Santarem, Amazonia

Established at the confluence of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers, the city of Santarém flourished for a time during the rubber boom, then sank into oblivion when the “soft gold” boom eventually went bust. Over the last twenty years or so, the economy of Santarém, which is now Amazonia’s third biggest city after Manaus and Belém, has regained some momentum thanks to soybean cultivation and tourism. Renowned for its forests and especially for the small village of Alter do Chão with its beaches worthy of the Caribbean, Santarém offers a wonderful opportunity to discover the Amazonian ecosystems.