Alter do Chão

Alter do Chão needs 2 days: walking or canoeing to Ilha do Amor, a sandbank that emerges in the dry season in the middle of the Tapajós river, on one, and a boat excursion through the flooded forest or to the Borari indigenous village, on the other. August-December brings the river's lowest level, when the white sand beaches appear. It's inexpensive by Amazonian standards. The turquoise-colored water of the Tapajós river, contrasting with the usual brown of Amazonian rivers, earned it the nickname «Caribbean of the Amazon», and it's the most accessible gateway to the rainforest from Santarém.