Tapajós National Forest: Primary Amazon at Its Finest
The Floresta Nacional do Tapajós — 527,000 hectares of primary Amazon rainforest on the Tapajós's eastern bank — is one of the most accessible tracts of pristine Amazon; the Munduruku communities, the wildlife, and the canopy towers are extraordinary
Munduruku: Guardians of the Tapajós
The Munduruku — the dominant indigenous people of the Tapajós River — have a history of fierce independence that repelled both Portuguese and Jesuit missionaries; today they are the leading voices defending the Tapajós against dam projects and illegal mining
Alter do Chão: Indigenous Festival & Tapajós Traditions
The Alter do Chão festival — held in September during low-water season — celebrates the indigenous cultures of the Tapajós with dances, crafts, and the famous pirogue boat races on the crystal Tapajós
Alter do Chão: The Caribbean of the Amazon
Alter do Chão — 30 km from Santarém — has white-sand beaches on the turquoise Tapajós River that rival Caribbean beaches; the village, the river, and the surrounding forest make it one of Brazil's most extraordinary destinations
Santarém Birding: Amazon and Tapajós Avifauna
The Amazon-Tapajós confluence at Santarém is one of the world's great birding sites — the intersection of two major river drainage systems creates exceptional bird diversity with many endemics on both the north and south banks
Santarém's Rivers: Fishing the World's Greatest River System
Santarém's position at the Amazon-Tapajós confluence makes it one of the world's great freshwater fishing centres — the diversity of Amazonian fish, the traditional fishing knowledge, and the cuisine built around the river's bounty define the city
Santarém: Where the Tapajós Meets the Amazon
Santarém sits at the confluence of the turquoise-green Tapajós River and the brown Amazon — the meeting of waters creates a dramatic colour boundary visible for kilometres; Santarém is the Amazon's third city and a crossroads of the world's greatest river system
Santarém at the Deforestation Frontier: Soy and the Amazon
Santarém is the export point for the Amazon soy frontier — the Cargill terminal here ships soy grown on cleared Amazon forest to global markets; the city is at the epicentre of the world's most debated deforestation issue