Flights from Norway depart from Oslo Gardermoen, Bergen, and Stavanger.
Stop 1 is normally Lisbon, with 1 overnight stay if you wish to travel with extra luggage (more than a suitcase + backpack/bag). 4-hour flight from Oslo. A comfortable and pleasant journey without stress.
Stop 2 is Belém after a 7-hour flight from Lisbon. The most comfortable option here is one overnight stay at a hotel connected to the airport in Belém before taking a one-hour flight to Santarém the next morning. The Oslo Gardermoen – Lisbon – Santarém route normally ranges from 7,000–11,500 NOK per round-trip ticket.
Other travel routes may go via Norwegian airports and London, then onward to Fortaleza, Belém, Rio, São Paulo, Brasília, or other major Brazilian cities, and then further to Santarém airport, which is the final stop before taking a boat to Paraiso da Vida.
It is possible to arrive the same day you depart (as of July 2019) for between 5,000–8,000 NOK per person if you travel with only a suitcase (pack light) and fly without long stops/overnight stays along the way. From Bergen and Oslo Gardermoen, these routes often go through Amsterdam or another EU city, Fortaleza in Brazil, Belém (with a very short stop), and then Santarém.
There are usually domestic flights to Santarém the same day you land in Belém. There are also other routes in besides Belém – Santarém.
We normally use the Face to Face travel agency with our contact person Tove to book flight tickets, but you can also search yourself using Kayak.no, Momondo, Expedia, or other travel websites and flight scanners.
It is recommended to plan your trip 6 months in advance to get the lowest possible prices.
From Santarém Airport, it is 20 minutes to downtown Santarém and about 40 minutes to Alter do Chao.
From these towns to our paradise, there are 2 options:
Option 1:
River boat from Santarém (the big city with 300,000 inhabitants)
Time: approx. 4 hours.
Room for many passengers and great for hanging up a hammock to rest during the trip, read a book, or take a nap. It is wise to arrive early, perhaps around 8–9 in the morning, so you can hang up your hammock on the boat. The boat normally departs at 10 or 11, but in the Amazon there is a bit of “Amazon time,” so it does not leave exactly on the minute. It is wise to double-check departure times and arrive beforehand.
Price: 30 reais (approx. 70 NOK) each way.
Option 2:
Regular motorboat from Alter do Chao
Time: 1–1.5 hours. With a 90-horsepower engine, it takes only 30–40 minutes.
Best for groups of 4–6 people, depending on the size and power of the boat. Engines range from 15 to 90 horsepower.
Price including boat, fuel, and driver: approx. 800 NOK depending on boat size. Shared per passenger.
Enjoy the trip—there is SO MUCH beauty to see and no reason to stress!
No visa is required for Norwegian citizens to visit Brazil for a 90-day stay, and it is easy to apply for an additional 90 days at the Federal Police in Santarém. No vaccinations are required to travel here, and there is no malaria in this area.
Travel FROM the retreat
If you travel by river boat, you only need to wave a white flag or your arms when you want the boat to dock. It is important to know approximately when the different river boats pass and to be ready with all your luggage. Sometimes they arrive with the large boat, or they dock with a smaller motorboat. All boats know where “Praia do Macao, Paraiso da Vida, Ponto do Macao” is, so if you are traveling alone without one of our guides, it is easy to reach the place—they dock right in front of the entrance to Paraiso da Vida. The boat passes our area several times a week. Alternatively, you can arrange pickup days and times with our transport partners (smaller boat).