Óbidos Boat Point, State of Pará, Brazil
Óbidos is the last major town between Santarém and the border with Amazonas state. It is located at the narrowest and deepest point on the river where, millions of years ago, the Amazon (which at that stage was a giant lake in the middle of Brazil) squeezed through the gap in the Guyana and Brazilian highlands to meet the Atlantic.
The town was strategically important in the Portuguese expansion of the Amazon. The Forte Pauxi (Praça Coracy Nunes, 1697) is a reminder of this fact. Today, Óbidos is a picturesque and clean city with many beautiful tiled buildings and some pleasant parks. Worth seeing are the Prefeitura Municipal and the Museu Integrado de Ôbidus.
There is also a Museu Contextual, which consists of a system of plaques with detailed explanations of historic buildings throughout town. Boating and fishing trips can be arranged and there is a popular beach at Igarapé de Curuçambá (with bus connections).
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