Rio Branco in Brazil
The Rio Acre is navigable upstream as far as the borders with Peru and Bolivia. It divides Rio Branco, the state capital, into two districts called Primeiro (west) and Segundo (east), on either side of the river, linked by two bridges. The central Primeiro district contains most of the sights including the shady main square,
Praça Plácido de Castro
. Nearby, along Avenida Brasil, is the
cathedral
, Nossa Senhora de Nazaré. On the same street, the
Casa do Seringueiro
Palácio Rio Branco
is on Rua Benjamin Constant, across from Praça Eurico Gaspar Dutra. North of Praça Plácido de Castro, the
Museu da Borracha
(rubber museum), is housed in a lovely old building with a tiled façade. It has information about the rubber boom, a section about indigenous Acreano, documents and memorabilia from the annexation and a display about the Santo Daime doctrine , recommended.
In the Segundo district is the
Calçadão da Gameleira
, a pleasant promenade along the shore, with plaques and an old tree marking the location of the original settlement.
There are several large parks in the city. The
Horto Forestal
, in Vila Ivonete (Primeiro), 3 km north of the centre, is popular with joggers and has native Amazonian trees, a small lake, walking paths and picnic areas (take a city bus to 'Conjunto Procon' or 'Vila Ivonete'). The
Parque Zoo-Botânico
, on the UFAC campus is 5 km from the centre, along the BR-364.
Despite improved air and road links, Rio Branco remains at the 'end of the line', a frontier outpost whose depressed economy, high unemployment and prevalent drug- running make the city unsafe at night, and some caution is advised at all hours.
Excursions from Rio BrancoAbout 8 km southeast of town, upriver on the Rio Acre, is
Lago do Amapá
, a U-shaped lake good for boating and water sports; access is by river or by land
via route AC-40. About 2 km beyond along the AC-40 is
Praia do Amapá
, a bathing beach on the Rio Acre; an annual arts festival is held here in September. Excursions can be made to
rubber plantations
and rubber extraction areas in native forest (
seringais nativos
).
Some 13 km from Rio Branco is
Colônia Cinco Mill
(access along AC-10), a religious centre of the followers of the Santo Daime doctrine. Its members, many originally from outside Acre and Brazil, live a communal life, working in agriculture and producing crafts made of latex. The religion centres around the use of
ayahuasca
, a hallucinogenic potion adopted from local
indígenas
. Visitors are usually welcome, but enquire beforehand.
From Rio Branco, the BR-364 continues west (in principle) to Cruzeiro do Sul and Japim, with a view to reaching the Peruvian frontier when completed. It is very difficult to get from Rio Branco to Cruzeiro do Sul by road because there is no bus service, but the occasional truck travels through, mainly in the dry season. The road is frequently impassable and open, on average, around 20 days a year.
Cruzeiro do Sul is an isolated Amazonian town on the Rio Juruá in western Acre. Cheap excursions can be made on the river, for example to the village of
Rodrigues Alves
, two to three hours' return by boat or 15 km by road. In the jungle it's possible to see rubber tapping and the collecting of latex in
borrachas
. It's very difficult to change money in Cruzeiro do Sul.
The BR-317 from Rio Branco heads south and later southwest, parallel to the Rio Acre; it is paved as far as
Xapuri
. Here is the
Fundação Chico Mendes
, with very basic lodging and two restaurants. The road continues to
Brasiléia
, opposite the Bolivian town of Cobija, on the Rio Acre. In Brasiléia is a handful of hotels and restaurants.There are buses daily to and from Rio Branco. It is possible to stay in
Epitaciolândia
The road ends at
Assis Brasil
, where the Peruvian, Bolivian and Brazilian frontiers meet. Across the Rio Acre are
Iñapari
(Peru), where the border crossing is difficult, even out of the wet season, and
Bolpebra
(Bolivia). A bus service operates only in the dry season beyond Brasiléia to Assis Brasil; access in the wet season is by river. In Assis Brasil there is a basic but
clean hotel. It is sometimes possible to wade across the river between Iñapari and Assis Brasil. There is no
polícia federal
in the village, get entry/exit stamps in Brasiléia. Take small de- nomination bills or Peruvian soles as there is nowhere to change money on the Peruvian side.
Cobija
(Bolivia) is roughly 500 km northwest of La Paz and there are air and road connections. The town is popular with Brazilians and Peruvians for duty-free shopping.
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