Laranjal do Jari

I heard from a missionary that there was a cool waterfall in Amapá, so on Saturday I made the 6 hour bus journey to the town of Laranjal do Jari. Both the town and the waterfall, Santo Antônio, are marked in the southern corner of this map.

The entrance to the passenger area of the bus station in Macapá had sobering reminders of Brazil’s problem with human trafficking. The advisories posted beneath the city plaques state that “no child and/or adolescent can travel without necessary documentation” and that “the child who is not in the company of parents, siblings, aunts or uncles, or grandparents, must present judicial authorization.” With that happy send-off, I embarked on an uneventful trip through rainforest, former rainforest, and savannah.

I quickly discovered that apart from visiting the waterfall, there is nothing to do in Laranjal do Jari. I took a boat across the river and re-entered the state of Pará just because I could. I also walked around the port area for a while. The town is dominated by one big road that runs to the water. On either side are buildings and houses on stilts with connecting plank walkways.

Laranjal do Jari as seen from across the Jari River

I spent almost all of Sunday at the waterfall. I first had to hire a boat and driver who would take me up the Rio Jari to Santo Antônio. This wasn’t difficult and only involved a little bargaining as the prices are pretty set. The trip up the river in the morning was good. It was too late to see much wildlife, but cruising up a branch of the Amazon River in the cool morning was very relaxing. Although it is the dry season and the flow of the river over the falls wasn’t as heavy as it could have been, the falls were still very impressive and the setting couldn’t be more exotic.

Cachoeira Santo Antônio

After a big group of Brazilians left, I was the only visitor at the falls for a few hours. The good thing about there being less water was that I could get very close to the falls. I spent the day swimming in the river, climbing along the rocks, and frolicking in the falls. I took care not to pee while swimming so as not to attract the candirú fish.*

I would have preferred to take a boat back to Macapá for variety, but none were leaving on Monday morning. The return bus ride was more eventful than Saturday’s trip. The woman in front of me puked up an orange out the window in the second hour of the trip. Fortunately I saw this coming and closed my window just in time. I did have to look at a barf splatter for the rest of the trip, but that is better than having it on your face. Upon arrival in Macapá, I noticed that something, beer I think, leaked all over the backpack I had to carry around with me until my flight left at 1 AM.


*While reports may be exaggerated, the fish is real. I saw a preserved specimen in Manaus in 2003. Few things sound more unpleasant than having a catfish shoved up my urethra and feeding off of me. Why take the chance?