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AM · Brazil
Island in the Amazon River, between Manaus and Santarém, land of the Garantido and Caprichoso bovine-folklore groups and the Parintins Folkloric Festival.
In the photo: Parintins waterfront along the Amazon River.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Parintins is on the Tupinambarana Island in the Amazon River, in the eastern part of the state of Amazonas, about 370 km in a straight line from Manaus. There is no road to the town: you get there by plane or by boat, and the river journey is part of the experience.
The town is known for the rivalry between the bovine-folklore groups Garantido, red and white, and Caprichoso, blue and white. The division appears on the city map: the red side is in Baixa do São José, where Cidade Garantido is located, and the blue side is in neighborhoods such as Francesa, where the Curral Zeca Xibelão is found. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in the center, marks the border between the two.
The high point of the year is the Parintins Folkloric Festival, held at the Bumbódromo, the arena built for the bovine contests. Outside that period, the town shows the life of an Amazon island: the busy port, the municipal market, the squares and the warehouses where the bovine artists work on the allegorical floats.
Parintins is also a stopping point for vessels traveling up and down the Amazon between Manaus, Santarém and Belém, which allows combining the island with other destinations in the region.
This destination brings together 1 city: Parintins.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Map: @svg-maps/brazil, CC BY 4.0
✈ Aeroporto Júlio Belém (PIN) · 4 km to Parintins
By plane, with flights from Manaus taking about an hour, more frequent during the festival. By boat, along the Amazon River, from Manaus, Santarém or Belém, on trips ranging from several hours on fast launches to more than a day on regular boats. There is no road.
The local experience
Arena of the Parintins Folkloric Festival, opened in 1988, with grandstands divided between the Garantido and Caprichoso supporters. Officially it is the Parintins Cultural Center, which also hosts arts and cultural activities.
Discover Bumbódromo of Parintins
The city’s patron saint church, in the center, with a tower of about 40 meters. It is listed as cultural heritage of Amazonas and marks the division between the red side and the blue side.
Discover Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The Garantido boi complex in Baixa do São José, the red side of Parintins, with the Curral Lindolfo Monteverde, where rehearsals, events and the fans’ gatherings take place, and the allegory workshops’ sheds.
Headquarters of the Caprichoso boi, the blue and white boi symbolized by a star, on Parintins’ blue side. It hosts rehearsals and the fans’ gatherings in the weeks before the festival.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
June, for the Folkloric Festival, when accommodation and transport are in high demand. From July to November it rains less and the river falls, leaving sandy beaches on the banks; from December to May is the rainiest period, with the river high.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Two or three days are enough to see the town outside the festival. For the Folkloric Festival, it is ideal to arrive before the first night and stay until the last, totaling four or five days including the trip.
The center, near the Cathedral and the port, places the Bumbódromo and the market within walking distance or reachable by triciclo. During the festival, the town’s supply of accommodation is insufficient for all visitors: many stay on hotel-boats anchored in the port or in residents’ homes.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
By plane, from Manaus in about an hour, or by boat along the Amazon River, from Manaus, Santarém or Belém. There is no road to the island.
Two or three days outside the festival. For the Folkloric Festival, four or five days, counting travel time.
June, for the Folkloric Festival. From July to November, with less rain and a lower river, the island is calmer and beaches appear on the banks.
No. The town is small and can be explored on foot, by triciclo or by mototáxi.
Yes, but not as a short day trip: the flight takes about an hour and the boat many hours. The ideal is to sleep at least two nights on the island.
