Belém, Pará

Elect's take

"Belém has an energy and an Amazonian character that I find genuinely fascinating. The Ver-o-Peso market is extraordinary, the Amazonian fruit culture is unlike anywhere else in Brazil and the access to the river islands provides a genuine sense of the scale of the Amazon basin."

Ver-o-Peso is one of the largest open-air markets in Latin America, a riverside market of extraordinary scale selling Amazonian fish, fruits, medicinal herbs and crafts that provides an unparalleled introduction to the biodiversity and culture of the Amazon region. The Amazonian fruit culture here is extraordinary, with açaí, cupuaçu, bacuri and dozens of fruits found nowhere else creating a completely distinctive culinary tradition. The historic centre retains beautiful Portuguese colonial architecture including the Forte do Presépio. The Mangal das Garças provides a beautiful urban nature park with mangrove ecosystems. Boat trips to the river islands of Combu and Marajó provide outstanding access to riverine Amazonian communities and rainforest.