The Cachoeira do Tarumã is the closest waterfall to central Manaus — a wide, low cascade on the Tarumã-Açu river, in the north-west of the city. Locals come at weekends to swim in the brown clear water and to grill fish on the bank. The setting is forested and surprisingly wild for somewhere so close to a city of two million.
The falls are at their fullest in the wet season (December–May) and reduced to several smaller channels in the dry months. There is no entrance fee. A taxi from the centre takes about 25 minutes; rough tracks lead from the parking area to the various pools.