As you take in views of Macapá from the deck, you’re seeing a place few others have. Though you won’t step ashore, you’ll still get a sense of its contrasts. This remote Brazilian city calls itself the “Capital of the Middle of the World,” thanks to the equator running directly through it, and it’s undeniably far off the beaten tourist path. In fact, there are few paths at all that reach Macapá; most visitors arrive by air or sea to this city straddling the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Amazon.
While many travelers use Macapá as a jumping-off point for Amazon adventures, the city itself — warmed by tropical sun and cooled by ocean breezes — offers a unique glimpse into a region rarely seen by mainstream tourism.