Around Manaus and the Amazon

Manaus is the capital of the state of Amazonas, which is the largest state in Brazil. Famous for its rainforest, it covers a huge area. A good place to start your research on it is the Wikipedia entry. Also try the Lonely Planet website.

Manaus itself is a city of almost 2 million people and growing rapidly, evidenced by the urban spread at all corners. But it has no road link to the South, which seriously restricts its economic growth and limits infrastructure and related investment  by the private sector.

In truth, most people come to see only a few things in Manaus, before heading off to the river and the forest. Among these, the principal attraction is probably the Teatro Amazonas, although there are other interesting historic buildings and museums if you're prepared to spend the time seeking them out. And since no matter how eager you are to get out of the city, you're likely to have to spend a few nights in it, the majority of the most appealing nightspots are concentrated along the Ponta Negra beach or the Estrada do Turismo.

Getting around the city is increasingly difficult because of the poor road system and increased volumes of traffic. It's possible to rent a car, but we can't honestly recommend it.  Buses are fast, confusing, and usually badly driven. Taxis are pretty reliable and relatively cheap depending on your exchange rate! Make sure you get one in good condition and with air-conditioning, or walk away. Most drivers will make an effort to help non-portuguese-speaking tourists, but ideally you'll want to have the address you want to get to written down on a piece of paper with the name of the street, house or building number, and the district or bairro. And although most taxis are metered, you should try to get an indication from the driver of how much the trip is likely to be before you set off. There's a fixed fee from the airport to anywhere. You should also note that the Ponta Negra and the Estrada do Turismo are considered to be a long way from the city centre (in truth, they're not that far at all), and taxi charges will reflect this, particularly in heavy traffic.

When you're heading for the forest, the first thing to remember is that to get anywhere away from civilisation, you will need time - time to organise, and time to travel. There is absolutely no point coming to spend a day seeing the rainforest - much better to stay at home and visit your nearest garden centre. If you know where to go, of course, you can still get to some very nice unspoiled areas in a day (roughly within 100km of Manaus), but it is unlikely to be the virgin, unpeopled rainforest most people dream of seeing, and you won't have time to look around before you have to head back.  There are several ways you can see more than this, ranging from taking a scheduled regional boat and stopping off en route, signing up for a stay at one of the jungle lodges, hiring a small boat with a guide, or flying to a smaller town and taking it from there. It's all quite do-able (but not terribly easy unless you have some portuguese or spanish). The best thing to do is to get some honest, non-partisan advice before you charge off, or take a guide with you - it's a nice way of travelling, if you have the dosh!

This is just a short guide for intending visitors. There is a wealth of information out there on the net already, and of course we at Maguire's will be happy to help in any way we can. You might also like to look at our  information page and lodges and excursions page. The Amazon is an amazing place - not without its difficulties, but then if it were too easy it wouldn't be the same, would it? Enjoy!