Reintroducing the actual Amazon

Before Amazon became synonymous with the global retail platform and its streaming channel offspring (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Fleabag, Daisy Jones and the Six, A League of Their Own), the river and jungle bearing the name were (and are) forces of nature with wildlife, indigenous cultures, dramatic landscapes, and nutrition powerhouse foods capturing the imagination of adventurous travellers.

While points along the Amazon river remain magnets for adrenaline junkies and the wellness-driven, Para State—particularly capital city Belém and second city Santarém, at the junction of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers—has much to offer a wider cross-section of travellers looking to venture beyond São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. While these cities and rural expanses promise exposure to some of Brazil’s most spectacular and interesting natural phenomena, they are also rich in cultural attractions, shopping, and food experiences that make an exploration of the Amazon more accessible, multi-dimensional, and surprising.

Alter do Chão, located on the outskirts of Santarém, is the perfect place for people of all ages and athletic levels to get immersed into a true Amazon experience. The town centre, adjoining a picturesque marina, is a full-blown beach town enlivened with murals, brightly painted buildings, and Boto Gelato, an exceptional craft ice cream shop with a decadent selection of only-in-Brazil flavours. The main square buzzes at night with restaurants, bars, and a compact night market with street food stalls. By day, the marina is a starting point for boat tours and ferries whisking visitors to Green Lake, Love Beach, and Ponta de Pedras, and easy expeditions into the ‘Enchanted Forest’ (either navigable on foot or boat depending on the time of year), and the Jari Canal.

A few blocks in the other direction, one will find Via Antônio Agostinho Lobato and a few cross streets lined with several indigenous craft emporiums such as Araribá Cultura Indígena that stay open late as well as restaurants such as Tribal Restaurante Indígena with Instagram-ready boho beachy décor and an excellent introduction to regional staples such as freshwater fish pirarucu and tambaqui, yuca fries, isca de piraruku (fried fish sticks), bolinho de piraqui (piraqui fish croquettes), and staple condiments tucupi and molho (reminiscent of Mexican pico de gallo).

A five-minute drive from the town centre, eco-lodge Pousada Alter, opened nearly a decade ago, is one of several tucked into the side of one of Alter do Chão’s main roads. It not only provides guests a safe “off-the-grid” experience but also a good back story. Founder Denize Resende explains she had a successful career as a cosmetics’ chemist in São Paulo but was intent on trading it in for a calmer and more sustainable existence when she turned 40. From the moment she got her first glimpse of the plot of land, she set out to create a lodging experience showing Brazilian and international visitors that this simpler way of life was available to people of all ages.

While sipping strong morning coffee on the deck overlooking her beach, she points to a restaurant next door to her property and notes her ‘moment of clarity’ that happened while she was having dinner there with a friend and learned that this plot of land was up for sale. ‘While I enjoyed that restaurant’s take on local cuisine, I observed it was full of travellers from Brazil and abroad treating their dining experience as a sensory whole,’ she said. ‘I originally thought about building a home and setting up a little company where I could produce and sell essential oils. But over this lunch, the river was full and there was so much to fall in love with besides the food. The person selling the land, however, suggested I have several small houses built there because of the plot’s size.’

To set herself apart from the competition, she not only wanted to promote sustainability but also practise what she preached. Whenever possible, she and her team used reclaimed, recycled, and naturally sourced materials, including bamboo and palm fronds, from the immediate area to construct the roofs, decks, and furnishings. Much of the decorative objects and lampshades come from local artisans. There are 12 cabins in all, but rather than add more, she wants to keep her pousada small in size but broaden its scope and improve the structures so they can withstand the area’s weather systems.

The set-up itself is charming, with the 12 dwellings dotting a path toward a deck and beach facing a branch of Green Lake where guests at press time could congregate for breakfast and relaxation. She has a small army of cats and dogs welcoming the guests, as well as roosters serving as nature’s alarm clock. The setting of the outdoor dining area, a lush patch of jungle framed by a small beach, shows what can be accomplished when an off-the-grid experience can also be executed with pride and attention to detail.

Although there are other rustic-luxe and glamping establishments in the area, Resende feels she picked the right location because of its natural vibe with its native plants and trees. In addition to a colourful and astute group of employees taking care of the property and guests, she says she is still reworking and refining her concept to get it to exactly where she wants it. She envisions it evolving into a place that can accommodate yoga and wellness retreats as well as unplugged family vacations. She also hopes to create a sitting area on the beach, add spa treatments to her offerings, and expand her menu beyond breakfast.

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Above, from top: Looking out the doorway at Pousada Alter. Jardim Vitória-Régia. Casa do Saulo’s pool area.

Daily breakfasts served on the deck every morning comprise simple food crafted with indigenous ingredients and those just harvested from the on-site herb garden. Guests can choose fresh-squeezed juices made from native fruit, fresh-sliced fruit, mild cheese, and bread rolls or gluten-free pancakes (pão tapioca) made with tapioca with butter or stuffed with fried eggs, cheese, or carne louca (“crazy” beef braised with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs). The exclamation point on her menu, however, is the ever-changing bolo, or cake of the day, pairing nicely with strong but smooth coffee that goes down like espresso minus the acidic edge.

Jardim Vitória-Régia, another woman-owned attraction, can be reached by boat. Getting there reinforces the popular traveller adage that the journey is as important as the destination. The moment the boat enters the Jari Canal, travellers are in a completely different ecosystem with its plants and wildlife. At the end of the passage, there is a clearing with over 130 giant water lilies surrounding a small house on stilts. Once visitors scale two wood ramps and get seated at a table with a view right out of an impressionist painting, owner and conservationist Dulce Oliviera explains what led her to build a life and a vision in this tiny corner of the Santarém municipality.

With support from noted academic Rosa Helena Veras Mourão (Institute of Public Health of the Federal University of Western Pará’s Laboratory of Bioprospecting and Experimental Biology), Oliviera details her mission to not only preserve and cultivate the unique Amazon ecosystem but also serve up a taste of what water lilies have to offer beyond their beauty as they are classified as a PANC (non-conventional edible plant). Fifteen minutes later, she brings out two trays of sweet and savoury snacks made from different parts of the plant including stems, seeds, flowers, and leaves.

‘[This water lily species] has a high fibre and protein content,’ she says as my fellow travellers marvel at the range of vegan edibles, including savoury chips, pickles, tempura, peanut brittle, brownies, and churro-like bites that have clamouring for seconds. ‘Its nutritional value means that if enough of it can be grown, it can be an alternative for vegans and vegetarians who need a source of protein. There are also antioxidant properties with polyphenols found in the leaf and the petiole that benefit everybody.’

Back in town and the tucked-away inlets of Alter do Chão, chefs and restaurateurs bring fresh twists to time-tested recipes even as they strive to maintain the integrity of the ingredients. Although celebrity chef Saulo Jennings’ Casa do Saulo has locations in Belém and Rio de Janeiro, his Casa do Saulo Tapajós is the location worth tracking down because of its stylish beach club setting, chef’s garden, beachfront views that read as ocean more than river, and beautifully plated appetizers and main courses. He describes his menu as Tapajônica cuisine, inspired by his parents’ culinary creativity as well as micro-regional ingredients such as Santarém beans, aviu (shrimp mainly found in the Tapajós region), and tempting tapas made with either manioc or piracuí flour, and from dried salted fish.

Back in Alter do Chão’s town centre, Ty Comedoria e Bar combines an upscale beach club sensibility with a dinner menu that combines local and European sensibilities as well as imaginative signature cocktails. Piracema, tucked into one of Santarém’s industrial neighbourhoods near its downtown, is a sunny spot awash in yellow. The restaurant's menu and creative presentation reflect its kitchen takes pride in its pirarucu defumado (smoked pirarucú made by co-owner Dona Vera) and has fun getting creative with its elevated treatment of shrimp, tambaqui, filhote, surubim, fresh pirarucú in both main courses and playful appetizers.

Belém, meanwhile, vibes as a more laid-back São Paulo, with its colonial architecture, neighbourhoods with vibrantly painted buildings, and the Boulevard shopping centre, which has some corridors dedicated to Brazilian fashion labels including the global favourite Farm Rio boasting lower prices and a broader range of styles than its US outposts. While Nazaré is regarded as one of the trendiest parts of town, thanks to its nightlife, dining, and five-star hotels, Rua Gaspar Viana is beloved among fashionistas for its small boutiques, chic coffee bars, and restored Victorian and Edwardian-era homes.

Estação das Docas, in the Campina neighbourhood, is a collection of old industrial port structures repurposed as cocktail bars, restaurants, boutiques, live music venues, and prime people-watching. If time only allows for one attraction, however, Mercado Ver-o-Peso fits the bill as it blends shopping, dining, history, and architecture. Reputed to be the largest food and produce market in Latin America, it adjoins the city’s main port on the banks of the Guamá River and has been in business since the 17th century.

Today, the market occupies several buildings (some historic and repurposed) divided into free-standing specialty areas dedicated to fish, butcher shops, produce, medicinal herbs, and craft stalls. It is also a primer for the local diet and lifestyle, as visitors can learn about regional fish (pirarucu, dourada, tambaqui, tucunaré), produce (bacupari, tucumã, mouth-numbing watercress-cousin jambu, and açai), and nuts. While Box da Lúcia is the most popular boieira (street food stall), there are excellent alternatives such as Barraca do Loro while it is undergoing remodelling. Nonato is a must-visit for heavenly roasted Brazil nuts and cashews and the opportunity to try raw Brazil nuts that resemble and taste a lot like coconut.

For sit-down dining, the Rua Veiga location of Point do Açai at Cabral 450 in the Velha neighbourhood delivers great food with proximity to bars and nightclubs. At this locale, the cocktail to try is a caipirinha with the house-blended tangerine lemon juice. This drink or a cold local beer pairs nicely with breaded shrimp, pirarucu (fish) balls, and unha de caranguejo (fried crabmeat–crab claw balls). The standout dish is the chora nos meus pés (‘cry at my feet’), a delicate fish fillet in a tucupi-cashew sauce teamed with jambu rice. Carnivores will like hearty maniçoba (beef stew with pork sausage and casava leaves), or one of its abundant samplers with small bowls of moqueca (a traditional seafood stew), tacaca (a soup with shrimp and a casava and tucupi base), vatapá (an Afro-Brazilian dish with wheat, shrimp, and regional seasonings), and fried fish accompanied with savoury açai.

If your Brazil itinerary does not allow for a stay in Santarém, there are still ways to take in an authentic river and jungle experience via a visit to Ilha do Cumbu. Visitors can book tours and chartered boat rides through their hotel concierges to boats to and around the island via the Guama River. Most regularly pick up and drop off passengers at the Princesa Isabella docks, which are almost hidden in plain sight in an industrial area. There are many riverfront restaurants such as Restô da Márcia (call 55 9889 90-45-96 for reservations), whose menus are simple yet substantial, with fried picanha, dourada, filhote, and shrimp, along with grilled chicken, steak, and perfect fries. The island is also home to the fabled Filha do Combú, a woman-owned gourmet chocolatier sourcing cacao from her backyard and other ingredients from the region.

Though slightly isolated in a residential area, the hotel Atrium Quinta das Pedras is a product of its surroundings and history. The 18th-century structure that once served as a monastery–convent features a beautiful courtyard, a pool area, and a mini-spa that makes the most of the structure and the location. Other perks include an expansive breakfast buffet, easy access by taxi or ride share to major landmarks such as the Teatro da Paz, Complexo Feliz Lusitania, and Museu Emilio Goeldi. Mangal das Garças, just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, is a small, self-contained Amazonian paradise with gorgeously landscaped grounds filled with exotic birds, iguanas (who love sunbathing by the lake), butterflies, and other rainforest creatures. While admission to the park is free, R$15 (US$3·68) buys entrance to the butterfly house, aviaries, and the lighthouse.

Many of Amazon Prime’s series and movies are compelling and enjoyable. However, there is something to be said about spending time at the actual gateway to the Amazon to see spectacles produced by nature unfold before your eyes … and the rest of your senses. •

For more information, head to visitbrasil.com/en/location/belem-en.

Elyse Glickman is US west coast editor of Lucire.

Above, from top: Looking down at Belém from the tower. Belém’s iconic waterfront near its renowned farmers’ market. Dining by night. Atrium Quinta des Pedras façade. The lobby at Atrium Quinta das Pedras. Teatro da Paz.

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