RouteAlter do Chão

Alter do Chão: Freshwater Caribbean in the Amazon

Alter do Chão is the Amazon's most beautiful beach destination — the turquoise Tapajós River, the white sandbars, the pink dolphins, and the rainforest backdrop create a scene that rivals any tropical beach on Earth

Google Maps Apple Maps

1
Ilha do Amor Sandbar
Ilha do Amor – an island of white sand that emerges during the dry season in Tapajós at Alter do Chão – has the clearest, most turquoise freshwater of any beach in Brazil; the emergence and disappearance of the sandbank with the river level is part of its magic
2
Tapajós Crystal Water
The Tapajós is among the clearest major rivers in the Amazon basin — the water's turquoise transparency, due to its flow through ancient crystalline rocks of the Guiana Shield, allows for snorkeling and underwater photography in the brown Amazon
3
Lago Verde canoe
Lago Verde — the calm emerald lagoon connected to Tapajós at Alter do Chão — is best explored by canoe; the green waters of the lagoon, the floating Victoria water lilies and the dolphins coming in from the river create an intimate Amazon experience
4
Sunset at Tapajós
The Alter do Chão sunset — Tapajós turning gold and pink, the silhouette of the forest on the far bank, the village's restaurant lights coming on — was voted by Brazilian travelers as one of the country's most beautiful sunset spots
5
Dolphin Encounters
The pink boto dolphins are abundant at Alter do Chão — they regularly approach the beaches and Lago Verde; the experience of wild pink dolphins swimming around the canoe or coming up meters from the shore is one of Brazil's most remarkable wildlife encounters
6
Dry season Beach Season
The beaches at Alter do Chão are at their biggest and best between August and November when Tapajós is at its lowest - Ilha do Amor at its maximum extent and Lago Verde at its clearest; September's festival coincides with peak beach season