Manaus Attractions

Cais Flutuante

The 1313m/1436yd long Cais Flutuante (Floating Quay) on the Rio Negro was built by British engineers.

Alfândega

The Alfândega (Custom House) was imported from Britain in prefabricated form and erected in Mamaus in 1902. Both are protected as national monuments.

Market Hall

The Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market), also protected as a national monument, stands on the bank of the Rio Negro, between the Floating Quay and the Igarapé dos Educandos. With its iron framework, made in Gustave Eiffel's Paris workshop, and stained glass windows it is modeled on the old Halles in Paris.

The airport is located approximately 14 km (8 1/2 miles) from the city center.

Beaches

The river beaches round Manaus should be visited between July and November, when the water level is low. The best known are the Praia da Ponta Negra (18km/11mi from the city on the Rio Negro) and the Praia do Tupé (1 hour from Manaus by boat), a nature reserve.

Cathedral

São Sebastião

The Cathedral was built in 1875, the church of São Sebastião in 1859; the nave has paintings by Domenico de Angelis.

Free trade zone

In Manaus's free trade zone (zona franca) imported goods can be bought at favorable prices, though any purchases must be declared to customs at the airport or, for travelers sailing down the Amazon by boat, at Belém. Information about the type and quantity of goods which may be exported duty-free is displayed in notices at the airport.

Museu do Homem do Norte

The Museu do Homem do Norte (Museum of Man of the North), an ethnographic museum of northern Brazil has extensive collections of material on regional culture and folk traditions and a specialized bookshop. There are also rooms devoted to the display and sale of local craft products.

Museum of the Indian

The Museu do Indio has a collection of over 3000 objects illustrating the culture and way of life of Indian tribes which live, or lived, on the upper course of the Rio Negro. Here too Indian craft products are on sale; they may also be bought in the FUNAI shop opposite the Amazonas Hotel.

Palácio Rio Negro

The handsome Palácio Rio Negro, once the residence of a German rubber merchant named Waldemar Scholtz, is now the seat of the State Government of Amazonas.

Reservatório de Mocó

The Reservatório de Mocó (Cotton Store: mocó is a species of cotton prized for its silky fibers) was the work of British builders (1899).

Manaus Zoo, 13km/8mi from the city on the Estrada da Ponta Grande, contains 300 animals of the Amazon region.

Encontro das Aguas

One sight which is a must for all visitors to Manaus is the very impressive Encontro das Aguas ("Meeting of the Waters"), some 20km/12.4mi south-east of the city. This is the spot where the dark-colored water of the Rio Negro joins the light brown muddy water of the Rio Solimões to form the Amazon.

Boat trips

A boat trip is the best way of seeing three different areas which are traversed by a complicated network of rivers, igarapés and lakes: the Rio Negro area, the Solimões area and, beyond the "Encontro das Aguas", the Amazon area. The best time for such a trip is between September and November, when the rivers and lakes are low; and this is also the best season for fishing for pirarucu, tambaqui and other local species. The trips last between two days and a week. Information from local tourist offices.

In the primeval forest

In recent years there have been increasing numbers of camps in the primeval forest and on the banks of rivers, where visitors can spend a few days

and become better acquainted with the fauna and flora of Amazonia. The camps are mostly near major tourist attractions (igarapés, lakes, nature reserves).

Cascatinha

do Amor

1.5 hours from Manaus, on the Igarapé do Tarumã, is the Cascatinha do Amor, a waterfall whose water, deep gold in color, plunges down 6m/20ft on to white sand.

Refúgio do Maruaga

Presidente Figueiredo, north of Manaus, can be reached either by boat or on BR 174 (Manaus-Boa Vista), which runs through the territory of the Waimiri-Atroari Indians. In this area are a number of large caves with springs emerging at the entrance - a feature rare in Amazonia. The Refúgio do Maruaga, named after a warlike chief of the Waimiri-Atroari Indians, is reached by way of an unsurfaced road and a walk of 2km/1.3mi into the forest. The caves can be visited only with a local guide.