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TOURING THE AMAZON

Exploring the fecund jungles of the Amazon requires some advance planning. U.S. citizens need a tourist visa and a passport that's valid for at least six months. Visas, issued for 90-day stays, can be obtained at the nearest Brazilian embassy or consulate. Travelers should also take some medical precautions: A yellow fever vaccination and certificate are required. Diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, leprosy and leishmaniasis are also prevalent in this region, so it is highly recommended to get appropriate vaccinations before embarking on your trip. Consult your doctor.

Because of the complexity of the arrangements, most travelers choose to take one of the numerous Amazon package tours offered by adventure travel companies. If you decide to do so, shop around for the itinerary, length and cost that best meet your needs and interests.

If you want to try the trip on your own, you must first get to Manaus -- a fairly unremarkable city by itself, but the best departure point for an Amazon River boat tour. International flights land intermittently in Manaus. The most numerous flights are from nearby hubs such as Caracas, Venezuela; Iquitos, Peru; Bogota, Colombia; and La Paz, Bolivia. Brazilian airlines such as VASP, Transbrasil and Varig/Cruzeiro also fly into Manaus from most major cities within the country. Manaus' airport is located about nine miles from the city; buses and shuttles take visitors to town regularly. Another way to reach Manaus from within Brazil is by bus; the Manaus bus station is five miles out of town, so be prepared to hike or take a taxi. Manaus is located just upstream from the Negro River, which joins with the Solimões and flows into the Amazon. Day tours of the Amazon leave daily from the meeting points of these two rivers.
March 25, 1997

For more information, contact:

Brazilian Embassy
3006 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
(202) 745-2700 or 745-2828

Brazilian Tourism Bureau
2828 SW 22nd St.
Miami FL 33145
(305) 445-9694

Brazilian Tourism Office
551 Fifth Ave. #590
New York NY 10176
(212) 286-9600

Brazil Embratur-Brazilian Tourism Board
Rua Mariz e Barros, 13
Rio de Janeiro, 20270, Brazil
55-21-273-2212; FAX 55-21-273-9290

A general note about travel information: A wealth of travel-related information is available online from a variety of sources -- guidebook publishers, database "travel agents," government-sponsored tourist information and private sites. You can access such information by doing a destination-based word search -- e.g., Amazon, Provence or Rhine -- using any of the standard search engines. The information above is meant to provide the essentials you need to know before planning a trip. It is not meant to replace a Web search. We strongly encourage you to explore the extraordinary resources of the Internet to find the information best suited to you. And don't forget our Table Talk area -- another great source of detailed advice!

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