Manaus

Opera in Manaus - photo by TERRA BRAZIL (www.terra-brazil.com)

By Tom Ravenscroft

Situated on the Rio Negro in the heart of the Amazon Basin, Manaus is the capital of Amazonas state. When arriving in Manaus by boat, the city seems to be a busy dirty, hectic port and indeed it is not one of Brasil’s most picturesque places. Originally founded in 1669 as a fortification to defend the region and its still important river trade against Dutch encroachment from the north, the population of Manaus has now swollen to 1.5 million. This bustling city is surrounded by Brasil’s most famous natural attraction, the Amazon rainforest. The chance to see the varied fauna, flora and wildlife of the world’s largest rainforest is undoubtly the reason why the majority of tourists visit the city.

Being the obvious starting point for adventures deeper into the Amazon, Manaus is teeming with tour agencies offering a vast range of trips of varied quality and price. A trip into the rainforest is the highlight of any trip to the region, and although finding an appropriate tour agency to fit personal schedules and budgets may be a challange, oganising as a group will always bring down prices. Whatever your budget it will be worth investing time and money on a reputable, longer tour, if at all possible.

The city itself does contain a few impressive buildings mostly dating from the turn of the century. During the 1890s and 1900s the city of Manaus became rich from the export of natural rubber produced locally. During this rubber boom period the city was greatly improved: it was the first city in Brasil to have electricity. The greatest surviving monument to this important period in Manaus’s history is the Teatro Amazonas, constructed in 1896. Although it is possible to take a tour around this theatre, it better to catch a show, and if you are lucky enough to be in Manaus on a Sunday free shows are available in both the early afternoon and evening.

For most people, Manaus will serve as a stopping of point before continuing along the Amazon or into the rainforest, but there is enough to do in and immediately around the city the to warrant staying at least a couple of days.

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