Aruana

The Araguaia rises and falls by several metres a year, and when it drops through the dry season it exposes long white sandbars along its banks - the praias de agua doce, freshwater beaches, which have been a fixture of central Brazilian holidays for generations. Aruana is one of the main bases for them, with boats taking people out to camp on the bars for days at a time, mainly in July when the school holidays fall and the temporary town of tents and awnings on the sand is at its fullest. Sport fishing for tucunare and pintado is the other activity, regulated by season and licence. The river holds pink and grey dolphins, and out of season the bars are underwater and the town is quiet.

History

Aruanã began with a military fort built in 1849 where the Rio Vermelho joins the Araguaia, in land of the Karajá, first called Leopoldina and later Santa Leopoldina, and when steamboats appeared on the Araguaia in 1868 the settlement became a major port. In 1939 it took the name Aruanã, after a native fish and a dance of the local people, and in 1958 it became a municipality of its own (Wikipedia, Aruanã).

The main sights

• Sandbars exposed by the falling river - white freshwater beaches on the Araguaia.
• Camping on the sand - tents and awnings on the bars through July.
• River dolphins - pink and grey both present in the channel.
• Sport fishing - tucunare and pintado, under licence and season rules.

When to go

June to September; July for the full camping season. Three days.

Good to know

Outside the dry season the beaches do not exist. In July the bars are crowded and loud, and rubbish is a recurring problem. Facilities on the sand are what you bring. Sun exposure is extreme with no shade. Fishing needs a licence.

Nearby

Ilha do Bananal is downstream in Tocantins; Goiania is south-east.