The Amazon - The Rough Guide to Brazil - page 379

5 CONSULATES NEAR THE THREE WAY FRONTIER

Brazilian Vice-consulate Carrera 10 10-10, Leticia (Mon-Fri 8am-2pm; T [phone]).
Colombian Consulate Rua General Sampaio 623, Tabatinga (Mon-Fri 7am-noon & 2-3pm;
T 97 3412 2104).
Peruvian Consulate Calle 11 5-32, Leticia (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-4pm; T [phone]).

boats make the journey from Tabatinga and Leticia to Santa
Rosa (10min; R$3).
By fast boat Fast boats to Manaus and Tefé leave from
Portobras at Rua Duarte Coelho 10.
Destinations Manaus (Fri & Sun 9am; 30hr; R$430); Tefé
(Fri & Sun 9am; 19hr; R$390).

visitor card; you'll then need to go to Leticia airport to get a
Colombian entry stamp.

TO/FROM PERU
Heading into Peru, many boats leave from Tabatinga (daily
except Mon 5am; 12hr; R$200), although Peruvian authorities
and passport control are in Santa Rosa (10min; R$3), a
military post over the river, where all Peru-bound boats have
to stop for passport and customs control; you'll need to get
your exit stamp in Tabatinga the day before. Arriving from
Peru, you'll need to go to the Polícia Federal in Tabatinga for
your Brazilian passport entry stamp and visitor card.

TO/FROM COLOMBIA
If you're arriving from Colombia, or heading into Colombia
from Brazil, you'll need to go to the Polícia Federal at
Avenida da Amizade 26 (daily 8am-noon & 2-6pm;
T 97 3412 2180) for your passport entry or exit stamp and

ACCOMMODATION
The accommodation options in Tabatinga are poor - a good reason to head over to Leticia , which, as the jumping-off
point for trips in the Colombian Amazon, has plenty of hotels catering to foreigners and suiting all budgets. If you really
must stay in Tabatinga, there are a couple of hotels that will do the trick for the night.

Takana Hotel Rua Osvaldo Cruz 970 T 97 3412 3557,
W takanahotel.com.br. Make your way down a corridor
lined with colourful wooden statuettes of Amazonian
wildlife and exotic masks to reach a series of comfortable
darkish rooms set around a green courtyard; the suites are
substantially better than the standards, with king-sized
beds and wooden furniture. Tabatinga's best hotel also

offers free wi-fi throughout. R$118
Tarumã Hotel Rua da Pátria 70 T 97 3412 2083,
E [e-mail]. This hotel offers
acceptable rooms with drabbish decor that open onto a
long corridor; all h ave pri vate bathroom, a/c and TV. Staff
could be friendlier. R$150

EATING
Bella Epoca Rua Pedro Teixeira 589 T 97 3412 3496.
This popular self-service restaurant offers thirty options of
home-made dishes at lunchtime (R$28/kg), including
beans, meats, salads, plantains, farofa and mash. In the
evenings, it's pizza only, all rustled up using home-made
dough. Daily 11am-4pm & 6pm-midnight.

Restaurante Três Fronteiras Do Amazonas Rui
Barbosa s/n T 97 9151 7060. This welcoming airy
restaurant lined with verdant plants and built in natural
materials specializes in Amazonian fish dishes (R$33),
including tambaqui and tucunaré . It's one of Tabatinga's
most atmospheric restaurants. Daily 10am-11pm.

DIRECTORY
Internet Star Tech Tecnologia, Rua Santo Dumont 325,
Dom Pedro I (daily 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-9.30pm;
R$2.50/hr; T 97 3412 2367).

Money and exchange There are no money-changers in
Tabatinga - not legal ones anyway; you will need to head
over to Leticia to change currency.

Leticia (Colombia)
The river town of LETICIA (in Colombia) is a pleasant little spot to base yourself - it's
much better to stay here than in nearby Tabatinga, even if you're only about for one
night. There are plenty of good hotels and restaurants, and the town is overall much
safer than its Brazilian neighbour, with an e cient military presence and police force.
There's no physical border at the port or between Leticia and Tabatinga; though you're
free to pass through provided you go no further in the country, you should carry your
passport at all times.