Manacapuru, Amazonas Brazil

Manacapuru

Manacapuruis the third most populous county in the state of Amazonas. The city that gave the county its name is situated where the Manacapuru River (a black river) enters the Rio Solimoes. The city of Manacapuru is approximately 52 miles from Manaus by road and 63 miles by river. If a visitor comes by car or bus they take a ferry from Manaus to Iranduba and then follow a two lane road to Manacapuru.

Known as the Solimões Little Princess, Manacapuru was founded on February 15, 1786 in a Mura Indian village. On July 16, 1932 it was declared city and has been growing ever since.
As in most areas of Amazonas the economy is based in fishing, agriculture and tourism.

Manacapupru celebrates its heritage of native and European cultures with the Ciranda, a festival that takes place in the last week of August. The Festival brings together rhythms, dances, songs, allegories and multicolored fantasies that entertain all who watch.

More in the next edition

Jau National Park Amazonas, Brazil

Jau National Park

Jaú National Park ("Parque Nacional do Jaú" in Portuguese) is the largest forest reserve in South America, covering an area greater than 5.6 million acres. The park is located in Amazonas, Brazil.

The park is approximately 137 miles from Manaus. The park is bordered by rivers: the Rio Negro, the Rio Jaú, the Rio Carabinani and the Rio Unini.

In an effort to protect the fauna and wildlife, entry into the park is restricted. Express permission from the Brazilian government is required to enter the reserve.
The park is a good example of tropical rainforest conservation taking place in parts of the Amazon basin.

The park is home to spotted jaguars, manatees, pink river dolphins, and numerous other species of animals and plants.

Barcelos, Amazonas Brazil

Barcelos

Barcelos, located on the northern bank of the Negro River, is the second largest city of the State of Amazon, located 246 miles as the crow flies from Manaus and 308 miles by riverboat.

Brief history - Mariuá, a village of the Manaus Indians, was the original site of what is today Barcelos. The Carmelite priest, Frei Matias São Boaventuras, established the Mission of Nossa Senhora of Mariuá in 1738. Thirty years later, Mariuá receives the name Barcelos becoming the capital of the State of São Jose of the Negro River, which eventually became the state of Amazonas.

Unfortunately the local agricultural production, based on the crops of banana, rice and mandioca, is not enough for the necessities of the city, so the majority of the foodstuffs consumed in the city are imported from the region.

Barcelos has a large eco tourist business, since nearby is part of the National Park of the Jaú, the State Park of Aracá Mountain and the Mariuá Archipelago, with more than 1.400 islands, considered the largest fresh water archipelago in the world. This archipelago contains over 700 species of eatable and ornamental fish (exported to countries in Europe, Asia and America).

Since the sale of ornamental fish is responsible for the income of more than 60% of the population, the Festival of the Ornamental fish was incorporated in 1994, praising the culture of the city and the life of the " piabeiros " fishermen.

During the festival, fishermen display rare species of fish allowing tourists to purchase the most exotic.

Another source of income is from sports fishing, with fishermen coming from around the world to attempt to land one of the famous “peacock” bass of the area.

More in the next edition.

Tefe, Amazonas, Brazil

Tefe

Tefé is a city, as well as a municipality, in the state of Amazonas in Brazil. Located approximately 310 miles west of Manaus on the south bank of the Rio Solimões on a lake formed by the mouth of the Tefé River, Tefé was founded in the 17th century by missionaries who named it Nogueira. Later it went by the name of Ega until finally the residents gave the name it carries today.

Since there are no roads into Tefé access is by river boat or plane. By fast boat it is about a12 hour voyage from Manaus.
Rico Linhas Aereas operate flights from Manaus to Tefé.

Although farming and fishing are important industries, eco-tourism is becoming the big money maker because Tefé is the major starting point for trips into the Mamiraua Reserve.

Mamirauá refers to the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve
The reserve is a 22,000 square mile park near the village of Boca do Mamirauá, and it includes mostly Amazon flood forest.
Mamirauá Reserve is protected by the international Ramsar Convention as a wetland of global importance.
Many propose the Reserve should form part of a future UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Brazilian Amazon. The reserve is the legacy and life work of Brazilian scientist José Márcio Corrêa Ayres.

Mamiraua Reserve has concentrations of Amazonian fauna rarely seen.

In the dry season, thousands of cayman are easily observed .

Concentrations of up to 15 000 cormorants and herons fish in the lakes, filled with a variety of fish.

In the trees, numerous families of diverse monkeys share the branches with sloths, as well as beautiful bromeliads and orchids.

Mamirauá is home to over 400 species of bird and at least 45 species of mammal. One of the strangest and rarest is the White Uacari, a monkey weighing about nine pounds, that feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of unripe fruits. Uacaris live in family bands of up to 50 individuals, and travel many miles every day, in search of their favorite foods.

Mamirauá also is home to the Black Headed Squirrel Monkey.

The lakes and rivers provide a refuge for the Amazon Manatee, and the pink dolphin.

Mamiraua is worth the trip, especially when one has a knowledgeable guide to insure the visitor sees everything.

Parintins, Amazonas Brazil

Parintins

Parintins is a city in the state of Amazonas, located on Tupinambarana island in the Amazon River. Parintins is best known for a popular folklore festival held there each June called Boi-Bumbá.

A boi is an ox, so the question is why does the city have a festival honoring two oxen?

There are many different answers to this of these question. The are various legends one can read about (see the following web site for the one we like http://www.boibumba.com/history_en.htm)

Of course you can always just go to Parintins and get a first-hand impression. Watch the performance in the stadium where the teams for the two bulls compete.

The festival takes place during three days in late June. The festival celebrates a local legend about a resurrected ox. More importantly it is a competition where two teams, Garantido and Caprichoso, present an extended retelling of the legend, each team attempting to out-do the other with flamboyant dances, singing, and parade floats.Each team has three hours to make their presentation. Failure to stay within this time limit results in a reduction of points.

Each nightly performance is largely based on local Amazonian folklore and indigenous culture, incorporating contemporary Brazilian rhythms and themes.

The place where the teams present themselves is called "Bumbódramo", a round, grounded stage. The "Bumbódramo" supports an audience of approximately 35,000.

There is dancing, celebrating and good will during the entire festival throughout the city of Parintins. A definite must for the tourist to Amazonas.

More in the next edition.

Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas Brazil

Presidente Figueiredo is a city approximately 65 miles north east of Manaus, reached by following the BR 174, a highway that will take the visitor all the way to Venezuela, if that is your final destination.

One of the few cities of Amazonas not located on the banks of a major river, the county of Presidente Figueiredo was established in 1981 and received its name to honor the first President of the State of Amazonas, João Baptista de Figueiredo Tenreiro Aranha (1798-1861).

Forests , rivers , waterfalls, grottoes, and caverns create a magic world in this tourist area, frequently visited by the city dwellers of Manaus.

Presidente Figueiredo was founded for tourism, specifically eco-tourism. There are trails for walks in the jungle, grottoes, waterfalls and rapids on the small streams and rivers that surround the town, as well as boat tours on the lake of Balbina.

In Balbina one can visit the hydroelectric plant that provides energy for north eastern Amazonas.

Places of Interest

Caves, grottoes


MAROAGA CAVE- Location: Located on the right side of northbound highway AM-240.

IRACEMA - Location: Located on the left side of highway BR-174, at km 115.

ARARA - Location: Located a little less than a mile after the Waterfall of Iracema.

Waterfalls

CACHOEIRA DOS LAGES- Located on the left side of BR 174, at km 113, there are 4 waterfalls. There is a mile long hiking trail leading the falls.

CACHOEIRA DA PEDRA LASCADA - Also located on the left side of BR 174, at km 113. 1There are signs for the trail to follow to the falls.

CACHOEIRA DE IRACEMA - Located on the left side of BR 174 at km 115. A half mile trail to the falls.

CACHOEIRA DAS ARARAS - Located about a mile after the cachoeira de Iracema.

CACHOEIRA DA SUFRAMA - Localization: on the right side of BR-174 at km 96 . A quarter mile walk in the rainforest gets you to the falls.

CACHOEIRA DO SANTUÁRIO - Located on the right side of AM-240, starting at Balbina km 12. An approximate three quarters of a mile hike brings you to the falls.

More in the next edition.

São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas Brazil

São Gabriel da Cachoeira

São Gabriel da Cachoeira is a Brazilian city, located on the shores of the Rio Negro River in the state of Amazonas. Cachoeira is a Portuguese word denoting waterfalls and rapids.
The majority of the inhabitants (90%) are native Indians. In 2003, Nheengatu, a language used by several of the Indian tribes, became an official language along with Portuguese in São Gabriel da Cachoeira.

The government began an ambitious project in 2006 aimed in turning the city into a large tourist center, with three thematic hotels - ethnic, culture and eco resorts.
São Gabriel da Cachoeira is located on the left margin of the Rio Negro, about 530 miles from Manaus. It has a strategic position bordering the countries of Columbia and Venezuela. Due to this strategic location there is a large military presence and most of the soldiers are Indians. The city is surrounded by the Amazon Forest.

The region along the Rio Negro includes 430 settlements that house 35 thousand Indians of 23 different groups.

The city is also a base for mountaineers seeking to climb Pico da Neblina, the highest peak in Brazil.

Pico da Neblina National Park is the second largest park in Brazil, and the third largest in Latin America. With a diversity of landscapes it offers a wide variety of challenges to hikers and explorers.

Neblina Peak, with an altitude of 3,014 m, is the highest point in Brazil and a permanent target of attention by scientists and researchers.

The area is home to the richest fauna in the country, with many species of plant threatened with extinction.

Visitors to park should always have a guide to avoid the chance of getting lost.

Morro da Fortaleza is another place tourists should take the time to see. See the trenches of this fort built in 1763. A must visit attraction is the Anta (tapir) stone and its strange high relief drawings; a leg, animal vessels, and a human foot print. According to legend it is the petrified remains of a tapir which fed a hungry tribe that roamed through the region.

More in the next edition.

Novo Aírão, Amazonas Brazil

Novo Aírão

Novo Aírão, is a small jungle town on the west bank of the Rio Negro, approximately 71 miles (six hours by bus) from Manaus. By boat it’s around 81 miles (eight hours).

Travelers to Nova Aírão depart from Manaus’s rodoviária (central bus station). There are two buses leaving each day at 6am and 1pm).The bus goes to the Porto São Raimundo ferry, continues to Manacapuru and then turns north to follow the BR-352 to where it ends at the port of Novo Aírão.

Nova Aírão is noted for its ship building, producing many of the ships that ply the rivers carrying produce and passengers to river bank communities.

Across the river from Novo Aírão is the Anavilhanas Archipelago which consists of more then 400 tranquil and beautiful islands that spread out on the Rio Negro. A biological reserve, it is home to an extraordinary number of plants and bird species.

For the majority of visitors, main attraction at Novo Aírão is the opportunity to feed pink dolphins from the floating restaurant in the small port here. The best times for seeing the dolphins are 9am–midday & 3.30–5pm. The owner of the restaurant charges R$10 for a plate of fish to feed them the dolphins. For the bold, it’s possible to get in the water with the dolphins, who will swim around you, splashing and bumping into you, hoping for some food.

There are a couple of small hotels and a few restaurants. Also available is Internet access at a café at Rua Rui Barbosa 41.

More in the next edition.

Manaus, Amazonas

Manaus 4

Ponta Negra Beach is located approximately 11 miles from downtown Manaus on the northern bank of the Rio Negro.

The beach is accessible when the river is down and the white sands fill with locals and tourist. During the season when the river is high, locals and tourist enjoy the view and walk on the wide sidewalk taking advantage of the wide variety of restaurants and bars. Many of the bars and restaurants offer entertainment in the evening.

Where the Ponta Negro ends begins the reserve owned by the Hotel Tropical. Within the hotel's grounds are a mini-zoo, botanical garden, and stores offering the finest in gold, jewelry and clothing.

Across the avenue from Ponto Negro are several condominiums, offering a spectacular view of the Rio Negro. New Year's Eve and Carnival see thousands crowding the beach, sidewalk and avenue in this most popular destination of the capital of Amazonas.

More on Manaus in the next edition.

Manaus, Amazonas

Manaus Part 3

Today we talk about the CIGS Zoo. This zoo is part of the army's jungle warfare-training center, and most of the animals were captured by soldiers on patrol.

The animal enclosures range from some in need of serious repair, to others that are the most sophisticated and humane habitats you have ever seen.

The cougars are kept in sizable enclosures with grass and a small pond, while some of the other big cats are in small pens reminiscent of zoos from thirty years ago.

The collection is tremendous: black and spotted jaguars, cougars and smaller cats, as well as tapirs, alligators, capibaras and pacas. There are snakes, the most impressive being a giant anaconda. As far as native birds go the zoo boasts of toucans, macaws, and harpy eagles . There are several monkey islands in a large pond in the center of the zoo that supports a variety of monkeys found in the region.

Often the young soldiers take young jaguars for a walks through zoo, nice to watch but you do not want to get too close.

Although some of the zoo is old, an effort is being made to upgrade the compound and give the animals the space they deserve.

More in the next edition.

Manaus, Amazonas

Manaus Part 2

Situated on the northern bank of the Rio Negro are both the Mercado Municipal (the municipal market) and the Port of Manaus.

Because Manaus is a major destination for boats on the Amazon River, the port is the destination of cruise ships, ocean liners tankers, and freighers from around the world. All of these ocean vessels make the five day trip from Belem on the Atlantic coast.

Also present in the port are smaller ships and boats that carry freight and passengers to the cities and towns along the Rio Negro and Solimoes rivers, as well as their many tributaries.

Boats make the trip to Porto Velho, Rondonia two-three times per week. Tabatinga on the border with Colombia can also be reached by boat from Manaus.

Mercado Adolpho Lisboa, more commonly referred to as Mercado Municipal, is the central marketplace of Manaus located between Rua dos Barés and Avenida Lourenço da Silva Braga, on the shore of the Negro River.

A project based on the works of Gustave Eiffel , the Mercado was built in art nouveau style between the end of the 19th century (1883) and the beginning of the 20th Century (1906). Mercado Adolpho Lisboa is a loose copy, of the old, albeit famous, market of Paris – Les Halles .

The metallic structures for the Mercado were built in Paris and sent to Manaus by ship.
Now Mercado Adolpho Lisboa is the greatest souvenir-shopping market in Manaus, in addition to being a source of fruits, fish, spices, produce, rice, as well as traditional native medications and other products.

More on Manaus in the next edition.

Manaus, Amazonas

Manaus Part I

Manaus is the capital and largest city in the state of Amazonas. Travelers flying to the Manaus arrive at Eduardo Gomes International Airport on the outskirts of the city.

The airport is named after Brazilian politician and military figure Eduardo Gomes and has two terminal buildings. Terminal 1 receives domestic and international flights and Terminal 2, also known as "Eduardinho", receives regional flights and some business jets.
During 2007, the airport handled 2,063,872 passengers and 44,303 aircraft movements, placing it amongst the busiest airports in Brazil.

From the airport one takes a taxi or bus into the city or to one of the luxury hotels located on the banks of the Rio Negro.

Situated on the banks of the Rio Negro (meaning Black River, because of the dark color of the water), Manaus is an important centre for ecological tourism. One of its most popular attractions is Ponta Negra beach, 8 miles from the centre of the city, where the sands are exposed right down to the river bed during the dry season, forming a beautiful contrast with the dark waters of the river itself.

One of the must see attractions in the City of Manaus is the Teatro Amazonas.

The Teatro Amazonas is an opera house. Located in the heart of Manaus it is the location of the annual Amazonas Opera Festival held in April.

It was built during the Belle Epoque when fortunes rose during the rubber boom. Construction of the Teatro Amazonas was first proposed in 1881 by Antonio Jose Fernandes Júnior, a member of the House of Representatives. The idea was to construct a jewel in the heart of the Amazonian forest and to make Manaus one of the great centers of civilization.

The State legislature approved some limited financing the following year, but this was considered insufficient. Finally in 1882, the president of the Province, Jose Lustosa Paranagua, approved a larger budget and initiated a competition for the presentation of plans.

Construction began in 1884 under the Italian architect Celestial Sacardim, who planned the theatre to be state of the art and to include electric lighting.

Work proceeded slowly during the following fifteen years with some stops and re-starts from 1885 to 1892.

Roofing tiles came from Alsacee, furniture and furnishings in the style of Louis XV came from Paris. Carrarra marble from Italy for the stairs, statues, and columns. Steel walls from England. The theatre has 198 chandeliers, of which 32 are made of Murano glass. The curtain, with its painting the "Meeting of the Waters" created in Paris by Crispim do Amaral, depicts the junction of the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimões to form the Amazon.

The outside of the dome is covered with 36,000 decorated ceramic tiles painted in the colors of the national flag.

Recommencing in 1893 the work moved forward . By 1895, when the masonry and external work were completed, the decoration of the interior, and the installation of electric lighting, move rapidly.

Domenico de Angelis, an Italian, painted the beautiful panels that decorate the ceilings of the auditorium and of the audience chamber.

After its inauguration and first public presentations, two more years would pass before the building was finally completed, a project taking seventeen years in all.

The inauguration of the theater was on December 31, 1896, the first performance occurring on January 7, 1897 with the Italian opera, La Gioconda, by Amilcare Ponchielli.

Four restorations have occurred, most recently in 1929, 1974 and between 1988 and 1990, and it currently has 701 seats covered with red velvet.

The film Fitzcarraldo directed by the German director Werner Herzog in 1982 featured the theatre. The opera-obsessed character Brian Sweeney "Fitzcarraldo" Fitzgerald makes his way to the opera house at the beginning of the film to hear Enrico Caruso sing in Verdi's Ernani. He arrives at the end of the opera and there are scenes of the interior of house. While many believe the theatre was constructed to attract Caruso to perform at its opening, there is doubt he actually did perform.

As of 2001, opera is once again flourishing at the theatre. Manaus has become the focus of a most unlikely musical migration. Many of Eastern Europe's best musicians have been tempted from such orchestras as the Kirov to Manaus with the lure of much higher wages. Thirty-nine of the fifty-four member Amazon Philharmonic orchestra are from Bulgaria, Belarus and Russia. Even the archivist hails from Belarus.

Today, the theatre is the location for an annual Manaus film festival.

More on Manaus in the next edition.

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Amazonas, Brazil

Today I want to offer some background on the state of Amazonas.

Amazonas is the largest of the twenty-six states and one Federal Region that comprise the country of Brazil. Located in the North Region Amazonas borders the states of Acre, Para, Rondonia, and Mato Grosso. In addition, Amazonas borders the South American countries of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.

In Amazonas is found the highest part of Brazil, the Pico da Neblina.

The capital and largest city of Amazonas is Manaus, the one time rubber capital of the world.
Known by a variety of titles - Green Hell, Paradise of Rivers and El Dorado are a few.
The state received its name because of the Amazons legend, and it is also the name of its major river, the second longest river in the world. Other rivers in Amazonas are Rio Jurua, Rio Purus, Rio Madeira, Rio Negro, Rio Ica, Rio Uaupes, Rio Solimoes and Rio Japura.Amazonas' economy is based in agriculture, mining, fishing and industry.

History
The name "Amazonias" was given to the Amazon River by early Spanish explorers. These explorers fought minor battles with female Amerindian warriors who reminded the Spanish conquistadors of the fierce female warriors in Greek mythology. Another, more local belief is that the term Amazon comes from a local Amerindian word, amassunu, meaning "sounds of the waters".

The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas, divided the planet (excluding Europe) between the Spanish and the Portuguese, territories west of (approximately) 46° 37' W belonging to Spain, those east of that longitude, to Portugal. Therefore originally, most of South America (with the exception for a small part of the east coast of modern Brazil) belonged to Spain. However, the Portuguese controlled the area along the Amazon River, with numerous settlements and large numbers of Portuguese soldiers. Finally, Spain officially ceded control of the region after signing the Treaty of Madrid in 1750.

Officially, the state of Amazonas was created by Dom Pedro II in 1850.
The state had an era of splendour beginning in the 1850s and in ending in 1900 with the end of rubber boom. However, the economic gains were built on the bodies of human suffering: thousands of Amerindian seringueiros (rubber tappers) died through disease and overwork.

As the 1800s came to an end, the Brazilian rubber monopoly was slowly dying, due to the competition of British and Dutch plantations in Southeast Asia that produced cheaper, superior quality rubber. The Amazonas state fell into serious economic decline by 1900. No serious aid came to the region until the 1950s when the Federal Government decided to rescue state from complete financial ruin.

The state capital of Manaus once a rich city, having street lighting and streetcars before London, fell into disrepair with the end of the rubber boom. In 1967, the federal government implemented a plan to revive the city by creating a Zona Franca (a free trade Zone), and today the city is the financial centre of the region.

Climate
Amazonas has an equatorial climate in which there is no dry season – all months produce rain fall.
Tropical rain forest is the natural vegetation in equatorial regions.

Tomorrow we will begin our tour of the cities, towns and rivers that are a part of this fasinating part of the world.