Belem

About Belem

Belém sits at the mouth of the Amazon on Brazil's northern coast and is the cruise gateway to the rainforest proper. The Ver-o-Peso riverfront market is one of Latin America's largest open-air markets and a standard walking-tour stop, alongside the Theatro da Paz opera house. River-boat excursions visit the Combu and Cotijuba islands in the Guamá delta. Humidity is extreme — plan on 90 °F with 90% humidity.

• Belém is nicknamed the 'City of Mango Trees' (Cidade das Mangueiras) due to the thousands of mango trees lining its streets and squares.
• Founded in 1616 by the Kingdom of Portugal, Belém was the first European colony on the Amazon River but did not become part of Brazil until 1775.
• The city sits approximately 100 km upriver from the Atlantic Ocean on the Pará River and serves as the main gateway — by port, air, and road — to the entire Amazon basin.
• Belém is separated from the larger Amazon delta by Ilha de Marajó (Marajó Island), one of the world's largest fluvial islands, roughly the size of Switzerland.
• The city hosted COP30, the UN Climate Conference, in 2025, chosen symbolically for its location at the mouth of the Amazon rainforest.