Manaus might be surprising to those expecting to see only dense Amazonian jungle. The capital of the Amazon, its largest city and primary tourism hub, Manaus is a bustling urban centre permeated with brightly coloured residential homes, modern high-rise buildings and tour offices where you can book jungle lodges and river cruises. It is located on the banks of the Rio Negro, just a few kilometres from where it joins the Amazon River, a confluence known as the ‘Meeting of the Waters’, which is accessible by boat from Manaus. According to local lore, the two rivers run side by side for six kilometres without mixing and, in fact, it’s possible to feel the different temperatures of the two water sources by dipping your hand into the currents on either side of the vessel.