Anavilhanas Archipelago

Anavilhanas is a national park covering an archipelago of roughly four hundred islands strung down the middle of the Rio Negro above Manaus, and it is among the largest river-island systems anywhere. The islands are not stable ground: the Negro rises and falls by something like ten metres over the year, so for months the forest stands in water as igapo - blackwater flooded forest, where you paddle between trunks at canopy height - and in the low season the same channels drain to white sand beaches and narrow igarapes. Because blackwater is acidic and nutrient-poor there are very few mosquitoes, which makes it markedly more comfortable than the Solimoes side. River dolphins, both pink boto and grey tucuxi, work the channels.

What you'll find

• Around four hundred islands - one of the largest river archipelagos in the world.
• Igapo at high water - paddling between trunks where the forest is flooded.
• Sand beaches at low water - the same channels drained, roughly October to March.
• Boto and tucuxi - pink and grey river dolphins in the channels.

When to go

May to September for flooded forest; October to March for beaches. Two days.

Practical notes

Which landscape you get is decided by the water level, not by you - check the season against what you want. Lodges are the practical base and are not cheap. Boat noise pushes wildlife off; ask for paddled canoe time.

Nearby

Novo Airao is the gateway town; Jau National Park is further up the Negro.

Key facts