Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
11 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
14 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
17 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
24 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Brazil Manaus Encontro das Águas (Meeting of Waters)

Encontro das Águas (Meeting of Waters)

This striking, two-toned confluence of rivers is visible from space.

Manaus, Brazil

Added By
Sam
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
An aerial view of the Meeting of Waters, looking west.   Immelman284
An aerial view of the Meeting of Waters, looking west.   Immelman284
The Rio Negro meets the Amazon.   Mariordo
Two waters converge.   Nao Iizuka
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

One of the world’s waterier wonders is this two-toned confluence of two massive Amazon tributaries.

About 10 kilometers outside of the Brazilian city of Manaus is the site known as the Meeting of Waters (Encontro das Águas). Here, the dark waters of the aptly-named Rio Negro encounter the sandy upper Amazon, known as the Rio Solimões. Although the rivers converge, they do not mix. Instead, they snake stubbornly alongside each other for nearly four miles, forming a polychrome boundary that is visible from space.

Geologist Robert Meade described the scale of the Meeting of Waters as “Six Mississippis worth of café-au-lait colored water […] converging here with two Mississippis worth of black-tea-colored water.” The coffee-like coloring of the Solimões is due to the various sediments (sand, mud, silt) it accrues running down from the Andes. In contrast, the Negro carries very little sediment – its dark, tea-like color is primarily caused by dissolved plant matter. It runs slower and is about 6 degrees Celsius warmer than the Solimões, whose swifter, cooler, denser waters rebuff the smaller river’s invitation, making it difficult for their flows to merge. 

When the two rivers eventually sync up and come together to form the impressive Lower Amazon, there's a good ways left to go. The River Sea, as it is aptly called, continues across the continent. And although it will encounter several more tributaries along its route to the Atlantic Ocean, the Meeting of Waters remains the encounter to see.  

Related Tags

Rivers Natural Wonders Nature Water

Know Before You Go

Best when viewed from a river boat.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Wild Brazil: Rivers, Dunes & the Amazon

Explore Amazon villages, fish for piranha, and cool off in lagoon-covered sand dunes.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

SamM

Edited By

hana, Molly McBride Jacobson

  • hana
  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

December 15, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meeting_of_Waters
  • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/holidaytypeshub/article-606192/The-One-Minute-Guide-To--br-The-Meeting-Of-The-Waters.html
  • http://www.sciencealert.com/what-causes-brazils-meeting-of-the-waters
  • http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=79111
Encontro das Águas (Meeting of Waters)
Meeting of Waters
Manaus, 69010-180
Brazil
-3.136667, -59.904722
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Museu do Homem do Norte (Northern Man Museum)

Manaus, Brazil

miles away

Teatro Amazonas in Manaus

Manaus, Brazil

miles away

Biatüwi

Manaus, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Manaus

Manaus

Brazil

Places 4
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Museu do Homem do Norte (Northern Man Museum)

Manaus, Brazil

miles away

Teatro Amazonas in Manaus

Manaus, Brazil

miles away

Biatüwi

Manaus, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Manaus

Manaus

Brazil

Places 4
Stories 3

Related Places

  • Lonely tree reflected in turquoise blue water.

    Lijiang, China

    Blue Moon Valley

    A bright turquoise river cascades beautifully down stepped terraces in southern China.

  • Sculptured rocks.

    Hebron, New Hampshire

    Sculptured Rocks

    This narrow canyon has been carved by the river over thousands of years into spectacular and curious forms.

  • Kong Lor Cave.

    Laos

    Kong Lor Cave

    A boat ride through utter darkness, lit only by headlamps, reveals an emerald green pool locals believe is sacred.

  • Surfers on the Severn bore

    Gloucestershire, England

    Severn Bore

    This stretch of the River Severn where large waves flow against the current is the birthplace of river surfing.

  • A watery path

    Oman

    Snake Canyon

    Nature's water park in the Wadi Bani Awf valley is full of pools flanked with cliffs and natural water slides.

  • The Trent Aegir tidal bore.

    West Stockwith, England

    The Trent Aegir

    In the right conditions a wall of water up to five feet tall flows upstream against the current on the River Trent.

  • Rere Rockslide

    Rere, New Zealand

    Rere Rockslide

    Nature's slip and slide.

  • Gullfoss

    Iceland

    Gullfoss (Golden Falls)

    If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.