Best Things to Do in the Amazon, Brazil

The Amazon Rainforest covers approximately 5.5 million square kilometers across nine countries, with roughly 60% in Brazil. The main visitor gateway is Manaus, a city of 2 million people in the heart of the forest where two major rivers — the dark-watered Rio Negro and the brown-watered Amazon (Solimões) — flow side by side for several kilometers without mixing in the extraordinary Meeting of Waters. The things to do in the Amazon start in Manaus: the Teatro Amazonas (the 1896 opera house built during the rubber boom, one of the most improbable buildings in the world), the Adolpho Lisboa Market, and the MUSA (Amazon Natural Science Museum). For the forest itself, jungle lodges within one to four hours of Manaus by boat provide guided walks, canoe expeditions, piranha fishing, caiman spotting at night, pink river dolphin encounters, and the overwhelming experience of the equatorial forest at dawn.

Best time to visit

There is no single best time; the Amazon has two distinct seasons. The dry season (June through November) exposes beaches and makes forest trails more accessible; river levels drop by 10-15 meters, revealing sandbanks. The wet season (December through May) floods the forest to create the surreal igapo (flooded forest), where you canoe between the tree trunks at canopy level. Wildlife is excellent in both seasons: dry season concentrates animals around water sources; wet season allows access to flooded forest habitats inaccessible otherwise. July and August are the peak tourist months (school holidays); December and January are wet but active.

Getting around

Manaus Eduardo Gomes Airport has direct international connections (Miami, Lisbon, Amsterdam) and frequent domestic flights from São Paulo and Rio. The city center is accessible by taxi (30 minutes). River travel is the lifeblood of the Amazon: slow ferries run between Manaus, Santarém, and Belém (2-3 days downstream; buy a hammock and sling it on deck). For jungle lodges, operators collect guests from Manaus by speedboat or slow boat. Organized tours are the most effective way to experience the forest; self-navigation without a guide is difficult and potentially dangerous.

What to eat and drink

Amazonian cuisine is distinct from standard Brazilian food. Pirarucu (the giant Amazonian fish) is the regional specialty, grilled or dried. Tucupi (a fermented manioc broth used as a sauce) is in everything; tacá (hot soup of tucupi, jambu leaves, dried shrimp, and tucunaré fish or piranha) is the ultimate Amazonian street dish. Jambu leaves produce a mild numbing sensation when eaten, prized locally. The Adolpho Lisboa Market is the best place to try local produce: exotic fruits (buriti, taperebá, açaí in its natural form), dried fish, and regional specialties.

Neighborhoods to explore

Manaus City Center – The Teatro Amazonas (guided tours daily), the Adolpho Lisboa Market, and the port area (Port of Manaus) with its floating docks that rise and fall 14 meters with the river level. A 1-2 hour city tour is worthwhile before heading into the forest.

Meeting of Waters (Encontro das Aguas) – 10 km downstream from Manaus, where the dark Rio Negro and the brown Amazon run side by side for approximately 6 km before mixing. Day boat trips from Manaus include this as the main stop.

Jungle Lodges – The main forest experience. Lodges range from basic (shared facilities, hammocks) to luxury (private cabins with air conditioning and guided expert naturalists). Amazon Eco Adventures, Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge, and Ariau Amazon Towers are among the established operators.

Presidente Figueiredo – A town 130 km north of Manaus, accessible by road, famous for dozens of waterfalls and caves. The Urubui River has clear water (unusual in the Amazon) and is excellent for swimming. A good dry-season day trip from Manaus.