An uncommon trip along the BR-319

At the end of October 2011, Gérard e Margi Moss (of the Flying Rivers Project), together with Valdecyr Simoni, drove the dreaded BR-319 road between Humaitá and Manaus, in the State of Amazonas. They had long wanted to travel along this track cut through the very heart of the Amazon rainforest, and took three days to complete the trip.

The road was first opened to traffic in 1973. Since then, it has fallen into disrepair, and these days, only light vehicles can drive the whole way primarily due to the precarious wooden bridges. Fixing the road will eventually pave the way for all sorts of “adventurers”, and will provoke the irreversible fragmentation of the huge swathes of virgin forest that still stand on either side. Land-grabbers are already invading the area in anticipation.

Those who wish to travel along this road should leave prepared to get stuck in the mud and to venture across broken bridges. It is wise to carry supplies of food, water, tents or hammocks, ready to survive a few days waiting along the wayside.

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