Visit the Rio Negro via Google Street View

In celebration of this month’s World Forest Day, Google has brought the beautiful images of the rivers, forest and communities of the Amazon’s Rio Negro Sustainable Development Reserve to Google Street View, a feature of Google Maps that lets users experience world landmarks online through photos in 360°.

Take a virtual boat ride down the main section of the Rio Negro, and float up into the smaller tributaries where the forest is flooded. Stroll along the paths of Tumbira, the largest community in the Reserve, or visit some of the other communities who invited us to share their lives and cultures. Enjoy a hike through along an Amazon forest trail and see where brazil nuts are harvested. You can even see a forest critter if you look hard enough.

Because much of the geography of the Amazon Basin is under protection of the Brazilian government and offers only limited access to the general public, people from around the world finally have the opportunity to experience one of the Earth’s most ecologically and culturally diverse regions with the ease of an internet connection from the comfort of one’s own home. More than 50,000 still photos were stitched together to create these immersive, 360-degree panoramic views. Anyone can experience the beauty and diversity of the Amazon on Google Street View now!

It is possible to start your explorations from Google Maps by going to the Brazil map and dragging Pegman to the Rio Negro, or make it easy on yourself and head to the Street View gallery.

Happy armchair travelling!