Anavilhanas Islands

Anavilhanas Islands

In the Rio Negro, between Manaus and Novo Airão, are the Anavilhanas Islands, an archipelago of 400 islands and islets, with hundreds of lakes, watercourses, igapós and igarapés, extending for some 90km/55mi. The Anavilhanas Nature Reserve (area 350,000 hectares/875,000 acres) offers a complete cross-section of the Amazonian eco-system.

When the river is high, between November and April, the islands are almost all flooded, with only around 180 of them emerging from the water. During this period they are populated by squirrel monkeys, night monkeys and sloths, by a variety of birds, including parrots, toucans, woodpeckers and herons, and by reptiles and amphibians (caimans, turtles, etc.)