Alter do Chão & Santarém

An Amazon beach town on the Tapajós River, where the white sands of Love Island stretch into clear water, with Green Lake, a national forest, and the meeting of two rivers nearby.

Alter do Chão is a riverside town in the Brazilian state of Pará, part of the municipality of Santarém. It sits on the right bank of the Tapajós River, about 37 km from Santarém city center. The area has an equatorial rainforest climate, hot all year, and the visitor experience depends on the river level. From about Aug–Dec, during low water, white sandbars such as Love Island emerge, and the turquoise water over white sand has earned the area the nickname “the Caribbean of Brazil.” This is the best season. From about Jan–Jun, during high water, the sandbars are submerged, but you can paddle a canoe into Green Lake and the flooded forest of the Magic Forest.

Core activities fall into three areas: in town, Love Island, Green Lake, Piroca Hill, and sunset boat trips to Cururu Point; to the south, community hikes in the Tapajós National Forest and the old rubber town of Belterra; and by day-trip boat, the white-sand beaches and riverside communities of the Arapiuns River. In Santarém itself, you can see the confluence of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers, the riverfront promenade, and a museum of ancient pottery.

Transport: from Santarém airport, a taxi takes about 40 minutes. City buses run between Santarém and the town. You can also reach Santarém by multi-day passenger boat from Manaus or Belém. Plan to stay 3–5 days. Use sunscreen and insect repellent. When swimming, shuffle your feet to avoid stingrays. Accommodation is scarce in September during the Çairé festival, so book ahead.

Top sights

• Ilha do Amor – A white sandbar stretching into the Tapajós River opposite the town, with clear water and fine sand. Dubbed the 'Caribbean of Brazil', it i…
• Lago Verde – An emerald-green lake linked to the Tapajós River by a narrow channel behind Ilha do Amor. Paddling a canoe or kayak through the flooded fo…
• Tapajós National Forest – A large protected area of primary rainforest on the right bank of the Tapajós River. Visitors stay in local communities, hike with guides…
• Floresta Encantada – A flooded forest southeast of Lake Verde, near Caranazal. At high water you paddle a canoe among trees standing in the water, where the lig…
• Serra da Piroca – A flat-topped hill across from Love Island, overlooking sandbars, Lake Verde and the broad Tapajós River. It is the best viewpoint in Alter…
• Ponta do Cururu – A sandspit west of town where boat trips watch the sunset and pink river dolphins. It is the most popular evening boat trip.
• Alter do Chão Village & Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Saúde – A relaxed town on the Tapajós riverbank, with a white chapel, a riverside square and the Çairé festival. It is a base for exploring the sur…
• Araribá Indigenous Art Center – A long-established Indigenous craft shop and small gallery beside the town square, gathering pottery, feather ornaments, weaving and wood c…
• Arapiuns River (Ponta Grande & Coroca) – A blackwater tributary across the Tapajós. Boat trips visit the white-sand Ponta Grande beach and the Coroca community, the classic day tri…
• Meeting of the Waters, Santarém – The dark green, clear Tapajós and the muddy Amazon run side by side without mixing for kilometres in front of Santarém, visible from the ri…
• Santarém Waterfront (Orla) – A long embankment walkway along the Tapajós in central Santarém, for watching the river confluence, the boats at the port and the sunset. S…
• Santarém Cathedral (Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceição) – A blue-and-white Baroque church from the 18th century beside the waterfront, and Santarém's oldest landmark.
• Centro Cultural João Fona – A museum in a 19th-century former town hall beside the waterfront, displaying ancient Tapajós pottery and the urban history of Santarém.
• Mercadão 2000 – A large market on the Santarém riverbank. In the early morning you can see Amazonian fish such as pirarucu, and fruit such as açaí, for a t…
• Ponta de Pedras Beach – A river beach northeast of Alter do Chão, scattered with black rocks. It is quieter than Love Island and known for its sunsets.
• Pindobal Beach – A river beach south of Alter do Chão in Belterra municipality, with clear, calm water and many thatched beach bars. Good for a half day of…
• Belterra – A rubber plantation town built by the Ford Motor Company in the 1930s, with its American-style wooden house district still preserved.

Where to eat

• Casa do Saulo Tapajós – The original restaurant of celebrated chef Saulo Jennings, perched on a beach along the Tapajós River and known for its…
• Cantinho do Caranguejo – A Pará-style pub beside the village square, where the signature crab meat sautéed with cassava flour has earned high ra…
• Tribal Restaurante Indígena – A long-running restaurant promoting the food culture of the Borari Indigenous people, known for charcoal-grilled river…
• Masa Madre Pizzaria – The village's best-known wood-fired thin-crust pizzeria, whose signature is gorgonzola with Pará nuts.