Tefé is the jumping-off point to the Mamirauá reserve, one of the best ecotourism experiences in the Amazon. Visits there are closely coordinated with airline schedules, so those coming and going by plane generally have little or no time to explore the town. Those traveling by boat may have a day or two to spare, which is plenty. It’s not that there is anything wrong – it’s a perfectly safe, agreeable place, just not particularly memorable.
This tidy little town of neat wooden houses along broad streets was home to environmental hero Chico Mendes. It lies about 12km northwest of Hwy BR-317, the main road between Rio Branco (241km away) and Brasiléia (74km away).
South of the Ilha da Tinharé, across the narrow Rio do Inferno, sits the Ilha de Boipeba. The village of Boipeba, on the northeastern tip of the island, is quiet, rustic and said to be what Morro de São Paulo was 20 years ago. The island’s coastline is pristine, with more than 20km of beautiful, deserted beaches, including Ponta de Castelhanos, known for its diving.
Curitiba is not particularly sophisticated nor sexy, but its residents enjoy a quality of life unparalleled in other parts of the country. With the help of a vibrant local economy, the modern city has managed to preserve historic buildings and green space.
Rising steeply from the narrow strait that divides it from the continent, the 350-sq-km Ilhabela (Beautiful Island) earns its name from its volcanic peaks, beautiful beaches, dense tropical jungle and some 360 waterfalls. Almost 85% of the island has been turned into a park and Unesco-protected biosphere, which shelters a remarkable profusion of plant and animal life, including toucans and capuchin monkeys. A haunt of pirates in the 16th and 17th centuries, its waters are scattered with shipwrecks, many of which make for excellent diving. The island also proffers jungle hiking, windsurfing and beach-lazing.
In 1818, newly crowned Portuguese King Dom João VI started recruiting immigrants from Switzerland and Germany to help settle his vast Brazilian territory. The first 30 families to arrive, from the Swiss canton of Friburg, immediately set out to create a perfect little village reminiscent of their home country in the mountains north of Rio. Traces of Swiss and German heritage remain in modern Friburgo, in the local architecture, the town’s passion for floral decoration and the fair-haired, blue-eyed features of some residents. There are also plenty of resplendent natural attractions: waterfalls, woods, trails, sunny mountain mornings and cool evenings.
Self-named the ‘Terra de Cachoeiras’ (Land of Waterfalls), this dusty little town is surrounded by dozens of waterfalls and caves. Just 100km north of Manaus by good highway, this is the only leisure spot easily accessible by road from the capital, and it gets obscenely packed on weekends. A midweek visit can be a nice diversion if you’ve got time to kill.
Framed by mountain scenery, Teresópolis is well positioned for excursions into the lush-capped peaks of the Serra dos Órgãos National Park. Trekking, climbing and rafting are the best ways to experience the park’s trails, rivers and waterfalls. Some 96km north of Rio, Teresópolis itself is modern, prosperous and dull.
The laid-back surfer town of Boiçucanga makes a good base to explore the stretch of coast that runs almost due west from São Sebastião. The variety of beaches, many backed by the steeply rising Serra do Mar, is remarkable, and there’s good surf at nearby Camburi and Maresias, which have also developed into major party towns.
Isolated but fabulous, Diamantina is one of Brazil’s prettiest and least-visited colonial towns. Surrounded by desolate mountains, it was the remotest mining town in Minas and the starting point for the Caminho dos Escravos, the old road to the coast built with the sweat, blood and tears of thousands of African slaves. Diamantina’s fine mansions and winding streets haven’t changed much in the last 200 years. Designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1999, this cidade histórica is also the birthplace of Juscelino Kubitschek, former Brazilian president and founder of Brasília.