Introduction:
The Amazon is a region where nature, culture and tradition come together along every path. To mark Amazon Day, celebrated on September 5, Amazon Agency followed an ecological tour through different landscapes around Manaus. The experience includes the Meeting of the Waters of the Negro and Solimões rivers, forest trails, encounters with wildlife, regional cuisine, handicrafts and experiences in an Indigenous community.

More than a tourism experience, the itinerary also shows how getting to know and appreciating the Amazon can contribute to preserving the biome and generating income for riverside communities and traditional peoples. Throughout the journey, visitors come into contact with biodiversity and different ways of life in the forest, reinforcing the importance of protecting the rivers, wildlife, flora and Amazonian culture for future generations.

Duration: 08:36

Interviews:
- Carol Lobato – tour guide
- Conceição Carneiro – administrator
- Larissa Sampaio – artisan
- Zena Gittens – American tourist
- Gilvan Tuyuka – Indigenous chief

Executive Producer:
Luciana Tôrres

Editing and Finalization:
Alexandre Almeida

Produced by:
AMAZON AGENCY
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Opening music

narration
Zena Gittens:
“It’s super important to preserve the Amazon, not only to ensure global sustainability, but also for historical purposes.”

Music

Carol Lobato – Tour guide:
“Our tour is very comprehensive and one of the most popular. We visit the Meeting of the Waters. We go to the platform where visitors can swim with the river dolphins, which are one of the main attractions here in the Amazon. We learn about the pirarucu, a fish that has existed for centuries. We experience regional cuisine, which is very diverse. We visit traditional peoples of the Amazon. So, we have a full day of experiences.”
Ambient sound – Indigenous flute

Music

Conceição Carneiro – Administrator:
“I brought my two granddaughters, who are in line to swim with the river dolphins, so they can enjoy this wonderful moment.”

Music + ambient sound – person hitting the water

Conceição Carneiro – Administrator:
“Since I wasn’t able to provide this experience for my children, today I’m fulfilling that dream by providing it for my granddaughter, for my granddaughters. Because it gives them historical knowledge. Since she is still a student, it also contributes to what she learns at school. And it’s knowledge that she will carry with her throughout her life — this experience, this culture, the way of caring for nature, of making history and being part of history.”

Ambient sound – people talking

Larissa Sampaio – Artisan:
“Actually, we always say it’s not work. It’s a tour, it’s fun. Once the work is over, we’re in the water, jumping into the water and having fun, especially on weekends. We really like the heat. We’re not really bothered by it because we’re already used to living in it, in the heat, and it’s very good.”

Music

Ambient sound – boat and people

Zena Gittens – American tourist:
“It’s my first time in Brazil, my first time in the Amazon — my first time experiencing all of it. We just got here yesterday at 3 a.m., so it’s been a full day. (laughs)”

Ambient sound – speedboat engine

Zena Gittens – American tourist:
“It was awesome. It’s so cool to see how differently people live, and then see where the two rivers meet and learn about one of the great wonders of the world, the Amazon River. It’s been a lot of fun. And it’s been really cool to do it with all of my friends. It’s been a great time. We came for a cultural experience and a jiu-jitsu camp. So, we’re eating, we’re learning and we’re doing jiu-jitsu every night. So, it’s fun. There’s been a lot of sweat — it’s really hot — but it’s been really cool to learn. Jessica, who is right there, is from here. So, she brought a group of us from Texas to experience the Amazon, where she’s from, and her gym. So, it’s been really cool to be able to do that and also learn from Jessica about where she grew up. And yeah, we’re having a great time. (laughs)”

Ambient sound – speedboat engine and people

Gilvan Tuyuka – Indigenous chief:
“We’re happy to receive visitors, tourists or people who come to visit our village. We put on a presentation for them.”

Ambient sound – Indigenous flute

Gilvan Tuyuka – Indigenous chief:
“We live here, this is where we live. We’ve been in this place for eight years. We work with tourism, and that’s how we make a living. We also grow crops and fish.”

Ambient sound – tasting fish

Carol Lobato – Tour guide:
“It’s very rewarding to share our culture with others, especially visitors, and to involve them in the Amazon. Because it’s very easy to come here, take a picture at the Meeting of the Waters, take a picture inside the forest, and not really get to know the Amazon itself, which has culture,”

Music

“biodiversity,”

Music

“and is multicultural.”

Music

Carol Lobato – Tour guide:
“Preservation is very important, both for those of us who live here and for the entire world. All biomes are important. The Amazon is no different. It absorbs a great deal of carbon from our planet. So, preservation is important not only because of its beauty, but also because our quality of life is better when we preserve it.”
Ambient sound – camera shutter

Larissa Sampaio – Artisan:
“Nature is wonderful. Every day we see something different. There are people who aren’t aware of the consequences and throw garbage into the river. So, let’s preserve our nature more. We were born on the river, and we intend to die on the river too. (laughs)”

Music

Conceição Carneiro – Administrator:
“Today we see a great deal of deforestation, and this is causing pollution and intense heat because people are clearing too much forest. And because of that, the heat becomes more intense for nature and for us as human beings. And the construction of many buildings also creates a kind of heat buildup that contributes to everything happening today. And because of that, we suffer, the animals suffer, and nature suffers. The more we preserve, the better it will be for nature and for us as well.”

Music

Zena Gittens – American tourist:
“It’s super important. It’s super important to preserve the Amazon. I know there’s a lot of destruction happening, and many trees have been cut down. There’s a lot of flooding. I think we feel that all over the world, with global warming, the clouds and the crazy weather. So, it’s really important. This is an integral part of the world’s ecosystem. So, it’s very important to preserve not only the Amazon, but all the wonders of the world that help keep the climate stable and provide places for people to live. So, it’s super important not only for global sustainability, but also for historical purposes. There are Indigenous people who live here who are very important and who have been here longer than most of the people who are around here. So, it’s very important to preserve it historically. Definitely. The forest means that this is our home, this is where we live, and we love living in the Amazon rainforest.”

Ambient sound – Indigenous flute

Gilvan Tuyuka – Indigenous chief:
“The forest is our home. We love living in the Amazon rainforest.”

Music

Gilvan Tuyuka – Indigenous chief:
“We live without deforestation; we live naturally. We can’t throw garbage around. We have to preserve everything because if it becomes dirty, the animals become sad and start to die. Everything has to remain natural for them, and for us too.”

Ambient sound – Indigenous singing

Music

Carol Lobato – Tour guide:
“Our entire aquifer, the Greater Amazon region, brings a great deal of wealth, both in terms of life and happiness. Water is our main means of transportation here in Amazonas. We have 62 municipalities, and we reach more than half of them by river. So, our roads are the rivers. And the forest is very important to this as well. What I love most is our great river, our Negro River, which flows through our city of Manaus. It is in my heart and in the hearts of all of us.”

Closing music