Travel logistics: Manaus-Santarem-Belem

Traveling downriver from Manaus, there are a few options.

Shaving on the boat—another option

A If you are short on time, you could take a boat directly from Manaus to Belem. This will take you about five days and will probably be the more economical option. The boats don't leave from the main docks in Manaus. They leave from behind the city's large municipal market. Although the guide books will tell you that it is more expensive, you should be able to find a ticket all the way to Belem for R$160.

B.1 Upon hearing that there is a possibility of making the trip even quicker and cheaper, we decided to take a boat to Santarem. We were told that the boat from Manaus to  Santarem would cost about R$90 with the onward fare to Belem running us about R$50 if we talked to the captain and told him we were poor backpackers.

If the boats were following their normal schedule, there is a good chance we could have arrived in Belem earlier and cheaper than taking a direct boat from Belem to Manaus. Unfortunately, we were traveling in the wrong week.

The boat to Santarem was great. We put our hammocks on the top level away, from the noisy downstairs (motor) and on the opposite side of the ship from the raucous bar. The one-day journey was a pleasure. We cooked our own food using a camping stove and pressure cooker. The stove was really useful on this leg of the journey because food was not included in the fare.

The "meeting of the waters." This happens outside Manaus and Santarem.

B.2 Upon arrival in Santarem, we asked around for information about an onward boat. Everybody in Manaus and the guide books said that boats left Santarem for Belem on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. There was relative unanimity on this fact. 


We arrived in Santarem on Friday afternoon, hoping to catch a boat Saturday morning to Belem. I walked up and down the port, asking about the next boat to Belem. Much to my dismay and contrary to what everybody else had told me, the next boat would be going to Belem on Sunday.

The reason for the schedule change was a huge party occurring in a town on The River between Manaus and Santarem. Boat companies realized they could make more money shuttling passengers to and from the party town than going all the way to Belem.

Because there was only one boat making the trip to Belem, that captain had complete control over the price. On a route that normally has a more negotiable price, the captain was able to charge an unreasonably high price because he knew people had no choice but to pay it.

This also caused for the most unpleasant experience of any of the boats because they jammed as many passengers as possible on the boat. While on previous boats we had enough, and often, ample space, this final trip had us packed as tight as sardines.  If no swinging room were any indicator, some people were forced to bunk their hammocks.

The  tiered hammock option

The ride from Santarem to Manaus takes about 48 hours but can take as few as 40. We had expected to pull into the port in Belem at midday but were awoken at 4:00 a.m. by the sounds of passengers getting ready to disembark.