BelterraPA

Belterra is a municipality in western Pará located just 45 km from Santarém, on the banks of the Tapajós river. With about 18,000 residents and more than 4,300 km² of area — 62% of it covered by the Tapajós National Forest — the city is one of the most privileged gateways into the deep Amazon.

What makes Belterra unique in Brazil is the unlikely combination of three worlds: American-style architecture preserved from the 1930s, freshwater beaches among the most beautiful in the country, and Indigenous communities that have inhabited the forest for centuries. Few places in Brazil bring together industrial history, untouched nature and living culture so intensely within such a small radius.

In 1934, the Ford Motor Company founded Belterra as its second attempt to produce natural rubber in the Amazon, after the failure of Fordlândia. The flat terrain of the plateau, the fertile dark earth and river access via the Tapajós made the site ideal for Henry Ford's most ambitious project outside the United States.

In under ten years, the company built a complete city in the middle of the forest: Cape Cod-style houses, numbered grid streets, a cinema, a golf course, a water and sewage system, its own power generation — and what was considered the best-equipped hospital in South America at the time of its opening, in 1938.

Ford never visited Belterra. In 1945, after investing the equivalent of more than R$ 1.5 billion in today's values, the company sold everything for a fraction of the cost. Synthetic rubber developed during World War II had made the project economically unviable.

What remains is a rare heritage: the American Village — a set of original houses painted green and white, still inhabited and in the process of being listed as a heritage site by IPHAN — along with American-style red fire hydrants, a metal water tower from 1934 still working, and sirens that sound five times a day marking the old factory work shifts. It is the living memory of one of the most fascinating stories in the Amazon.

Visiting tip: The American Village Plateau (Platô da Vila Americana), on Estrada 02, serves as a lookout with a panoramic view of the forest and the Tapajós. It is open daily from 4 pm to 7 pm — arrive at sunset.

1. Tapajós River Beaches

The Tapajós is one of the clearest-water rivers in the Amazon, and Belterra has some of the best freshwater beaches in Brazil. The season runs from August to December, when the river level drops and reveals long stretches of white sand with emerald-green water.

Pindobal Beach — the most famous and best-equipped, with restaurants, bungalows and inns right on the water. Reached by dirt road from Alter do Chão (30 minutes) or by boat.

Aramanaí Beach — considered by many the most beautiful in the region. Crystal-clear water, white sand and fewer crowds. 27 km from Alter do Chão, with an inn, restaurant and trails to springs in the hills. The Festival das Iara takes place here every late July.

Cajutuba Beach — long, deserted, with no facilities. Dunes, lagoons and silence. For those who want Amazon without the crowds.

Maguari Beach — inside the Tapajós National Forest, with thatched-roof cabins and access by boat or via the BR-163 highway. One of the most remote and preserved.

2. Tapajós National Forest

The Tapajós National Forest covers 527,000 hectares — 62% of Belterra's territory — and is the most-studied federal conservation unit in the Amazon. Inside it live 25 riverside communities and three Munduruku Indigenous villages.

The main tourist access point is the Jamaraquá Community, 50 minutes by boat from Alter do Chão. The Piquiá Trail (9 km, 4 to 6 hours) passes the forest's highlights: 800-year-old, 90-meter-tall kapok trees, rubber trees with a latex-tapping demonstration, a stream for swimming, and a lookout with a river view.

The community offers lunch with local families, seed and latex handicrafts, a rustic inn and night tours to spot caimans. A guide is mandatory (around R$ 30/person).

3. Architecture and historical heritage

For those interested in history, Belterra is a unique destination in Brazil. A walking route through the American Village, the Memory Center, and the original landmarks of the Ford era — fire hydrants, sirens, the House Number 1 built for Henry Ford that he never occupied — offers an experience found nowhere else in the country.

The Belterra Memory Center preserves original photos, documents and machinery from the Ford period, with free admission.

By air: Fly to Santarém (STM airport). There are daily flights from Belém (1h25) and connections from other state capitals. From Santarém, it is 45 km on a fully paved road — 40 to 50 minutes by car or taxi.

By bus: Line 40401 connects Santarém to downtown Belterra. First departure at 6:15 am, last at 10 pm. Travel time: 75 to 120 minutes.

By boat: The large boats that navigate the Amazon stop in Santarém (2.5 days from Belém, 3.5 to 4 days from Manaus). From Santarém, take the road.

August to December is the best time: dry season, exposed beaches, emerald-green water, stable climate between 24°C and 32°C. September and October are the peak of beach season.

January to July: rainy period, submerged beaches, lush forest. Best time for ecotourism and trails in the National Forest.

Access to healthcare has always been one of the biggest challenges in western Pará. Indigenous and riverside communities depend on distant urban facilities, often reachable only by river, in journeys that take hours.

In 2021, ONG Zoé reactivated the surgical center of the Dr. Ivaldo Moraes Municipal Hospital in Belterra — the only one in the region. Since then, the organization has carried out 29 medical expeditions to the municipality and remains present in the area virtually year-round, with health teams that serve both the local population and Indigenous communities along the Tapajós.

This work makes ONG Zoé the leading reference in Indigenous health in the Tapajós region: not as an occasional visitor, but as a continuous presence that transforms access to surgical procedures and specialized care for people living in one of the most remote regions of Brazil.

Visiting Belterra also means visiting this context. Responsible tourism in the Amazon means understanding who takes care of the people who take care of the forest.