Ariau Towers
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The Ariau Towers is a boutique hotel northwest of Manaus, Brazil on the Rio Negro, a major tributary of the Amazon River. It consists of 7 towers, with all 288 rooms elevated from the rain forest floor by approximately 10-20m and connected by approximates 5 miles of catwalks.
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[edit] Inception
In 1982, Jacques Cousteau was in the Amazon with his team, and in Manaus stayed at the Mônaco Hotel where he met the hotel’s owner, Dr. Ritta. According to the hotel's foundation, it was all Jacques Cousteau's idea. The construction was to follow the natives model of building and it had to be built by them since they dominate the technique of building on stilts. The construction began around July of 1985 and one year later, the first tower of the Ariaú Amazon Towers was ready.[citation needed]
[edit] Structure
The hotel has 288 units split amongst apartments, suites (located in the towers) and tree houses. The tallest of the units, the Tarzan House, is built on top of a living Mahogony tree, at the height of 22m from the ground.
The towers are interlinked by a wooden catwalk system of approximately 5 miles, all within the canopy of the rain forest. Other facilities within these tree tops include 2 swimming pools, two observation towers 134 ft high and a panoramic auditorium for 450 people. There are also restaurants serving regional foods, bars and convenience stores. [1]
[edit] Activities
The hotel has various tours available within the forest, such as canoe walk, jungle walk, piranha fishing, visit to native's houses, and observation of nightlife animals. Visitors can also observe the Meeting of the Waters, where the Rio Negro and the Solimoes River meet, but because of density and different temperatures don’t get mixed. The separate shades of water run side by side for a length of more than four miles without mixing.
Macaws and various breeds of native and non-native monkeys are common around the towers, and provide much entertainment to the tourists.
