Santarém (Brazil)

Santarém is located on the southern bank of the Tapajós River (a tributary of the Amazon), in northern Brazil. It's the second-largest city in Pará, and located just about midway between Manaus and Belém.

Get in

By boat

Santarém is about 36 hours by river boat from Manaus and a couple of days from Belem, making it an ideal place for a few days' stopover on a trip along the Amazon. Boats leave Manaus every day besides Sunday. There are usually 3 boats leaving from Manaus, however on Wednesdays only one boat leaves and costs R10 more than usual for first class. Usual cost is about R110-120 for first class (top deck with a hammock.)

By plane

There's a domestic airport(Santarém-Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport), but few foreign travelers use it to get in. It's handy if the Amazon gets to you and you need a quick ride out, though.

See

• Mercado Modelo -- the city market.

• History Museum João Fona , on the eastern end of the waterfront. Good for a half-hour's worth of learning about the city, and attended by a helpful staff. Between the millennia-old pottery shards and the portraits of every single mayor of Santarem, there should be something to hold your attention.
• Museum do Índio; Museum de Arte Sacra; Museum Dica Frazão.

Do

• The nearby river beach of Alter do Chão is the city's biggest attraction.

Eat

• Mascote, Pça. do Pescador, 10, (93)3523-2844. A popular restaurant located on the waterfront.

• Peixaria Piracatu, Av. Mendonça Furtado, 174, (93)3522-7580. Excellently prepared river fish such as Surubim, Tambaqui, Tucunaré, Pirarucu.

Drink

A few bar-come restaurants along the Beira Rio, particularly downstream from the center.

• For a happening Wednesday, pay 10 R$ for a cab to Vila Arigó where there is live open air pagode with dozens of plastic tables and chairs around.

Sleep

Budget

• Gram Rio, (Overlooking the Mercado Municipal). single R$ 60 double r100.
• Hotel Equatorial, Av. Rui Barbosa and Silvino Pinto

Mid-range

• Santarem Palace Hotel, Av. Rui Barbosa 726

Contact

There is free wifi available at Praça da Matriz.

Get out

Santarém has two ports: Docas do Pará serves farther destination like Manaus and Belém while a smaller port near Praça Tiradentes serves destinations on the Tapajós river and other destinations like Monte Alegre, Alenquer and Macapa. You should be aware that boats advertised as departing for Macapa actually dock in Santana and from there you will need to take a bus or taxi.

• Alenquer is a small town on the north bank of the river. From there, it's about two hours by taxi to Vale do Paraíso, an eco-resort built around the Viuva da Noiva waterfalls.

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