Alter do Chão
All of Brazil, within reach.
Red field crossed by a white diagonal band from the upper hoist to the lower fly, bearing a single blue five-pointed star at its centre — the star echoes Pará's lone star on Brazil's republican flag (the state was the northernmost at the 1889 Proclamation), while the white band evokes the equator and the Amazon River; the red stands for the blood of those who backed Pará's 1823 adhesion to independent Brazil.
Alter do Chão in pictures
About Alter do Chão
Alter do Chão is a riverside village on the Tapajós River, part of the municipality of Santarém in the heart of Pará state — the freshwater counterpart to a Caribbean beach town, known locally and internationally as the "Amazon Caribbean" for the clear, blue-green water that meets white sand where the Tapajós runs clean of the sediment carried by the main Amazon stem. For DMCs and ground operators it works as an accessible, low-logistics entry point into real Amazon ecotourism: a short transfer from Santarém's airport puts travelers into river-beach days, canoe trips through the flooded forest of Lago Verde, and community-based visits inside the adjoining Floresta Nacional do Tapajós, without the multi-day boat travel that deeper Amazon itineraries require. Its indigenous Borari heritage, the syncretic Sairé festival, and a compact, walkable village center give it strong appeal for both leisure travelers wanting an Amazon add-on to a Brazil itinerary and specialists building dedicated ecotourism programs.
Santarém–Maestro Wilson Fonseca Airport
Domestic gateway serving Santarém with connections to Belém, Manaus and other Amazon hubs; the practical arrival point for Alter do Chão.
How Alter do Chão came to be
Sourced milestones your team can use for guest briefings and storytelling — not filler copy.
Curiosities & practical notes
What's on the table
Tacacá
Hot soup of tucupi broth, jambu leaf and dried shrimp, traditionally sold by street vendors in the late afternoon.
Pato no Tucupi
Duck cooked in tucupi, the tangy yellow broth extracted from wild cassava root, a signature Pará dish.
Maniçoba
Slow-cooked stew of ground manioc leaves and pork, often called the Amazonian feijoada.
Caruru
Okra stew, typically served as an accompaniment to fish or acarajé.
Grilled tambaqui and pirarucu
Large freshwater Amazon fish, prepared grilled, stewed or fried, a staple of riverside restaurants.
Piracuí
Savory fried balls or crumbs made from dried, ground fish, served as a starter.
Açaí paraense
Thick, unsweetened açaí served with fish, farinha or tapioca, in the traditional Pará savory style rather than the sweetened smoothie version.
Sorvete de jambu
Local jambu-leaf ice cream that plays on the herb's numbing sensation, a novelty regional specialty.
What there is to see
Marked where a site carries UNESCO World Heritage status directly, versus a locally or nationally protected landmark.
Ilha do Amor
Alter do Chão's postcard sandbar island on the Tapajós, exposed during the dry season and reached by foot or short canoe.
Praia do Cajueiro
A quieter river beach near the village, popular for its shade and calmer waters.
Lago Verde
A flooded-forest lake explored by canoe, with submerged tree trunks and clear channels; a key wet-season attraction.
Floresta Nacional do Tapajós
Federal sustainable-use conservation unit bordering the village, created in 1974, with more than 160 km of river beaches and community-based visits to villages like Jamaraquá.
Serra da Piraoca
The area's highest point (~110 m), with a hiking trail to a lookout over the village and river.
Ponta de Pedras
A distinctive beach with bauxite rock formations and notably blue water.
Paróquia Nossa Senhora da Saúde
The 19th-century church at the heart of the village and the spiritual center of the Sairé festival tradition.
Comunidade Jamaraquá
A riverside community inside the Floresta Nacional do Tapajós offering community-based forest visits, including a centuries-old sumaúma tree.
What else we brief agencies on
This is what we prepare for every RFP, whether or not it's published on this page yet:
On request for every proposal
- Best season / weather windows and blackout dates for groups & MICE
- Permit and quota logistics for regulated attractions — lead time and group-size caps
- Accessibility notes and physical-difficulty ratings per activity
- Vetted ground partners, guides and transport already used on past programs
- Sustainability / certification credentials relevant to client RFPs, where they genuinely exist
- Real, checked room and vehicle availability for your travel dates — not a generic quote