The Amazon: a first-timer's guide to the rainforest from Manaus

Manaus

Manaus grew rich during the rubber boom of the late nineteenth century, and the pink Teatro Amazonas opera house is the proof. Spend a day seeing the theatre, the iron Mercado Adolpho Lisboa and the riverside fish market, and try local dishes like tambaqui, pirarucu and tacacá soup. The MUSA forest reserve has a tower above the canopy, and the Bosque da Ciência is home to manatees and otters.

The Meeting of the Waters

Just outside Manaus, the dark Rio Negro meets the muddy Solimões and they flow side by side for kilometres without mixing. Almost every lodge transfer and day tour includes it.

Jungle lodges

Most visitors spend three or four nights at a lodge on the Rio Negro or the nearby lakes. Days typically include canoe trips through flooded forest, guided walks to learn about medicinal plants, piranha fishing, caiman spotting by torchlight and visits to riverside communities. Choose a licensed operator with good recent reviews and clear details of guides, meals and transfers.

River cruises

Small expedition boats and traditional riverboats offer a different view, travelling up the Rio Negro to the Anavilhanas archipelago, one of the largest freshwater archipelagos in the world. Public river ferries also run to Belém and Santarém for adventurous travellers with time to spare.

Seasons

The Amazon has a high water season, roughly March to July, when canoes glide through flooded forest, and a low water season, roughly August to December, when beaches appear and trails open up. Both are rewarding. Rain falls all year, and drought years have recently changed river levels, so confirm conditions with your lodge.

Health

Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for the Amazon, and malaria precautions may be advised depending on where you go. See a travel health clinic well before your trip and check official health advice. Bring long sleeves, repellent and a headtorch.

A sample trip

A typical first visit is one day in Manaus for the opera house, market and Meeting of the Waters, then three nights at a lodge on the Rio Negro with canoe trips, a jungle walk, piranha fishing, caiman spotting and a visit to a riverside community, before returning to Manaus for your onward flight.

What to pack

Lightweight long sleeves and trousers, a rain jacket, sturdy shoes, repellent, a headtorch, binoculars and a dry bag for electronics.

Choosing a lodge

Ask how far the lodge is from Manaus, how much time is spent in boats, whether guides speak your language, what is included and whether the lodge supports local communities. Lodges farther out usually offer better wildlife and fewer people.

Other gateways

Belém, at the mouth of the river, has its own food scene and markets, and Alter do Chão near Santarém has white sand river beaches. Use the free trip planner to fit the rainforest into your route, and see our places to visit for Manaus picks.