Belem: Things to See and Do for Backpackers + Safety Notes

If you are backpacking through northern Brazil, I’m pretty sure you’ll end up in Belem at some point.

And I am guessing that you will want to know if it’s safe or not.

You’d better read this post before you go.

Belém is the capital of the state of Pará in northern Brazil. It has an estimated population of 1.5 million and 2.5 million in the wider metropolitan area.

It was founded in 1616 by Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco, who was sent by the Portuguese Crown to defend the region against the French, Dutch, and British.

Belém is the last stop for those travelling down the Amazon from Iquitos in Peru.

I chose a different route.

On this trip, I flew into Leticia from Mexico City via Bogotá.

I then made my way down the Amazon from Tabatinga to Manaus before heading north to Georgetown in Guyana and then east to Paramaribo in Suriname, then through French Guiana.

I eventually reached Macapá, from where I flew to Belém.

The flight was only an hour. Awesome views of the Amazon:

I stayed 3 nights in Belém. It wasn’t the best place I have been, but like most places, it has quite a few notable sights for the discerning backpacker.

And the people were always friendly to me. I always tried to speak in Spanish, with a few words of Portuguese thrown in (I picked up quite a few words in Switzerland, as many of my work buddies were from there). I found them pretty easy to understand.

Stopping for a break for fresh coconut water. In the heat and humid conditions, it’s essential to get some natural electrolytes down ya neck.

Make sure you read the safety notes at the end of the post. It’s not to dramatise, scaremonger or gloat about how I visited one of the many fucked up cities around the world, and nothing happened to me. It’s a reality check. Feel free to disagree.

Statue of Pedro II

Dom Pedro II, also known as “the Magnanimous”, was the second and final emperor of the Empire of Brazil. He reigned from 1831 until 1889, the longest reign in Brazilian history.

He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1825 and the seventh child of Emperor Pedro I and Empress Maria Leopoldina. When his father abdicated in 1831, the five-year-old prince became emperor.

He gained international recognition as a learned and enlightened ruler. He transformed Brazil from a fragile post-colonial state into an internationally respected power. His government was characterised by political stability, freedom of speech, and respect for civil rights.

The Statue of Pedro II is located in the Praça Dom Pedro II Dom Pedro Square).

Clock Square (Praça do Relógio)

The 12-metre-tall clock tower was manufactured in London by J.W. Benson and brought to Belém in 1930. It is located in Siqueira Campos Square, more commonly known as Clock Square (Praça do Relógio), across from the Ver-o-Peso Dock.

It was erected on the site where the Stock Exchange Palace was planned, the construction of which began but was never completed due to the rubber crisis, the region’s main economic product from the 19th to the early 20th century. The decline severely impacted the previously prosperous economy, as I mentioned in my blog post from Manaus.

It symbolises the passage of eras, marked by economic crises and political transformation and has since become the icon of the city.

Presépio Fort (Forte do Presépio)

Presépio Fort (Forte do Presépio / Forte do Castelo) is historically significant because it’s regarded as the birthplace of the city. What is now Belém grew around this defensive position.

It was built directly on the Guajará Bay as a key military and logistical stronghold for protecting Portuguese interests in the region.

Mangal das Garças

This 40,000-square-meter park was created in 2005 and transformed a former swamp into a lush, highly rated ecological sanctuary. It’s free to enter, opening from 8 am to 6 pm and closed on Mondays.

• Lago do Cavername – The small lake is home to a variety of birds and other animals. It makes for a nice place to sit for a while and enjoy nature right in the middle of the city, where you can see herons, flamingos, and even the Scarlet Ibis.
• Mirante do Rio – A 100-metre walkway leads to this viewpoint of the mangrove swamps and the Baía do Guajará
• Farol de Belém – The Belém Lighthouse, located within the Mangal das Garças ecological park, is a 47-meter (154-foot) tall scenic observation lighthouse. I paid 9 Reais to go up. Cracking views of the city and the Baía do Guajará.

Estação das Docas

Converted dock warehouses with trendy eateries, shops, and bars made for a great place to hang out. The heat is pretty intense in northern Brazil, as is the rain.

There is lots of security around, so you can relax a bit. I found a place that did slices of pizza, which I frequented a couple of times and Açai ice cream. Never tried that? Well, it’s lush and makes your poop black!

Some great views, especially with old cranes.

You can also visit the Corveta Solimões (V-24), a decommissioned Imperial Marinheiro-class corvette of the Brazilian Navy that has been permanently converted into a floating museum.

Docked at the famous Estação das Docas, it offers the public a hands-on look at naval history and life on a working warship.

Is it safe to visit Belém

I was reading one blog, essentially aimed at backpackers, and I was wondering if they visited the same Belém as I did.

Chatter on various platforms suggests that Belém is more dangerous than Río, that carjackings and violent crime are very common, especially at night.

My experience was that it was OK to walk around in the daytime, but you’ll do well to be wary of your surroundings at all times. In particular, your location.

The area around the Praça Dom Pedro II and Praça do Relógio, both mentioned above and pinpointed on the map below, was perhaps the sketchiest area I have ever experienced in all my travels.

Junkies shooting up, under tarps strung up between parked trucks:

My buddy Clay, whom I travelled down the Amazon with, was there in 2023, and from our chat, it was clear that this area has gone decidedly downhill in the intervening period.

What’s surprising is that it’s right next to the Museu do Estado do Pará, Museu de Arte de Belém and the courts. There are even YouTube videos about it, not from knobhead travel vloggers but from news reporters in Brazil.

The difference here in Belém is that bad areas are right in the centre, not in some far-flung corner of the city that you’d need to purposely go out of your way to be there.

The two Praças mentioned above are used by the homeless for sleeping, pissing and shitting. An open toilet.

Junkies high on crack, passed out on the sidewalk.

This is the Ai Overview:

These areas are frequently referred to locally as mini “Cracolândias” due to the visible presence of unhoused individuals and substance abuse.

Here is one photo my buddy sent me. This is just a few blocks from the popular Ver-o-Peso Market:

I stayed three nights in Belém, two at the Açaizeiro Hostel, miles from anywhere and one night at the O Plácido Hostel e Arte, which was in a much better neighbourhood and near the Atacadão Superstore and the Mangal das Garças.

I would walk pass/through the run-down areas mentioned above to get to the Estação das Docas, a good place to hang out in the afternoon.

Couples and lone women were also walking around. This gave me comfort, but hell, I was nervous. And it would be a total no-go zone at night, that’s for sure.

I don’t like walking around cities that I am not familiar with at night, but my recommendation would be, if you feel the need to go to a bar, make sure you have data and use InDrive, the Uber alternative, which works great in Brazil.

You’ll do well to remember that bag snatching, pickpocketing, and armed street muggings are common occurrences.

The Comando Vermelho (the Red Command) are present in Belém, and organised crime (extortion and intimidation) does exist. This certainly affects the local infrastructure and neighbourhoods.

Don’t be paranoid or stupid, just be careful. After all, if you go looking for trouble, you will certainly find it.