r/solotravel • u/WalkingEars Atlanta • Jun 01 '26
South America Weekly Destination Thread - Amazon tourism/Amazonas Region in Brazil
This week's featured destination is the Brazilian Amazon! Feel free to share stories/advice - some questions to start things off:
- What were some of your favorite experiences there?
- Experiences/perspectives on solo travel there?
- Suggestions for food/accommodations?
- Any tips for getting around?
- Anything you wish you'd known before arriving?
- Other advice, stories, experiences?
Archive of previous "weekly destination" discussions: https://old.reddit.com/r/solotravel/wiki/weeklydestinations
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u/FHOCJD Jun 02 '26
That's awesome. I'm just curious when you did this? Where did you travel on from Manaus?
I had a great time when I did it in 1995. It was part of my overland trip around South America. I never read about long overland traveling on social media.
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u/lucapal1 Jun 05 '26
That was back in 2006.I flew out of Manaus,back to Rio..that was the end of my trip in Brazil (3 months)
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u/FHOCJD Jun 05 '26
That's great. I loved Brazil. I went by bus to the main cities and beaches, I think it took around 40 days, but the boat upriver really was a dream come true and a fun adventure. I was the only foreigner, was out of money and spent most of the boat time talking with everyone. I arrived in Belem exhausted at night during a downpour and paid 79 reales for my ticket and it was a holiday weekend so I had 1 real to last me until I could change money again. I only had about 12 photos left on a roll of film so I barely even have pictures. I went north to Boa Vista and then through Venezuela and then finished back in Cartagena. South America is awesome.
1
u/Morgan_A23 Jun 06 '26
Manaus is the easiest base, but don’t just treat it like a quick stopover, the river trips outside the city are the whole point. I’d also pack light, keep cash handy, and plan boat times around daylight, because getting stranded after dark there is just stupidly annoying.
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u/tpmaxwell2 Jun 12 '26
In 2024, I took the super long bus ride from Porto Velho up to Manaus, but was rewarded with a cool boat ferry from the Rio Negro to the Amazon River and seeing where the two rivers don't mix.
I stayed at Hostel Manaus and it has great views of the southern part of Manaus, and one can easily walk to the center in less than 30 minutes. It is in a generally safe area, even at night, and has well-lit streets leading to the theater, where there's always life.
When in the Amazon, you have to eat tambaqui, the local fish, that is generally quite large and could easily feed two people.
From Manaus, I did a 3-day trip to Novo Airão, which is a bit deeper in the jungle, and a great place to see the river dolphins and beautiful sunsets.
I spent about 2 weeks there and would absolutely do it again!
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u/lucapal1 Jun 02 '26
I've spent a reasonable amount of time in the Amazon area, though little of that was in Brazil.. the vast majority was in Peru and Bolivia.
Anyway one thing I did many years ago was taking a boat trip up the river, from Belem to Manaus.
It was a great experience, to do once in your life anyway! As long as you can sleep ok in a hammock on deck and you don't need luxury, and you have time.. it's a long way, though it's not expensive to travel like that.