Meeting of the Waters

The yellow-brownish Amazon and the dark Rio Negro have different levels of acidity, different speed and temperature. They also support different species of fish. They meet a few kilometers south of Manaus and form a straight line until they finish mixing completely 6 kilometers further down. The brown water of the Amazon wins!

As part of the Meeting of the Waters tour, we took a side trip to one of the swimming villages. The houses upon the hill are built on stilts high enough for the rising river water in the rainy season. The houses on the water are placed on balsam trunks which will float up.

We were in one of the small canoes, passing this houseboat.

In the rainy season, the water lily leaves will grow much bigger. They are hemmed in by tree trunks to prevent them from floating away.