seasonally flooded
várzea
-type
vegetation offering close contact with the flora and fauna, including pink dolphins. It
YANOMAMI TOURS: A WARNING
Some tourists are offered trips to the
Yanomami
or other
indigenous reserves
. These are
di
cult to obtain these days following recent outbreaks of violence between miners and the
Yanomami. Such a trip is only possible with valid permission from IBAMA (Rua Ministro João
Gonçalves de Souza, Km 1, BR-319, Distrito Industrial;
T
92 3878 7100,
W
ibama.gov.br) and
FUNAI (Rua Maceió 224, Adrianôpolis,
T
92 3622 9169,
W
funai.gov.br), which you have to
obtain yourself. If a company says they already have permission, they're probably lying, as each
visit needs a new permit. In any case, permission is generally impossible to get, so that the
trips offered may actually be illegal and could land you in serious trouble. Of course, the ethics
of such visits are in any case clear: isolated indigenous groups have no immunity to imported
diseases, and even the common cold can kill them with devastating ease.
