Amazon rainforest Nature Reserve

The Amazon rainforest is the planet’s largest tropical rainforest, extending across northern South America and covering about 5.5 million square kilometres. It contains the Amazon River system, the world’s largest river by discharge.

The region is notable for dense, multi-layered forest canopy, extensive river networks, and very high biodiversity, with tens of thousands of plant species and thousands of animal species. Travelers use riverboats, jungle lodges and guided canopy or night walks to see wildlife, visit indigenous communities, and explore flooded várzea and terra firme forest habitats.

The basin has been home to indigenous peoples for millennia. Since European contact and especially from the mid-20th century onward, large-scale changes such as deforestation, settlement, road building and agricultural conversion have altered parts of the forest, with conservation and protected-area initiatives established in many places.

The entry point given is in the Brazilian state of Amazonas; large portions of the rainforest are within Brazilian territory, with Manaus commonly used as an access hub for river and jungle excursions.

• Scale: The Amazon basin covers roughly 5.5 million square kilometres across multiple South American countries, with the largest portion inside Brazil.

What to See#

• Amazon River: The Amazon River is the main waterway of the basin, with an approximate length of 6,400 kilometres and the largest freshwater discharge in the world.
• Manaus: Manaus serves as a primary gateway city for travel into the central Brazilian Amazon and as a regional transport and tourist hub with riverboat connections into the rainforest.

For the Brazilian Amazon (state of Amazonas) the main gateway is Manaus. Fly into Eduardo Gomes International Airport (MAO) in Manaus and then transfer by riverboat or smaller plane to lodges and river communities; many lodges require multi‑hour boat transfers along the Rio Negro or Amazon River. Guided jungle tours and river itineraries from Manaus are the standard way to access rainforest sites.

• Use Manaus as the common gateway for lodges and river transfers in Amazonas state - most lodges and research stations coordinate pick‑ups from Manaus by boat or small plane.
• Choose a smaller, community‑run jungle lodge or a program that includes night excursions and canopy‑tower visits - those nocturnal walks and canopy hides reveal species that daytime trail walks often miss.
• For easier trail access and concentrated riverine wildlife viewing choose the lower‑water months (roughly July-December in this region), when wildlife congregates near remaining water and trails are more passable.