Boa Vista, Brazil
Tourism

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by BR 401. Other parts of the country are best reached from Boa Vista by air.

Bus station

Avenida das Guyanas 1627

Airport

Aeroporto Internacional

Boa Vista's main tourist interest is as an inexpensive staging-point on the way to Guyana and Venezuela. The continuation of BR 174, which connects Boa Vista with Manaus, leads to Santa Elena de Uairén in Venezuela (bus services), while BR 410 leads to Guyana. Visitors entering these countries by road require a visa, which is not issued at the frontier; it is advisable, therefore, to apply for a visa to an embassy or consulate of the country concerned before traveling.

History

The first evidence of the establishment of Luso-Brazilian settlers in Roraima dates from 1670. In the early years of the 18th century the Indian villages in this region drew large numbers of settlers (sertanistas) and Christian missionaries. The construction of the fort of São Joaquim in 1765 was a clear sign that the Portuguese feared the intrusion of other European powers into the area. Two hundred years later, when rich seams of gold and other minerals were discovered in Roraima, thousands of garimpeiros (gold- and diamond-prospectors) seeking to make their fortune streamed into the territory occupied by the Indians. The conflicts which then arose between garimpeiros, representatives of the government and the native tribes such as the Yanomami affected the relationship between the sertanistas and the churchmen and continue to influence attitudes to the problems of the far north of Brazil.