Totally isolated some 770km west of Rio Branco on the western edge of the Brazilian Amazon, CRUZEIRO DO SUL is a town of some 50,000 inhabitants, many of whom, as in Rio Branco, are social science or biology students; many others are involved in cocaine smuggling. The only dependable links with the outside world […]

The small town of BRASILÉIA is 220km and six hours by bus from Rio Branco; if you’re crossing the border this is where you have to visit the Polícia Federal for your exit (or entry) stamp. The office (daily 8am–5pm) is just to the right of the church as you head from the international […]

Airlines Tavaj, at the airport (T68/211-1008), covers most of the western Amazon including Cruzeiro do Sul, São Gabriel do Cachoeira and Tabatinga; Varig, Rua Marechal Deodoro 115 (T68/229-2539), and at the airport (T68/224-2719), has daily flights to Brasília, Campo Grande, Cuiabá, Manaus, Porto Velho, Rio and São Paulo; VASP, Rua Quintino Bocaiúva 105 (T68/211-1133); […]

For eating out it is hard to beat the Restaurante Casarão, at Av. Brazil 110 (closed Sun lunchtime; T68/224-6479), by the bottom end of the Praça Plácido de Castro, near the Teleacre office. The comida por kilo food is good and, at weekends, there’s live music and an excellent atmosphere. On just about any […]

The relaxed air of Rio Branco masks many tensions, above all to do with population movement – people are still arriving here from the east – and the conflicting claims of small rubber tappers and multinational companies on the jungle. The tappers, who have lived here for a long time and who know how […]

If you set out to explore Rio Branco, you’ll soon find that there’s not a great deal to see. Of the two main tourist attractions, the more interesting is the Museu da Borrachá, Av. Ceará 1177 (Mon–Fri 7am–5pm; free), essentially an ethno-historical collection focusing on archeological finds, ethnographic items such as feather crafts and […]

Rio Branco is divided in two by the Rio Acre, whose old Indian name was Macarinarra, or “River of Arrows”, because of the arrows that were cut from the flowering bamboo canes that were found here. The commercial zone, most of the hotels and much of the nightlife are situated north of the river. […]