Wonders of Amazonas 1

The Encounter of the Waters

Anyone who visits Manaus must take a six mile cruise down the Rio Negro, to view one of the most incredible displays of nature's majesty. Regardless of what you may have been told, nothing prepares you to see the Encounter of the Waters, the incredible place where two distinct bodies of water meet, but don't mix.

The Amazon river basin, most of which lies in Brazil, begins high in the Andes, as a series of tiny tributaries. The Encounter of the Waters near Manaus is the dramatic convergence of two of these types of waters.

The Rio Negro (Black River)is a darker, slower, and much heavier body of water than the Rio Solimoes, which is a brown colored river. Temperature, density, and velocity differences keep these two bodies of water separate for more than 6 miles before at last they join to form the great Amazon.

Sloth, piranhas, anacondas, dolphins and colorful parrots are just a few of the animals you might expect to encounter on your riverboat tour.

The Encounter of the Waters is part of the vast Amazonian ecological treasure. The eventual joining of the two rivers is evidence of the great force at work in this lush jungle habitat.

Seeing the Encounter of the Waters is equal to experiencing two horizons at once, the sandy beige waters of the Rio Solimoes on one side, and a completely different vista of the darker, murky waters of the Rio Negro. The play of light on the water amazes you as two very different vistas greet you, side by side.

This is a trip and sight you will talk about for years to come.

More in the next edition.