Manaus: the Meeting of the Waters and the Equatorial Light

Manaus sits at 92 meters at the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimões (Amazon), in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. The Meeting of the Waters (Encontro das Águas), 10 kilometers east of the city, is a geological phenomenon where the black water of the Rio Negro and the muddy-brown Solimões flow side by side for 6 kilometers without mixing: the visual contrast photographs dramatically at sunrise from a boat at water level. The historic Teatro Amazonas opera house (inaugurated 1896) has a multi-coloured dome visible across the city centre. At -3.1°S, golden hour lasts only 20 minutes year-round. Morning river fog lifts between 6 and 8am, creating briefly diffused light. The dry season (June through November) lowers river levels and exposes beach bars; the wet season (December through May) raises water and floods the forest, creating reflected-sky igapó landscapes.