North (Brazil) - region of Brazil
Leave the glamorous cities and beaches of Brazil's central and southern coast behind and see the wilder part of the country, where cities didn't really develop until the 19th century. Northern Brazil is the place to see the enormous Amazon rainforest.
States
A small state with a mix of cultures and cuisines, as its rubber and Brazil nut trees have brought people from all over Brazil.
Beaches, swamps, and jungle; unexplored rainforests cover most of the state's area.
Two words: Amazon rainforest. This is the largest state in Brazil by area, and it is almost entirely covered by the Amazon.
Lots of rainforest here too, as well as strong indigenous culture and one of the largest Catholic parades in the world.
Formerly a center of Amazon deforestation, but the clearcutting has slowed, leaving Rondônia an off-the-beaten-path destination with numerous indigenous territories and rainforest adventure opportunities.
Squeezed between Venezuela and Guyana, sparsely populated Roraima has landscapes ranging from rainforest to grasslands to mountains.
River oases, colonial cities, and a national park on a large river island.
Cities
- Belém — a major city near the mouth of the Amazon River, with a blend of cultures including indigenous influence, colonial architecture, and modern skyscrapers
- Macapá — Located on the equator north of the mouth of the Amazon River, and cut off from most of Brazil by road.
- Manaus — The largest city in the region, located near the meeting of the rivers that form the Amazon. A natural place to start river tours or rainforest adventures.
- Natividade — A historic town from the mining ages in Tocantins.
- Palmas — A planned city built out of nowhere (like Brasilia) in the 1990s to serve as the capital of Tocantins.
- Parintins — Home to the Boi Bumbá folk festival, with extravagant theatrical retellings of a local legend.
Other destinations
- Amazonia - jungle tours, wildlife, floated wood, the Mysteries of the amazon
- Amazônia National Park
- Anavilhanas
- Ilha do Marajó - the large island at the mouth of the Amazon
- Ilha do Mosqueiro
- Jalapão - A departure from the Amazon region, this uninhabited cerrado area has bright orange sand dunes, rivers and waterfalls. Increasingly popular with off-road adventure lovers
- Mount Roraima