The city of Manaus itself can be seen in a day; the surrounding Amazon needs as much time as you can give it. Most visitors organise multi-day jungle lodges south of the city around Lake Mamori and Lake Juma, or longer expeditions into the dark waters of the Anavilhanas archipelago and the Jaú National Park upriver. For shorter excursions, the Encontro das Águas — the visible line where the black Rio Negro meets the muddy Solimões — is an easy half-day boat trip, often combined with a stop at a floating restaurant and an igarapé walk.
To the north, Presidente Figueiredo (about 100 km) is the closest cool-off: a region of waterfalls, swimming holes and caves easily reached by bus. The Janauari Ecological Park and the giant Victoria water lilies are a quick boat ride from the port for travellers short on time.