The flooded forest
By boat among the trees.
Jason Auch from Calgary, Canada — CC BY 2.0 · Karen Mohrstedt Badin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Karen Mohrstedt Badin — CC BY-SA 4.0
Anavilhanas is a vast river archipelago in the Rio Negro northwest of Manaus, one of the largest in the world, with more than 400 islands strung along about 130 kilometres and some 20 kilometres wide on average. Protected since 1981 and a national park since 2008, it is part of the Central Amazon Conservation Complex, a World Heritage Site. Between the islands are channels, lakes and forests that flood in the high-water season, so boats glide among the tree trunks. It shelters endangered species including the Amazonian manatee, the pink river dolphin, the giant otter and the jaguar, and in the riverside town of Novo Airão a floating platform lets visitors see pink dolphins up close. Novo Airão is about three hours by road from Manaus, so it is best to stay a night or more at one of the eco-lodges on the river, with boat trips and guided forest walks. Mosquitoes are fewer on the dark waters of the Negro than on other rivers, but bring repellent.
By boat among the trees.
At Novo Airão.
One of the world's largest.
Rio Negro, near Novo Airão, northwest of Manaus
By road to Novo Airão in about three hours; best with a night at a riverside eco-lodge with boat trips and a guide, or on an organised tour from Manaus.