The Tapajós River is famous for its clear blue-green water and sandy beaches near Alter do Chão.
The river flows north through Brazil and joins the Amazon River at Santarém, in Pará. Compared with sediment-heavy whitewater rivers, much of the Tapajós has relatively clear water, allowing striking views of submerged landscapes and pale sandbanks.
Alter do Chão, a village near Santarém, is known for beaches that emerge or expand during the dry season as river levels fall. This seasonal rhythm makes the Tapajós a major tourism destination within the Amazon region.
The Tapajós is sometimes mistaken for a blackwater river such as the Rio Negro. Its water is generally described as clearwater rather than the dark, tannin-stained water characteristic of blackwater systems.