Manaus, the stopover city most tourists don’t explore but we’re so glad we did.
We’d been told there wasn’t much to see and warned that it wasn’t particularly safe for tourists. But with two full days either side of our Amazon adventure, we decided to explore anyway and Manaus surprised us at every turn.
We took an English tour of the incredible Amazonas Theatre, inspired by Parisian architecture and designed to give the impression of sitting beneath the Eiffel Tower. We loved the tour so much that we went back that evening for a musical about a legendary Brazilian rock band. We understood approximately 10 words of the entire thing. The music was brilliant, though, and the energy of the Brazilian crowd was unforgettable!
Of course, no visit to Manaus would be complete without heading out on the water to see the Meeting of the Waters, where the two rivers visibly merge which was genuinely amazing to see. It’s where the dark waters of the Rio Negro meet the muddy waters of the Solimões River. One of our favourite moments was putting our hands in the water and going through both rivers. The difference in temperature was surprisingly noticeable! And as our time in the boat was ending and when we’d almost given up hope of seeing pink river dolphins, they appeared.
We also happened to be in Manaus during several local celebrations, which meant free music and some fantastic performances. Our favourite was an Indigenous artist performing with a DJ – an act that felt absolutely made for Boomtown festival!
We even took an English tour of the courts, getting to see both the public and private areas. It was a free tour and we ended up people the only people on it so our guide Michael was very patient as we took photos and even took our photo on the dock on the private court. Everywhere we went people were incredibly welcoming despite our very limited Portuguese.
Manaus has definitely seen a different era since the rubber boom, and the city faces some very visible challenges, including a large homeless population. But we never felt unsafe, and we’re so glad we didn’t let the warnings put us off.
We certainly won’t miss the 36 degree heat, but we will certainly miss the energy and the vibes in Manaus.
