10 unforgettable things to do in the Amazon, Brazil
21.07.2023 - 08:26
/ roughguides.com
/ Kiki Deere
When you're heading to Brazil then don’t miss out on the incredible Amazon jungle. While updating the Rough Guide to Brazil, Kiki Deere discovered the best things to do in Brazil's Amazon.
Lying on the border with Peru, the state of Acre is dotted with nearly 300 geoglyphs, large geometrical motifs that were discovered in the late 1970s. Since then a number of other designs have been unearthed, yet their original purpose still remains unclear. It is largely believed they could have served for religious purposes, and were abandoned in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries following the arrival of the Europeans. Floating over these large formations and soaking in the Amazon rainforest from a hot air balloon is a truly unforgettable experience.
Photography by Kiki Deere
Lying at the border with Guyana and Venezuela is majestic Mount Roraima, an awe-inspiring tabletop mountain sitting amid steamy jungle, and often seen enveloped in mist. It allegedly served as inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World, a novel set on a remote plateau in the Amazon basin. Mount Roraima has long been revered by the indigenous Pemón people, who believe the tepui, or table top, to be the dwelling of their gods.
The picturesque village of Alter do Chão is home to spectacular Caribbean style white-sand beaches lapped by wonderfully clear fresh waters. The town is located on the right bank of the crystalline Tapajós River and sits at the entrance of the pretty Lago Verde, an emerald lake home to abundant flora and fauna, and a great spot to explore by canoe. Just opposite Alter do Chão is the Ilha do Amor, or “Island of Love”, a blindingly white stretch of sand dotted with laidback restaurants exuding a chilled vibe.
Photography by Kiki Deere
Amazonian cuisine is exotic even by Brazilian standards; a cultural hot pot embracing a variety of ingredients that most have never even heard of, including dozens of species of fish such as tucunaré, peacock bass native to the freshwaters of the Amazon River, and pirarucu, a member of the catfish family and one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, measuring up to three metres. One of the specialities of the Amazon is tacacá, a shrimp soup with tucupi (boiled manioc), hot pepper, tapioca starch and jambu (anaesthetising leaves that numb your tongue). Tropical fruits form the basis of most juices and ice creams, such as the hugely popular açaí berry that is highly rich in antioxidants.
The colourful Ver-o-Peso Market in the colonial port city of Belém is Latin America’s largest open-air market. Inaugurated in 1625, it was originally a tax warehouse, where goods were weighed to levy taxes for the Portuguese crown. On display are all manner of products, including handcrafted