This guide is for you if the meeting of the Rio Negro and the Solimões is on your Manaus list. It can only be seen from the water, and the boat is the part you arrange on the day. Here you decide when to go, how to choose the boat, what to wear on an open river, and whether five hours is the right shape for your trip.
What you are going to see
A few kilometres east of the city, the Rio Negro meets the Solimões, and for several kilometres the two flow side by side with a line between them. The Negro is dark, coloured by organic matter carried from its upper reaches, and it is acidic. The Solimões is pale and muddy with sediment and clay from the Andes. Once they finally merge, the river below is the Amazon.
The figures help explain the line. Published measurements give the Negro at around 28°C and the Solimões at around 22°C, and the Solimões runs faster. Its water may also be denser, so part of it slides under the Negro instead of blending at once. A study cited in the Brazilian press found that full mixing can take more than 100 kilometres. In the first three kilometres the dividing line is close to straight.
The place is protected for a reason. In 2010 IPHAN, Brazil's national heritage institute, put the meeting zone forward for heritage protection, after building works near the banks had ignored its value as a landscape.
When to go
The rivers meet every day of the year, so there is no wrong month. What changes is the river around you. The Serviço Geológico do Brasil records that the Rio Negro at Manaus usually peaks in June, sometimes July, and falls to its lowest in October or November. At high water you travel over a wide, full river. At low water more of the banks show.
Rain is the other variable. In Manaus the first months of the year are the wettest, with March usually wetter than February, and the drier spell begins around June. A downpour on an open boat is no fun, so if you can choose, the second half of the year gives you better odds of a dry morning.
Morning or afternoon matters more than the month. The tour leaves at 07:00 or 13:00. The early start puts you on the water before the midday sun, and leaves the afternoon free. The afternoon start suits a late arrival but puts the two hours on the river in the hottest part of the day.
Choosing the boat
The boat trip is not included. Boats are run by licensed operators at the Porto da Ceasa, on the east side of the city, and you pay them directly. We can recommend one, and your driver waits at the port until you are back on land.
The meeting point is about ten minutes out from the port, and the plan allows two hours on the water. The time on the water varies with what you agree with the operator. Settle three things before you step on board:
- How long the trip lasts, and what is included in that time.
- That there are life jackets for everyone, in the right sizes for children.
- Whether the boat has a roof. There is little shade on the river otherwise.
The basic advice from the coverage of the site is the same: use a registered operator, wear a life jacket and listen to the crew on river conditions. The Ceasa is also where ferries and small regional boats cross to Careiro da Várzea on the far bank, so the port is a working one and can be busy. Keep your group together on the way to the boat.
On your own or with a driver
You can get to the Porto da Ceasa by taxi and find a boat there yourself. What you need to sort out then is the ride back, at a port on the edge of the city, at an hour you cannot predict until the boat returns.
A private half day takes that off your hands. The driver brings you to the port, waits, and then carries on with you to the Mercado Adolpho Lisboa on the waterfront and through the centre past the Teatro Amazonas, with a stop there if you want one. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- A hat with a brim and sun cream. On the water the sun comes from above and off the surface.
- Sunglasses for the glare off the water.
- Water for the boat.
- Cash in local currency for the boat operator and for the market afterwards.
- A light rain jacket from January to May.
- A dry bag or a zip bag for your phone and passport.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits anyone who has come to Manaus for the river, and it is gentle on the legs: a short walk at the port and the rest is sitting down.
- You also want to see the city properly. Manaus in a Day joins this trip to our city tour, with lunch and Ponta Negra.
- Someone in your group is uneasy on boats or cannot swim. Talk to us first. The forest of our MUSA and Bosque da Ciência tour stays on dry land.
- You are a group of more than 16. Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us with your numbers.
Questions people ask
How long are we on the water?
The plan allows two hours from the port and back. The real time depends on the boat you choose and what you agree with the operator.
Which time zone are the times in?
Manaus time, one hour behind Brasília and São Paulo.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. The boat is booked separately, so check the operator's own terms. Our terms are on the cancellation page.
Booking the morning
Take the early start if you can, bring a hat, and decide with the operator how long you want on the water. The rest is on the Meeting of the Waters private tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book. Our guide to private tours in Manaus sets it beside the other four.
