BR
Manaus
The Amazon’s biggest city, a rubber-boom capital and gateway to rainforest lodges and river trips
The Amazon’s biggest city, a rubber-boom capital and gateway to rainforest lodges and river trips
The opera house, opened in 1896, with a dome covered in tiles in the colours of the Brazilian flag. Guided tours run most days, and it hosts concerts and the Amazonas Opera Festival.
Photo: Ridiculopathy, CC0
Just downstream from Manaus, the dark Rio Negro and the sandy-coloured Solimões flow side by side for several kilometres without mixing, because of differences in temperature, speed and density.
Most half-day boat tours include it.
Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0
A national park protecting a large river archipelago on the Rio Negro, about 100km upstream near Novo Airão. Visit by boat to see flooded forest and river dolphins.
Photo: Sharlene Melanie, CC BY-SA 4.0
Try Amazon river fish such as tambaqui and pirarucu, tacacá (a hot broth with tucupi and jambu leaves that numb the mouth) and the x-caboquinho sandwich with tucumã fruit.
The Adolpho Lisboa Market and the stalls around the theatre square are good places to start.
Eduardo Gomes International Airport (MAO) is about 30 minutes from the centre. There are no road links to most of Brazil; you arrive by air or by river boat.
Citizens of the EU and the UK do not need a visa for a tourist stay. Since April 2025 citizens of the US, Canada and Australia need an e-visa, applied for online in advance. Stays are limited to 90 days per visit and 180 days in 12 months. Check current rules before you travel. A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for the Amazon; check health advice before you go.
Jungle lodges and tours are the main cost and usually include food and activities. Brazil uses the real (R$). Cards and contactless payment are accepted almost everywhere, and Pix (instant bank transfer) is very common.
Choose licensed operators with good recent reviews.
City sights, then the rainforest.
Tour the Teatro Amazonas, walk the centre and visit the Adolpho Lisboa Market.
Take a boat tour to the Meeting of the Waters, then head to a jungle lodge.
Spend the day on jungle walks and canoe trips, with a night excursion to look for caimans.
Look for river dolphins and visit a riverside community before returning to Manaus.
Bring repellent and long, light clothing.
Check yellow fever and malaria advice for your route before travel.
River levels change by around 10m between seasons, which changes what you can see.
Pack a light rain jacket year-round.
Quick answers for planning time in Manaus.
EU and UK citizens do not for a tourist stay. Since April 2025 US, Canadian and Australian citizens need an e-visa, applied for online before travel.
Not from most of Brazil; most visitors fly, and some arrive by river boat.
The place near Manaus where the dark Rio Negro meets the pale Solimões and the two run side by side for several kilometres.
June to November is drier; March to June has high water, good for canoeing through flooded forest.
It is recommended for the Amazon region; check current health advice before travelling.
Offline maps are useful; Google Maps and Waze work well in cities.
Free
Portuguese is the language of Brazil; English is limited outside hotels and tours.
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Almost everyone in Brazil, from hotels to tour guides and restaurants, uses WhatsApp.
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Planning a wider trip? Our Brazil travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.