Alter do Chão
Village On The TapajóS River Known For White Sand River Beaches, Gateway To The TapajóS National Forest · Santarém, Pará
Alter do Chão is a small village on the Tapajós River in the Brazilian Amazon, about 30 kilometres from the city of Santarém, famous for something few people expect in the rainforest: white sand beaches with clear, warm, blue-green water. When the river falls each year, long sandbars appear, and the Ilha do Amor, a strip of sand facing the village, becomes one of the most photographed beaches in Brazil. Boats run to beaches up and down the river, to the flooded forest of the Lago Verde, and across to the Tapajós National Forest, where visitors walk among giant samaúma trees and stay with river communities. The Serra da Piraoca, a small hill above the village, gives the view over the lagoon and river. In September the Çairé festival combines a religious procession with a dolphin-themed pageant. Timing is everything: in the high-water months the beaches disappear under the river. Access is by air to Santarém, and the village is small, relaxed and increasingly popular with travellers from abroad.
Vila de Alter do Chão, Santarém, PA, Santarém, Pará, Brazil
Seasonal. The river beaches emerge as the water falls, roughly from August to December, and are largely submerged in the high-water months, roughly March to July, when the Ilha do Amor becomes a line of treetops. The water level differs every year, so a trip booked for the edge of the season is a gamble - check recent photos or ask a pousada before booking flights. The village never closes. Canoe crossings to the Ilha do Amor run from the waterfront throughout the day while there is light, and longer boat trips leave in the morning and return by late afternoon; boatmen do not like crossing the open river in the dark or in storms. Beach kiosks open with the dry season and many shut or move in the high-water months. Tapajós National Forest visits need arranging a day or more ahead with a community or agency. The Çairé festival in September fills every bed. Afternoon thunderstorms can stop boats at short notice.