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Voykit pocket guide · Brazil
Porto Velho
Go for 2 nights as a Madeira river and railway stop, or as the boat gateway to Manaus; skip if you want beaches, colonial streets or easy sightseeing.
Porto Velho is the capital of Rondônia, founded around 1910 with the Madeira-Mamoré railway. There is no colonial core and almost no tourist infrastructure: the draws are the river promenade, the old railway relics and the Sunday market. Most travellers use it as a stop before the river boat to Manaus or a crossing to Bolivia at Guajará-Mirim. Two nights covers the centre; add a car if you want waterfalls and the Candeias area.
- Country
- Brazil
- Best months
- May–Sep (drier)
- Avoid
- Dec–Mar (heavy rain)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- BRL
- Money
- Currency is the Brazilian real (BRL, R$). About R$5–5.8 per US dollar in 2026 — check. Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere, even at beach kiosks.
- Daily spend
- Budget R$150–250 excl. bed · Mid R$250–450 excl. bed · High R$450+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vivo, Claro and TIM cover the country; buying a prepaid SIM needs a passport and sometimes a CPF — an eSIM before you fly is easier.
- Emergency
- Police 190 · Ambulance 192 · Fire 193
- Plugs
- Types N, C · 127 V (Rio, São Paulo) or 220 V (Brasília, much of the Northeast) · Check the voltage on the socket; most chargers are dual-voltage.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% service (serviço) usually on the bill; optional but normal.; Beach kiosk / bar: Often included; round up.; Taxi / Uber: Not expected; round up.; Guide: US$5–15 per person per day.; Hotel staff: Small tip for porters.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; filtered water is provided in most homes and hotels.
- Toilets
- Put toilet paper in the bin, not the toilet, in most places.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Açaí with guaraná and granola | R$10–20 |
| Por quilo lunch | R$20–35 per kg |
| Beer at a Beira Rio bar | R$8–15 |
| Taxi across the centre | R$15–30 |
| Car rental, one day | R$100 + about R$25 insurance |
| River boat to Manaus, hammock class | about R$100 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PVH · Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport
- About 7 km from the centre; LATAM and GOL connect to Brasília, São Paulo and other Brazilian cities (check current routes).About 4.3 mi from the centre; LATAM and GOL connect to Brasília, São Paulo and other Brazilian cities (check current routes).
Typical fares
- Airport PVH → centre, taxi
- about R$30–50, 15–20 min (check)
- Bus across the centre
- about R$5 (check)
- River boat Porto Velho → Manaus
- hammock about R$100, cabin about R$300 (check)
Get around
The centre is walkable along Av. 7 de Setembro. For Candeias, the Santo Antônio falls and the BR-364 side roads you need a car: rent from a known agency near the rodoviária (about R$100/day plus about R$25/day insurance, 2026 estimate). Taxis and app rides cover the centre and the airport.
See and do
Known for
- Madeira-Mamoré railway relics and the Caixas d'Água water towers
- Rio Madeira sunset promenade (Beira Rio)
- Feira Cai na Água Sunday market
- River boat to Manaus
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Candeias and Santo Antônio falls | Local bus or car west on the BR-364 | About 30–60 min |
| Guajará-Mirim | Bus from the rodoviária, about 5 h | About 5 h |
| Humaitá (BR-364 west) | Car west on the BR-364, about 200 kmCar west on the BR-364, about 124 mi | About 3 h |
| Vilhena | Bus or car south on the BR-364 | About 10 h |
Sleep
- Av. 7 de Setembro (centre)
- Hotels, restaurants and the walk down to the river; the practical base for 1–2 nights.
- Rodoviária area
- Cheap rooms across from the bus station; convenient for early buses, less pleasant at night.
- Beira Rio / Av. Farquar
- Riverside bars and the Mirante forró nights; few places to sleep, so most people walk or take a taxi.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Oláoh-LAH |
| Thank you | Obrigado / Obrigadaoh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa?KWAHN-too KOOS-tah |
| Where is the bathroom? | Onde fica o banheiro?OHN-jee FEE-kah oo bah-NYAY-roo |
| I don't understand | Não entendonowng en-TEN-doo |
| Help | Socorrosoh-KOH-hoo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, hug or cheek kiss (one in São Paulo, two in Rio); avoid: Being stiff with new acquaintances
- Gestures: Use thumbs-up freely; avoid: The OK hand sign (it is rude)
- Language: Try Portuguese; say obrigado/obrigada; avoid: Defaulting to Spanish
- Time: Expect relaxed social punctuality; avoid: Being late for tours and flights
- Beach: Bring only a towel, cash and a copy of your ID; avoid: Leaving things unattended
Scams and watch-outs
- Porto Velho has a high crime rate for Brazil: avoid walking at night, keep phones out of sight and take taxis after dark.
- The harbour area where the Manaus boats leave is not a good place to linger; carry as little as possible.
- The railway station museum has been closed for renovation with no confirmed reopening date: check before you go.
- There is no working tourist train; the Maria Fumaça project is unfinished.
- The BR-364 west toward Humaitá has long gaps with no fuel: fill up before you leave.
Porto Velho is one of Brazil's more dangerous cities. Stay in the centre after dark, take taxis, carry little to the harbour, and treat the river-boat docks as a daytime errand only.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Porto Velho yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Madeira-Mamoré railway relics and the Caixas d'Água water towers
- Rio Madeira sunset promenade (Beira Rio)
- Feira Cai na Água Sunday market
- River boat to Manaus
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Brasil — Rondônia: www.visitbrasil.com/
- Infraero — Porto Velho airport: www.infraero.com.br/
- Wikivoyage: Porto Velho, revision 5244009 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5244009
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Porto Velho
Para este endereço, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Porto Velho; the US, UK and most others keep embassies in Brasília and consulates in São Paulo or Rio (check).
English is limited outside hotels; a translation app helps.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/porto-velho). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.