Santarém, Alter do Chão, Belterra, Fordlândia, and Óbidos in the Amazon, Brazil
Santarém
Floresta Nacional do Tapajós
Belterra and Fordlândia
and the . There is also a
The third largest city on the Brazilian Amazon is small enough to walk around in a morning. It was founded in 1661 as the Jesuit mission of Tapajós; the name was changed to Santarém in 1758. There was once a fort here, and attractive colonial squares overlooking the waterfront still remain. Standing at the confluence of the Rio Tapajós with the Amazon, on the southern bank, Santarém is halfway (three days by boat) between Belém and Manaus. Most visitors breeze in and out of town on a stopover.
In front of the market square, the yellow Amazon water swirls alongside the green blue Tapajós river at the meeting of the waters, which is nearly as impressive as that of the Negro and Solimões near Manaus . A small Museu dos Tapajós, Centro Cultural João Fora, on the waterfront, downriver from where the boats dock, has a collection of ancient Tapajós ceramics, as well as various 19th-century artefacts. The unloading of the fish catch between 0500 and 0700 on the waterfront is interesting.
There are good beaches nearby on the Rio Tapajós. Prainha, a small beach, is between town and the port, by a park with many mango trees (Floresta-Prainha bus from centre). On the outskirts of town is Maracanã, with sandy bays (when the Tapajós is low) and some trees for shade (Maracanã bus from the centre, 20 minutes). Santarém has been at the centre of rapid deforestation in the last decade - fuelled by soya .
Alter do ChãoAlter do Chão is a friendly village on the Rio Tapajós, at the outlet of Lago Verde, 34 km west. There is good swimming in the Tapajós from the beautiful clean beach. Close to Alter do Chão (30 minutes by boat), the joining of the Rio Tapajós with the Aruã and the Arapiuns creates an island surrounded by clean rivers of differing colours, each teeming with life. The forested island is being developed as an ecopark,
Parque Ecoturístico Arapiuns
, with accommodation for visitors; it is already becoming popular. Monkeys and birds inhabit the woodlands, protected more for commercial reasons than any other.
At Km 123, south of Santarém on BR-163, there is a section of the Floresta Nacional do with a vehicle track running due west through it. The other parts of the park are on the other bank of the river. It is beautiful rainforest which can be entered with permission from
Ibama
if accompanied by one of their guides. It is well worth a visit if only to see the butterflies. Trips can be organized with tour operators in Santarém .
Fordlândia
, 300 km south of Santarém, was Henry Ford's first rubber plantation. He founded it in 1926 in an attempt to provide a cheaper source of rubber for his Ford Motor Company than the British and Dutch controlled plantations in Malaya. There is
Hotel Zebu
, in old Vila Americana (turn right from the dock, then left up the hill), one restaurant, two bars and three shops on the town square. There is a little pebble beach north of town.
Closer to Santarém, 37 km south on a dirt road, is
Belterra
, where Henry Ford established his second rubber plantation. In the highlands overlooking the Rio Tapajós. It is nearer to the town than his first project, which was turned into a research station. At Belterra, Ford built a well laid-out town, where the houses resemble the cottages of Michigan summer resorts, many with white paint and green trim. The town centre has a large central plaza that includes a bandstand, the church of Santo Antônio (circa 1951), a Baptist church and a large educational and sports complex. A major hospital, which at one time was staffed by physicians from North America, is now closed.
Ford's project, the first modern attempt to invest in the Amazon, was unsuccessful. It was difficult to grow the rubber tree in plantation conditions, where it was unprotected from the heavy rains and harsh sun, and indigenous parasites were attracted by the concentrations of trees. Boats could only come this far upriver in the rainy season and there was a series of disputes between the American bosses and the local employees. Ford sold up in 1945 and the rubber plantation is now deserted.
ÓbidosÓbidos is the last major town between Santarém and the border with Amazonas state. It is located at the narrowest and deepest point on the river where, millions of years ago, the Amazon (which at that stage was a giant lake in the middle of Brazil) squeezed through the gap in the Guyana and Brazilian highlands to meet the Atlantic. The town was strategically important in the Portuguese expansion of the Amazon. The
Forte Pauxi
(Praça Coracy Nunes, 1697) is a reminder of this fact. Today, Óbidos is a picturesque and clean city with many beautiful tiled buildings and some pleasant parks. Worth seeing are the
Prefeitura Municipal
Museu Integrado de Ôbidus
Museu Contextual
, which consists of a system of plaques with detailed explanations of historic buildings throughout town. Boating and fishing trips can be arranged and there is a popular beach at
Igarapé de Curuçambá
(with bus connections).
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This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF
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