Manaus - Day 1 (MAR 10)

A short distance downriver of Manaus, the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers merge and is known as “the meeting of the waters”.  This convergence point is more pronounced than the convergence of the Amazon and Tapajos rivers downriver in Santarem.  The tannins in the Rio Negro give the clear water a red/brown tint that contrasts markedly with the muddy-colored waters of the Amazon.

Manaus is near the mouth of the Rio Negro.  It is a city of 2.4 million people with only one paved road going north out of the city to connect it with the rest of South America.  To the east, west and south are only dirt roads.  Those roads are currently so muddy due to the rainy season that the Brazilian army is flying in emergency supplies to truckers stranded on them.

Domestic (and international) flights meet some of the transportation needs in and out of the area, but most travel is by ferry.  This is both practical and cultural.  One of our guides commented that people here have traveled on the rivers for generations.  “It is what we do.” 

Manaus was at one time the heart of the rubber industry in Brazil.  When that industry collapsed, Manaus shriveled until the government declared the area a free trade zone. 

This strategy has been so successful that Manaus is one of the major financial engines driving the Brazilian economy.  Even as the country goes through a recession with unemployment rates exceeding 15%, Manaus has an unemployment rate of less than 5%.

There are now over 450 major companies (e.g. Yamaha, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson) in Manaus.  To maintain their tax-free status, these companies are required to be employ and train local people, be non-polluting and meet various other criteria. 

Having decided to try something a bit difference, months ago we arranged through Tours by Locals to visit the Caverna do Maroaga in the Municipal Prefecture of Presidente Figueiredo.

Our guide Rodolpho met us on the pier.  Under increasingly overcast skies, he drove us across the city, and headed north on the aforementioned only paved road out of the area. 

The road was one lane in each direction with a speed limit of about 50 MPH.  It was in good condition and much like rural roads throughout the United States. 

About 60 miles beyond our destination, the road crosses an “indigenous zone”.  This is an area set aside for native tribes of the Amazon.  (77% of Amazonia falls within this category.)  Other than emergency vehicles, buses and perishable cargo, no vehicles can transit the 150 miles of road in the indigenous zone between 6 PM and 6 AM.  During transit hours, it is illegal to turn off the road or stop, even to take a picture.  The intent is for the road to have as little impact on the region as possible.

The drive to the caves took two hours. We enjoyed it, although once out of the city there was a sameness to the countryside. 

Rodolpho explained that after years of uncontrolled access and some resulting disrespect of them, the caves were now protected, with access only when accompanied by a local guide…who spoke no English. 

The entrance to the area was unassuming to say the least.  No other vehicles were parked there.  The local guide locking the fence behind us suggested that we were not just the first tourists to arrive today but one only ones expected. 

Oops – the “n” is “Presidente” is missing

Rodolpho had been careful to control our expectations about the path to the caves.  There would be two sections of trail that were downhill.  Although it had not rained today, there would be slippery mud, requiring care on where we stepped.  He cautioned us to be careful if we grabbed a tree or other plant for support.

For example, the plant in the picture below has long, straight thorns used by natives to make fishing spears and blowgun darts.  We were properly incentivized to pay attention to what we grabbed as a hand-hold.

The descent was quite steep and the mud slippery.  We were glad it had not rained, and then it did.  The forest canopy was so thick it took a few minutes for the rain to get to us, but once it did the trail got even greasier.

Rodolpho and Pam each wore a rain jacket.  I wore a poncho.  Our local guide used a big leaf. 

I was thinking about every slippery step back us as we descended.  I eventually asked Rodolpho how bad the trail would be on our return.  I was relieved to learn that we would be returning by a different trail that would be less vertical.

We arrived at the first cave.  The rain had let up, enabling me to pull out my camera.

We entered the cave after assuring Rodolpho that we were not afraid of bats. 

The cave was approximately 1,500 feet long. Walking in the water to avoid getting bat droppings on our shoes, we went in far enough that when the guides shut off their flashlights, it was can’t see my hand in front of my face dark. You could hear the bats.

When the native people of the region were being hunted almost to extinction over a century ago, the Caverna do Maroaga were a hiding place, “maroaga” meaning “refuge”.

We left the cave, walking in the stream towards the next segment of the trail.

Emerging from the stream, we followed the trail that led to the second cave.

Arriving at the second cave, we did not enter it.  We admired the waterfall, then began the climb back up to the entrance to the preserve.  The rain thankfully held off until just as we arrived there.

Having bid “Chao!” to our local guide, we drove for about 15 minutes to a waterfall.  It was too rainy for me to pull out my camera.  While there, parked under a shelter, we dried off and cleaned up a bit in preparation for the drive back to Manaus.

The drive back was uneventful. 

Rodolpho was an excellent guide.  He was that pleasant combination of personable and knowledgeable.  We enjoyed our time with him.  We would use him again and recommend him to anyone traveling to Manaus.

As for the Caverna do Maroaga, they were beautiful and interesting, but it was a long drive vis-à-vis what we saw.  This was 100% our own doing.  We hired Rodolpho to take us there based on reviews we read on TripAdvisor and elsewhere.  We did not seek Rodolpho’s opinion on the merits of going there.  In his correspondence with us, he clearly communicated the duration of the drive and the physical requirements of the hike.  If the weather had been better, perhaps the drive would not have seemed as long.

After consigning our still damp clothing to the laundry, putting our soggy shoes out on our veranda to dry and taking a hot shower, we settled in for a quiet evening aboard.

Tomorrow we tour the city.

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On our 2014 visit to Manaus, we took an overnight tour to the Ecopark. To read more about it, our last meeting with the meeting of the waters, etc., click here to see my 2014 blog post.