International Bioacoustics Council: XIX Congress tourist information

Touristic Information

Official Travel Agency in Belém

Panfletur Viagens e Turismo
Av. Bernardo Sayão, 4804, shop B (in the lobby of the Beira Rio Hotel)
Phone\Fax: +55-91-249.02.75 (day)
Cellular phone: +55-91-99.61.86.65 (night)
E-mail: panfletu@nautilus.com.br

Information and reservations:
Panfletur Viagens e Turismo

Panfletur is located in the main lobby of the Hotel Beira Rio and is the official IBAC travel agency and tour operator in Belém.

Panfletur is offering several city and boat tours, every day, leaving from the Beira Rio Hotel, with special discounts for IBAC delegates. A special river boat excursion is planned on August 13, with a typical lunch, and is advertised on the IBAC web page.

Bellow-mentioned tour options are available every day, and prices are valid for a minimum of two persons. IBAC registered participants receive a 10% individual discount or a 30% discount for groups of 10 or more people.

Panfletur is also at the disposal of all IBAC participants for worldwide air ticket reservations and any travel package inside Brazil. Please contact the agency directly, indicating you are a participant in the IBAC congress.

City and Boat Tours

CITY TOUR of Belém, the City of Mango Trees (3 hours):
Visit the most important cultural points of the city, including the arboretum and zoological park of the Emilio Goeldi Museum (the most important research institution in the lower Amazon valley, known worldwide for its collections of Amazonian plants and animals). Admire the beautiful Basilica of Nazaré, the largest church in northern Brazil, that was built during the Rubber Boom in the style of Saint Peter's in Rome. The tour also includes a visit at the Ver-o-Peso market, the biggest open fair of the region. Besides these visits, your tour includes seeing the sights of the city, its monuments, squares and others attractions.
Times: 09:00 to 12:00 or 14:00 to 17:00 h.
Price: R$: 50,00.

RIVER TOUR (4 hours):
Ecological river boat tour of the rivers near Belém, where the visitor can make direct contact with Amazonian native plants and animals. The tour includes navigation into small channels and a stop at a typical community where the visitor can glimpse the local life-style. A walk on an ecological trail in the forest is offered, where visitors can see representative Amazon trees such as the Brazil-Nut Tree, the Assai Palm, the Rubber Tree, the giant Kapok Tree, and many fruit trees.
Times: 09:00 to 13:00 or 14:00 to 18:00 h.
Price: R$: 50,00.

DAY RIVER TOUR (6 hours):
Navigate on the Guamá and Acará Rivers. The tour departs the city on the Guamá River, where you will have the chance to see the activities of commercial fishermen, who arrive from the islands with their small boats loaded with fish, fruits and vegetables to be sold in the small markets along the river margin. After passing through small canals ("furos") that intersect this archipelago, to the villas of Maracujá and Benedict, we will take a walk to experience the environment and get to know its inhabitants, called the "cablocos," who live off the bounty of this rich land and riverscape. Lunch is included during the stroll, on board or in a typical restaurant along the riverside.
Times: 09:00 to 15:00 h.
Price: R$: 90,00 (with lunch).

FULL-DAY TOUR (24 hours):
Full-day discovering the region and its rivers: Guamá, Acará and Mojú. Meals will be served en route on board or on the riverside. Overnight on board or at a camp in the forest. Early morning tour to Parrot Island (see below). After bird-walk and breakfast, the tour returns to Belém.
Departure 08:30 h. Return by 08:30 h on following day. Extra night available.
Price: R$: 250,00 (all included).

RIVER TOUR TO PARROT ISLAND (4 hours):
Early morning river boat tour to Parrot Island, so named because of the concentration of parrots and other birds that gather there to roost. The tour reaches Guajará Bay just as the sun rises and the birds awaken in an unforgettable performance. The visitor will also see natural channels that intersect the river archipelago, native plants and animals, and the traffic of boats that cross the river with goods and produce to be sold in the city markets.
Times: 04:30 h to 08:30 h.
Price: R$: 60,00.

TRIP TO ICOARACI VILLAGE (3 hours):
Located 18 km by road from Belém, the village of Icoaraci is the center for Marajoara and Tapojonica pottery. Local artists keep alive the designs of these traditional Indian ceramics known from archeological sites dated at 8.000 years BP. Techniques in this unique handicraft are passed from father to son. During this tour, visitors will have the opportunity to see the complete process of pottery manufactory and can purchase pieces directly from the factory at attractive prices. If time permits, the tour will follow to the village waterfront where the architecture of houses from the rubber boom period can be appreciated and a delicious, thirst-quenching green coconut can be bought.
Times: 09:00 to 12:00 or 14:00 to 17:00 h.
Price: R$: 65,00.

MOSQUEIRO ISLAND TOUR (7 hours):
Located some 80 km from Belém, Mosqueiro Island has 15 km of river beaches with waves big enough to surf. Although the water is fresh, there is much to remind the visitor of an oceanic beach. This is the most famous beach near Belém, and its natural beauty attracts folks from afar to its restaurants, pubs and snack bars. The tour includes a visit to the village of the island and to the local market, as well as a stop to taste typical snacks enjoyed on the beaches (not included).
Times: 08:00 to 15:00 h.
Price: R$: 100,00 (without lunch) or R$: 120,00 (with lunch).

MARAJÓ ISLAND TOUR (2 days and 2 nights):
1st day
At 19:00 h on Friday evening, we transfer to the harbour for departure to Soure in a regional riverboat. In Soure we transfer to the Ilha do Marajó Hotel.
2nd day
After breakfast, a city tour in Salvaterra. In the afternoon you will visit a typical Marajó ranch, where you can see Indian water buffaloes and the small but sturdy Marajoara race of horses. At the same ranch you will surely delight to see the myriad bird life of the island, including the Scarlet Ibis, locally called the "Guará," a symbol of Marajó Island.
3rd day
After Breakfast, a city Tour in Soure visiting the main points of this historic city, including the leather tannery (a center for buffalo leather handicrafts), a visit to a fishing village on Pesqueiro Beach, an idyllic setting complete with coconut palms, dunes, huts and a white sand beach. At 13:30 h (Sunday) we will check out of our hotel and transfer to the harbour for our return to Belém, departure will be at 15:00 h. Arrival time in Belém is about 18:00 h. This package is available only on Fridays.
Minimum: 2 people. R$200,00 each.