Amazon port questions in Brazil

we will be sailing up the Amazon as far as Manaus. We have a private/small group tour set up in Manaus, and are considering one in Santarem......for those who have been to Santarem I would appreciate input on this port, and the concept of spending a day in the forest there as well as Manaus.....I understand the the forests are very different from each other.....

We are also interested in feedback on Parintins....we will be there on Christmas Day so I am doubtful that there will be business open, so trying to determine what we may be able to explore/do.

i too would be interested :D;p thanks martha

Parintins is mainly known for its Boi Bumba festival. When cruise ships arrive out of festival season, thére is a show put on specifically for passengers. However, Christmas Day in Brazil is a home and family based holiday. So yes, not much will be open anywhere in Brazil.

This site may be helpful, but again, not much is likely to be open.

http://www.southamericaportreviews.com/ParintisBrazil.htm

Thank you for your response. I pretty much assumed this to be the case, but our itinerary speaks to going to this show......I guess I am hoping that there are some nice, safe areas to walk and get some fresh air and exercise - something that we can do outdoors without expectation of people giving up their holiday.....and so that leads to safety in this port on our own doing so....

Santarem

While sailing up the Amazon in October 2010 we wanted to book a tour with http://www.gilserique.com/ unfortunately he was booked. You can check his blog, I see that he now offers special cruise ship excursions all much more professional than we were there. Whatever you decide have a great time, our Amazon cruise is still one of the highlights of our cruising history.

Rosalyn

Thanks Rosalyn. I appreciate knowing you loved the trip. We are pretty excited to be sure.

I started down the path with Gil Serique......he emailed me some attachments that let's just say made me decide not to do business with him. I am looking at someone else that holds promise, but I wonder how this port is for spending the day in (vs private tour into the forest).

I just have not been able to find this type of information out for Santarem nor Parintins on here nor TripAdvisor.....

One of the popular things to do in Santarem is a trip up one of the tributaries of the Amazon to fish for Piranha. We were part of a group and did not arrange the tour ourselves so not sure who you would use. But, there may be a cruise line tour or one offered at the pier. It was fairly interesting since there were lots of birds to see and we saw some pink dolphins at the end.

There is not much to do in Parintins, particularly if you will be there on Christmas Day. We did not do Boi Bumba but those who went said it was terrific. We just walked around the town which is not very big. There is an interesting cemetery and of course you can see the huge Boi Bumba stadium. We felt safe just walking around.

Mcmarya - thank you for your input.

Excursions show that there will be a Boi Bumba show on Christmas Day in Parintins - but it is too early to book this. I have to wonder if this is truly going to occur......if it does we will certainly attend.

Santarem is still in the air. I have been working with a guide to go into the forest, however it seems to be very difficult to get responses from him. Maybe because it is so far out still....it may just turn into a DIY port.