The city is putting on a staggering 1,200 cultural events during the World Cup, centered on the Teatro Amazonas (daily visits, $4), including local dance, cinema and opera. For more involved longer tours into the jungle, check tour companies approved by the local tourism board. I went to the closer Praia da Lua, where families swim in the tea-brown waters of the Rio Negro, and you can order fried fish with salad from one of the makeshift restaurants on the sand. Twenty-five minutes by skiff is Praia do Tupé, where six local communities are working on a sustainable development program and receive tourists. At the Marina do Davi, next door to the Tropical Manaus Ecoresort (1320 Avenida Coronel Teixeira, Ponta Negra 011-55-92-2123-5000 you can jump on a small outboard-powered commuter skiff to any of the nearby beach or river communities. The best bet is to get on a boat and leave the city.
Manaus is built on a tiny clearing in the middle of the world’s largest rain forest, so go and look around.
For a quieter scene, try Bar do Armando (593 Rua 10 de Julho, 011-55-92-3232-1195), a much-beloved local watering hole on the city’s main square across from the grand Amazon Theatre, center of Manaus’ cultural life since it opened in 1896 at the height of the city’s rubber boom. For those without tickets, FIFA is mounting a screen at the nearby Ponta Negra Beach boardwalk along the Rio Negro, a massive blackwater tributary of the Amazon River. The 40,000-seat stadium is perhaps the city’s most modern and impressive structure (though three workers died in the rush to finish it). Where you’ll see soccer: The action takes place at Manaus’ new Amazon Arena, where the U.S. The sweltering city won’t win awards for architectural beauty or convenience, but the opportunities for exploring its raw natural surroundings and outstanding local cuisine make the trip worthwhile. Manaus, 1,770 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro, is smack in the middle of the Amazon jungle.
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