Santarém, where the Amazon meets the Tapajos River, in another Encontro das Aguas, is midway between Manaus and Belém. It is accessible by boat, by road and by air. See these photos of manioc preparation.
"Santarém is a pleasant city with a mild climate (22°C to 36°C), Atlantic breezes, calm waters and beautiful forests. The region around Santarém was originally inhabited by the Tapuiçu Indians. In 1661, over three decades after Captain Pedro Teixeira's expedition first contacted the Tapuiçu, a Jesuit mission was established at the meeting of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers. In 1758 the village that grew around the mission was named Santarém, after the city of that name in Portugal.
In 1867, a group of 110 Confederates from the breakaway Southern states of the USA emigrated to Santarém, where they attempted to start new lives as farmers or artisans. Only a handful of these settlers managed to prosper; the rest drifted away from Santarém, were killed off by disease, or accepted the offer of a free return passage on an American boat to the USA.
Later developments in Santarém's history included the boomandbust cycle of the rubber plantations, and a series of gold rushes which started in the 1950s and have continued to this day. The construction of the Transamazônica highway (in 1970) and the Santarém Cuiabá highway (completed six years later) attracted hordes of immigrants from the Northeast, few of whom were able to establish more than a brief foothold before abandoning the region for the favelas of Manaus or Belém.
The economy is based on rubber, hard woods, brazil nuts, black pepper, mangoes, soybeans, jute and fish. The past 20 years has seen rapid development, with the discovery of gold and bauxite and the construction of the CuruáUna hydroelectric dam. With the deterioration of the road links to Santarém the area is suffering from its isolation from the rest of Pará. There is a popular movement to form a new state of Tapajós, to guarantee that government funding reaches the area.
Clear Water and Traditions
One of the nicest things about Santarém are the white beaches which are kept clean by the seasonal rise and fall of the river. See photo. The dry season runs from June to December while most rain occurs between January and May. It may be the third largest city of the Amazon, but it retains the pace and feel of a quiet backwater town. The rainforests surrounding the city are still pristine.
You can take jungle cruises, walks and enjoy the flora and fauna and browse through the Center for the Preservation of Indigenous Art & Culture in the nearby village of Alter do Chão. The center has an impressive amount of representative work from seventy-five tribes. Here also is Muiraquitãs Lake, a lagoon with good beaches and fishing. The village and lagoon are a popular resort area, so expect crowds on the weekends. A day-trip away is Fordlândia, the town that Henry Ford built in the 1920s to ensure his motor company a steady supply of rubber from two plantations. He returned the town to the Brazilian government in 1946 and it now serves as a Ministry of Agriculture research center.
You'll find detailed resources for accommodations, sightseeing, history and geography for Manaus and the Brazilian rainforest in North Brazil .
Belém was founded by Capitão-Mor Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco in 1616 to protect the coast of Brazil from the French, sundry pirates and other enemies of the Portuguese crown. With its tree shaded streets, skyscrapers and city parks, Belém is the gateway to the fabulous Amazon and the largest city on the Equator. As such, it is also one of the rainiest cities in the world. See photo.
Ilha Caviana, an island lying off the north coast of Ilha de Marajó, is an excellent base from which to observe the pororoca, place where the Amazon river waters meet the Atlantic tides. View these photos of islands near Belém .
Many of the residents go to Marajo Island in the delta where the Amazon and the Tocantins rivers come together. It is considered an ecological haven with its unspoiled beaches, many varieties flora and fauna, including the famous buffalo. People go to enjoy the fishing villages, the folkore and the fazendas where the buffalo roam free. These are water buffalo, not the North American kind, and are able to withstand the climate and the conditions.
From Belém you can catch a river boat going various distances up river, but if you're thinking of taking the river route all the way to Manaus or Iquitos, you might want to think again. The Amazon is a very long river!
Browse the detailed resources for accommodations, sightseeing, history and geography for Belem .
Buen viaje! Boa viagem!