To get to Manaus, you can choose to travel by air, water, or road. Manaus is the largest city in the Amazon Rainforest and is located in the Amazonas State, Brazil. Manaus is a popular destination for visits into the surrounding rainforest. The most popular method of getting to Manaus is by air.
How to get to Manaus by air
Despite this being the Amazon Rainforest, the airport in Manaus is one of the busiest in Brazil. To get to Manaus by air, you can fly directly from Miami USA, which takes about 5 hours or alternatively change at one of the major Brazilian cities like Rio De Janeiro or Sao Paulo. These journeys take about 4 hours. Before you touchdown in the Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, you will catch your first glimpse of the Amazon Rainforest and its coverage is incredible. This vast canopy of various shades of green contains over 200 indigenous tribes that maintain little or no contact with the outside world, as well as the largest amount of wildlife on Earth.
How to get to Manaus by water
To get to Manaus by water, you will need to be on a river port like Coca in Ecuador, Iquitos in Peru, Leticia in Colombia, or Santarem or Belem in eastern Brazil. A variety of vessels make this journey including fast boats, slow boats, cruise liners, and tour boats that provide guided tours into the surrounding forest. For more information on the journey west to east down the Amazon River, you can see the article on getting from Iquitos in Peru to Manaus.
Of course, locals in this region also make the journey in small wooden boats or rafts as they take their fish and produce to market. While traveling the river either on a cruise or transport, you are likely to see these river craft traveling the Amazon. It’s amazing to think that some of the small rickety craft often make journeys of 1500 km as they travel up the Amazon River to Iquitos, Peru.
The fast boats enable quick river transport between locations and are similar in comfort to an economy seat on a plane as you cannot move around, but they make the trip in a fraction of the time of a slow boat. A slow boat offers basic comfort, such as a cabin or a place to hang a hammock, but you are free to move around the vessel or relax with a drink on the top deck. The journey from Iquitos to Manaus by slow boat takes 6 – 7 days and the journey from Belem to Manaus takes about 4 – 5 days.
How to get to Manaus by road
To get to Manaus by road, you will need to first be in either Venezuela or southern Brazil. We don’t advise the route from southern Brazil north into Manaus as the road conditions are poor and the roads are known for reckless drivers, which may pose a hazard. The roads from north to south from Venezuela to Manaus are in better condition and there are frequent coaches that make this journey. You will first cross through the Brazilian city of Boa Vista, the capital city of Roraima state, before entering Manaus.
