Brazil has around 8,000 kilometres of coastline and thousands of beaches to choose from. Images of Brazil are synonymous with year round sunshine, tropical palm trees, golden sands and tiny bikinis. For most Brazilians the beach is a way of life and they could wax lyrical about their personal favourites for hours on end. Copacabana and Ipanema often find their way to top spots but a new generation of adventurous travellers are now seeking out more remote and rewarding destinations. You might be surprised to discover that Brazil’s hottest new beach destination it situated in the heart of the Amazon jungle. The remote and stunningly beautiful village of Alter do Chão is nothing more than a twinkle of lights in the jungle but a sense of magic fills the air. This small slice of paradise is surrounded by virgin rainforest and filled with white sand beaches and clear, warm waters. It’s the kind of place you want to keep all to yourself but with the nickname ‘The Caribbean of the Amazon’, it’s no wonder Alter do Chão is fast becoming one of Brazil’s must visit beach destinations.
Rio Amazonas by Cargo Boat
28 Mar
The Amazon basin has approx. 80,000 kilometres of navigable water making it the largest river system in the world. Much of this remote region is not connected by road and relies heavily on boat travel for transportation of goods and passengers. Its rivers are the motorways of the jungle and taking a boat trip along them is one of the most iconic and memorable journeys in South America. Six months earlier we’d had our first taste of river travel down the Peruvian Amazon from Yurimaguas to Iquitos so we were under no romantic illusions about spending 72 hours on another packed boat departing from Manaus in Brazil! But with just 10 days to go until Christmas and spirits sky high, we couldn’t help but feel excited about the riotous carnival of river life that was about to explode before our eyes.
Discover the Amazonian Megalopolis Manaus
28 Jan
Thoughts of the almighty Amazon have the power to excite and delight travellers like few other places on Earth can. In our minds eye we picture thick natural rainforest with giant trees and an abundance of wildlife, isolated indigenous communities with painted faces and fresh, clean waterways filling the World’s largest river system. So imagine our initial disappointment on arrival in Manaus, the Amazon’s largest city (approx. 1.7 million population) to find a sprawling, dirty hot and humid metropolis seemingly devoid of any natural flora and fauna. The frenetic streets were choked by traffic and its streets filled with rubbish and unsavory characters. On face value Manaus had limited touristic appeal but it frequently finds its way onto traveller’s itineraries using it as a base to arrange jungle trips or considering it a destination in its own right. We realised that perhaps we’d set ourselves up for a fall, with expectations so high, that Manaus was always fighting a losing battle. We knew there must be more to the city than its face value so we set out to discover what Manaus was all about.
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