Manaus: Attractions near "Peach" Fishing Destinations (Part 1)

It is a true statement that Fly Fishing takes us to the most beautiful locations on earth and, if you play your cards right, there is so much that you can learn from your experience - if you only have a some time to spare and you are willing to take a holistic approach to your fly fishing travel plans.  With that spirit, I would like to share with you some tips of places to visit before or after fishing with us in Brazil.

Rio Negro Beach - Calçadão (Riverwalk)

In the next few blogs I will be covering the main attractions that I recommend around the starting point of our fishing trips. In some cases, it may be a half-day cit tour around the hotel, in other cases, it may be a multi-day trip up to 4 hours away from the airport. In all cases, these are unique experiences that will only enrich your view of Brazil and of the world.

Our workhorse destination is in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest, 350 miles away from the city of Manaus, targeting the mighty Peacock Bass Temensis (Açu). Because our trip starts in Manaus, it makes all the sense to learn a bit about this city and to explore a little of its history. I will begin by telling that, believe it or not, at one point of time, during a very brief period, Manaus was considered the richest city in the world, often referred as the "Paris of the Tropics".  It was around 1870 and 1910, when the city of Manaus bloomed due to discovery and exploration of the rubber tree.  The rubber was a big success in Europe, but the economic prosperity in Brazil came to an end after seeds of the tree were taken to Asia and the monopoly was broken.  One of the most famous attraction from that era is the Teatro Amazonas built in 1896, designed by Portuguese architects, built with the Carrara marble brought from Italy, steel from Scottland,  and decorated by famous European and Brazilian artists.  The Theater is still open for visitors and still hosts events.

Teatro Amazonas during Christmas time.

Despite losing the title as the richest city in the world, Manaus is the 7th largest and the 5th wealthiest city in Brazil. The economy in Manaus revolves around tourism and industries, benefited by the creation of a local Duty Free Zone in 1967. Once in Manaus, visiting the fish Market, aka Mercado Adolpho Lisboa is a must.  Located by the Rio Negro, the market was designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, you guessed it right, the same guy that designed the famous tower in Paris) and inaugurated in 1883.  In the market, you will be astonished by the different species of fish for sale and all the other local products on display.  To cool down from the tropical heat, enjoy a river beach feel, take a stroll and watch the sunset at the Rio Negro riverwalk (Calçadão do Rio Negro)

If you have an extra day in Manaus, take a boat tour and visit the meeting of the waters. The Amazonas River is formed by the waters of Rio Negro and Rio Solimões coming together; these waters; however, refuse to mix and as a result you will be able to see (and feel) the dark waters of the Negro River, running side-by-side with the brown waters of the Solimões for over 4 miles.  During the same boat trip, you can visit an Arapaima farm, an indigenous tribe (Tuyukas) and even swim with Pink Dolphins. 

1 day trip - Boat Tour

If you have more time in Manaus, there are other things to do. You can spend one day to visit the famous waterfalls of President Figueiredo or you can take a fishing charter to go after several species of catfish in the waters around Manaus.

Feel free to reach out to us at anytime and we wil be happy to assist you the best way possible.

NEXT: Pantanal: Attractions near "Peach" Fishing Destinations (Part 2a)