Marabá travel guide

Near Marabá are beaches on the Tocantins and Itacaiúnas rivers, which are best visited from June to October. There is a bridge across the Tocantins at Marabá. The town was moved as a result of the Tucuruí dam, but it still suffers from flooding. There are essentially three parts of the town: Marabá Velha (also called Marabá Pioneira), Marabá Nova and Cidade Nova. The distance between Marabá Nova and Velha is about 2.5 km. A good travel agent is IBR Travel on the main street of Marabá Velha. Banco do Brasil will not cash traveller’s cheques; the parallel market operates in larger stores, such as Supermercado Bato Logo.

The Serra Pelada gold mines, made famous by Sebastião Salgado, whose images made them look like the circles of Hell, are now worked by heavy machinery. This huge excavation was the scene of much human misery and also some fabulous fortunes. To get there, take a bus to Km 6 and change for the Serra Pelada bus, US$6, three hours, last bus back 1400. About 11 km before the town is a police post where searches are carried out for weapons and alcohol (forbidden). There is a second search point at the airport, 2 km from the mine.