The Best of Manaus
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Port
Manaus, Brazil
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Activity Level
Strenuous Activity
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At (prices in USD)
$290
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 6½ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
Leave from the floating port of Manaus, designed to move with the river tide of the Rio Negro. Along the way, you will pass the Customs House -- prefabricated in Liverpool and shipped to Manaus more than a hundred years ago -- and the Palacio Rio Negro. The latter was the private residence of a German rubber baron and eventually became the Governor's office.
Meet the inhabitants of the Amazon region at the Bosque da Ciencia -- an open-air museum and Amazonian Research Station. The facility's most famous project is the species revival of the Amazon river manatee. Observe these strange creatures that are in danger of extinction, as they swim in a glass tank. Part of the museum is open-air, with access via trails. The other part is an indoor exhibit of scientific projects under development. See the world's largest and smallest leaves, both found in the Amazon. Otters, electric eels, alligators, orchids and bromeliads are also housed here.
You'll also visit the Military Zoo, where wildlife and Amazonian fauna are housed.
Stop for lunch at a barbecue restaurant; then, visit the city's most famous landmark.
The lavish pink-and-white Opera House, known as the Teatro Amazonas, is the highlight of your tour. Built in 1896, this marvel of architecture features a dome of 36,000 vitrified ceramic tiles imported from Europe, set in a mosaic of the colors of the Brazilian flag. The amazing painting that graces the inside of the dome is a recreation of the view you would have if you stood under the Eiffel Tower and looked up. The dazzling auditorium boasts perfect acoustics, and performances here range from single guitar concerts to entire ballet companies and philharmonic orchestras. As stunning as the building is, perhaps its most extraordinary element is the fact that it is located in the heart of the Amazon jungle, in the city of Manaus -- a testament to the affluence that accompanied the rubber boom of 1896.
Please note: Tour does not operate on Mondays.