Alter do Chão: river beaches, seasons and how to get there

Alter do Chão is a village on the Tapajós River, 37 km from the center of Santarém in Pará. Its white sandbar beaches appear when the river drops, roughly from August to January. The Sairé festival fills the village each September, and Borari Indigenous hosts run community tours on the river and lakes.

Why go

Alter do Chão offers something rare in the Amazon: freshwater beaches of white sand, clear green-blue water, and a small, walkable village to come back to each evening. The Tapajós is a clearwater river, so it looks very different from the muddy Amazon main stem near Santarém.

The village is also the home of the Borari people, who host visitors on their own terms. Add the Floresta Nacional do Tapajós, a short drive away, and you get beaches, forest and Indigenous culture in one trip, without a lodge package.

Getting there

Alter do Chão has no airport of its own. You fly to Santarém and continue by road on the paved PA-457. A regular bus to the village leaves from the Shopping Tapajós area in Santarém.

Azul runs the direct flights from Belém, with a few departures a day. Fares can rise sharply in July and at Carnival, so book early for those dates. Connections into Santarém from elsewhere in Brazil usually go through Belém, Manaus or Brasília; see Domestic flights in Brazil.

By bus from the airport, take the city line to the center, then change to the Alter do Chão bus. Buses run from early morning to about 10 p.m. Santarém’s urban fare rose to R$ 4.80 on January 12, 2026, and the district line to Alter costs slightly more.

Check before you go: confirm the current fare and the last departure back from Alter with the driver or at the Tourist Information Center. Carry small notes, because drivers may not have change.

The river boat from Belém or Manaus is slow but memorable. You sling a hammock on deck, eat on board and watch riverside life pass. Bring your own hammock, ropes, a light blanket for the night breeze, and water. Buy tickets at the port a day or two ahead.

When to go

The beaches depend on the river. In the dry season, from about August to January, the Tapajós falls and long sandbars appear, including the Ilha do Amor in front of the village. From February to July the river rises by up to about seven meters, and most beaches go under water.

The flood season has its own appeal. Boats can reach flooded forest (igapó), the landscape looks lush, and tours and lodging get cheaper because fewer tourists come. If sandbar beaches are your goal, go between September and December, when the river is usually lowest.

The region is hot and humid all year. Rain is heaviest in the first half of the year. Expect short, strong showers even in the dry months.

The Sairé festival

The Sairé takes place every September, usually mid-month. The 2026 edition ran September 17 to 21. The festival has more than 300 years of tradition and joins Borari Indigenous traditions, riverside customs and Catholic influences. Lei 14.997 of October 2024 recognizes it as a manifestation of Brazilian culture.

Its best-known part is the dolphin contest (the botos Tucuxi and Cor-de-Rosa), a staged rivalry with music and dance. Expect crowds and higher prices that month, and book lodging early.

Check before you go: confirm the year’s Sairé dates and program with the Prefeitura de Santarém or the Secretaria de Turismo do Pará before you book flights.

For a country-wide view of seasons, see Best time to visit Brazil.

Where to stay

Base yourself in the village if you want the beaches on foot. Santarém is a larger city 37 km away, useful for flights, banks and the port, but you would need daily transport.

Lodging in Alter do Chão ranges from simple pousadas and hostels to small hotels and rented houses. Most are within a few blocks of the main square and the waterfront. Rates rise in the dry season and sharply in September; book through the pousada directly or a booking site, and compare the total with taxes.

The Tourist Information Center (CAT) on Praça Borari, in the village, opens Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., phone (93) 3523-2434. Staff can help with lodging, boats and bus times.

What to do

Beaches and lakes

The Ilha do Amor appears in front of the village in the dry season, a short canoe ride from the waterfront. Small boats and canoes carry visitors across all day. Beyond it, the beaches of Cajueiro, Ponta do Muretá and Ponta do Cururu, and the Lago Verde lagoon, are reached by boat or road. Ponta do Cururu is popular at sunset, when river dolphins are sometimes seen.

Boat fares vary by distance and group size. Ask at the waterfront, compare two quotes, and agree the price and return time before you leave.

Morro da Piroca

This hill gives the best view of the village. The trail is 2.7 km round trip and climbs to 110 m, with a 360-degree view over the river, the Ilha do Amor and Lago Verde. The last climb is steep, so go early or late to avoid the heat, and take a local guide.

Ponta Grande

This quieter beach needs a boat or motorboat, about 1.5 hours from Alter do Chão. Combine it with other stops on a full-day boat trip.

Borari-led experiences

Borari hosts run community-based tours under the Ministry of Tourism’s Experiências do Brasil Original program. Options include:

• A river and lake boat trip with local food
• A night event with fish cooked on the sand and carimbó music
• A visit to the Borari school with body painting
• A herb garden tour
• Canoe rowing on Lago Verde
• An overnight forest camp

Hosts include the Associação de Mulheres Indígenas Suraras do Tapajós and the Associação dos Catraieiros de Alter do Chão, the boatmen’s association. You book by WhatsApp with each host. Some experiences need permission from the local spiritual tradition, the encantados, and hosts ask visitors to respect the community. Artisan goods and body painting are paid separately.

These tours are created and run by Indigenous hosts to bring income and support conservation. Booking direct is the clearest way to pay the host. Ask the host about the price and what it includes when you book.

Floresta Nacional do Tapajós

ICMBio manages this 530,620.65-hectare national forest south of Santarém, about 50 km away by the BR-163. It holds 1,080 families in 28 traditional communities, 25 riverine and three Indigenous. It received 28,734 visitors in 2022, with 42 registered guides. Visitors come for giant trees, forest trails and community-run lodging and food. River flooding reduces visits for about six months a year.

Check before you go: ask the ICMBio regional office in Santarém, Avenida Tapajós 2449, phone (61) 2028-9804, about entry rules and fees, and book a registered community guide before you go. Most visitors arrange the trip through a guide or agency in Santarém or Alter.

Food

Try fish from the Tapajós, such as tucunaré and pirarucu, grilled or in stews. Tacacá, a hot broth with tucupi, jambu leaves and shrimp, is a Pará staple sold in the late afternoon. Fresh açaí in Pará is served unsweetened with fish or farinha as well as sweet. Carimbó, the local music and dance, plays at bars and events on many nights.

Costs

Bring enough cash. ATMs in the village are limited and can run out at busy times. Pix is widely used if you have a Brazilian account.

Practical tips

• Health. Use insect repellent, especially at dusk, and check the Brazil vaccines and health page for yellow fever advice before you travel to the Amazon.
• Sun. The sand and water reflect strong sun. Bring a hat, sunscreen and water on every boat trip.
• Stingrays. Shuffle your feet when you walk into the river, as freshwater stingrays rest in shallow sand.
• Respect. Ask before you photograph people, and follow your hosts’ rules in Borari spaces.
• Connectivity. Mobile data works in the village but drops on the river and in the forest.

Skip it if

• Sandbar beaches are your only reason to go and you can travel only between February and July. They are mostly under water.
• You dislike crowds and higher prices. September, around the Sairé, is the busiest month.
• You want fixed, published prices. Boats, tours and many rooms are priced by asking in person.
• You have only a few days in the Amazon and need a cheaper or faster route in. Read The Amazon without the Manaus lodge package.