Manaus

Imagine a huge, buzzing city completely surrounded by the world’s greatest rainforest — that’s Manaus! Tucked deep inside the Amazon, this Brazilian city feels like an adventure before you’ve even left the streets. It’s a place where you might spot exotic river fish at a busy market in the morning, then be standing at the edge of untouched jungle by afternoon.

Manaus has a surprisingly glamorous side too. Right in the heart of the city stands a stunning pink opera house with a dazzling tiled dome, built over a century ago when the region grew rich from rubber. It’s the kind of building you’d expect to find in Paris or Rome — not surrounded by tropical trees.

Just a short boat ride away, nature pulls off one of its most jaw-dropping tricks: two mighty rivers meet but refuse to mix, flowing side by side in completely different colours for kilometres. Manaus is that rare kind of place where the wild and the wonderful exist right next to each other.

Manaus Puzzle Set

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Quick fact

Manaus is the capital of Amazonas state and sits deep in the Amazon rainforest, making it the main gateway for exploring the largest tropical forest on Earth.

Fun fact

Just outside Manaus you can witness the 'Meeting of the Waters,' where the dark black Rio Negro and the sandy-brown Amazon River flow side by side for several kilometres without mixing, because they have different temperatures and speeds.

Landmarks

Amazon Theatre (Teatro Amazonas)

This magnificent pink opera house was built during the rubber boom over a hundred years ago and its beautiful dome, covered in colourful tiles, looks like a jewel in the middle of the jungle.

Meeting of the Waters (Encontro das Águas)

Here you can see two great rivers — one dark as tea and one café-au-lait brown — flowing right next to each other without mixing, which is one of nature's most amazing sights.

MUSA – Museum of the Amazon

This fascinating museum inside a piece of real Amazon rainforest lets you climb a tall observation tower and discover the incredible world of plants and animals that live in the jungle canopy.

Adolpho Lisboa Municipal Market

Built in 1883 and inspired by the famous Les Halles market in Paris, this pretty iron-and-tile market is the best place in Manaus to find exotic Amazon fruits and river fish.

Ponta Negra Beach

This popular riverside beach on the edge of the city fills up with families during the dry season when the river level drops and reveals a wide stretch of golden sand.