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Rio Branco is the capital and the biggest city of the state of Acre in Brazil.

In spite of its remote location, Rio Branco is a pleasant town with a good urban organization. Most modern public buldings are of interesting architecture, usually inspired by forest or native culture elements.

Acre lives in Brazilian popular culture as "the state that doesn't exist", as in a conspiratory theory. Nothing could be more unfair, given this was the one state in the federation that went through an armed struggle to become part of the country.

Acre also is the greenest state of Brazil, with over 50% of its territory protected somehow. As such, important figures on the national environmentalist movement, such as Chico Mendes or Marina Silva, come from here.

Palácio Rio Branco, praça Eurico Gaspar Dutra. Tu-Su. Named after the Brazilian diplomat who helped secure Acre's annexation to Brazil, this palace was the first house of government, with offices on the ground floor and residence on the second. Converted to a museum, the first floor now has exhibits on the story of Acre (Portuguese-only). The second floor was then converted to offices of cerimonial use, and it's open to the public when political events are not taking place. It has mazing designer furniture, blendng clean lines with Amazonian elements. Note the meeting table made of one single tree trunk, and which is so wide the windows had to be removed for the table to be placed there. Strangely enough, the building toilets are not open to the public. Free.
Memorial dos Autonomistas, Av. Getúlio Vargas, 309. Tu-Su. When Acre got annexed from Bolivia to Brazil, it was deemed the status of "federal territory". This memorial recounts the strugle to elevate Acre towards full State status. It has a theater, a hall with exhibits and a mausoleum. Free.
Parque Chico Mendes, +55 68 3221-1933. Tu-Su 7AM-5PM. A large green area used most by school groups, this park has exhibits on the life of Chico Mendes, on how rubber is extracted, and a small zoo with local animals, including jaguars, caymans, macaws and monkeys. Free.
Lago da UFAC. If you prefer to see animals at large, the lake at the Federal University of Acre has a good number of freerange caymans. Do not feed them, and know that they are very fast beats in spite of their lazy appareance - when attacking, they usually jump from the water to a prey standing on dry land, so don't stay too close to the shore. The strip of land bordering the lake has picnic tables and is a hangout area for university students. At night, capybaras can also be easily spotted.
Museu da Borracha, Avenida Ceara 1441. Once a reference on the story of rubber tapping in Acre, this museum has been closed for renovation since 2015 with no date to be reopened.

Palácio Rio Branco, praça Eurico Gaspar Dutra. Tu-Su. Named after the Brazilian diplomat who helped secure Acre's annexation to Brazil, this palace was the first house of government, with offices on the ground floor and residence on the second. Converted to a museum, the first floor now has exhibits on the story of Acre (Portuguese-only). The second floor was then converted to offices of cerimonial use, and it's open to the public when political events are not taking place. It has mazing designer furniture, blendng clean lines with Amazonian elements. Note the meeting table made of one single tree trunk, and which is so wide the windows had to be removed for the table to be placed there. Strangely enough, the building toilets are not open to the public. Free.

Memorial dos Autonomistas, Av. Getúlio Vargas, 309. Tu-Su. When Acre got annexed from Bolivia to Brazil, it was deemed the status of "federal territory". This memorial recounts the strugle to elevate Acre towards full State status. It has a theater, a hall with exhibits and a mausoleum. Free.

Parque Chico Mendes, +55 68 3221-1933. Tu-Su 7AM-5PM. A large green area used most by school groups, this park has exhibits on the life of Chico Mendes, on how rubber is extracted, and a small zoo with local animals, including jaguars, caymans, macaws and monkeys. Free.

Lago da UFAC. If you prefer to see animals at large, the lake at the Federal University of Acre has a good number of freerange caymans. Do not feed them, and know that they are very fast beats in spite of their lazy appareance - when attacking, they usually jump from the water to a prey standing on dry land, so don't stay too close to the shore. The strip of land bordering the lake has picnic tables and is a hangout area for university students. At night, capybaras can also be easily spotted.

Museu da Borracha, Avenida Ceara 1441. Once a reference on the story of rubber tapping in Acre, this museum has been closed for renovation since 2015 with no date to be reopened.

Take a stroll alongside Rio Acre, leaving from the pedestrian bridge. all the way to the Gameleira promenade..
Look for high quality, affordable cultural attractions at Fundação Garibaldi Brasil or SESC Centro, av. Brasil 713.
Do as the locals and go spend your late afternoons at the Horto Florestal., a large green area with a lake and sports facilities. There are free local dances presentation on Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings.
Take a break from midday sun by rerouting your exploration through the Parque da Maternidade (Motherhood Park), a long stretch of greenery that also houses the Casa dos Povos da Floresta. (House of People of the Jungle) and the Casa do Artesão (Craftsman's House).

Take a stroll alongside Rio Acre, leaving from the pedestrian bridge. all the way to the Gameleira promenade..

Look for high quality, affordable cultural attractions at Fundação Garibaldi Brasil or SESC Centro, av. Brasil 713.

Do as the locals and go spend your late afternoons at the Horto Florestal., a large green area with a lake and sports facilities. There are free local dances presentation on Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings.

Take a break from midday sun by rerouting your exploration through the Parque da Maternidade (Motherhood Park), a long stretch of greenery that also houses the Casa dos Povos da Floresta. (House of People of the Jungle) and the Casa do Artesão (Craftsman's House).

Cheap Chinese stuff can be found at the Calçadão. (Pedestrian street) near the Terminal Urbano. For groceries, the best-supplied supermarket chain is called Araújo and has many units in town.

Casa do Artesão, Rua Joao Donato 156.
Casa dos Povos Indígenas, Rua Rui Barbosa 17. Reopened in June 2018, it is supposed to become a reference point for trade of artifacts made by the 16 ethinic groups living in Acre.

Casa do Artesão, Rua Joao Donato 156.

Casa dos Povos Indígenas, Rua Rui Barbosa 17. Reopened in June 2018, it is supposed to become a reference point for trade of artifacts made by the 16 ethinic groups living in Acre.

Acre state is one of the biggest producers of açaí in Brazil. This purple juice extracted from the fruit of a palm tree gained international fame as a superfood, consumed in form of a frozen cream to which fruits or nuts are added. However, the local way to consume it is to mix the fresh unsweetened juice to a bit of manioc flour (for crunchiness) and then add sugar, condensed milk and/or powdered milk.

Another local delicacy is tacacá, a broth made with manioc water and jambu - a leaf that causes an effect between hotness and light numbness of the mouth. When asked how much goma you want, start with "little" because this goey paste is an acquired taste, but don't skip it as it dissolves into the broth, giving it a nice thickness. It is served in a bowl, and you are supposed to drink directly from it, Japanese-style.

On street markets, look for sweets made of tucumã, a local nut, or sweets or juice made of cupuaçu, a fuit that gives a nicely sour cream.

Not particularly unusual, but Praça do Relógio. has a concentration of holes-in-the-wall selling freshly squeezed orange juice (R$ 3/4/5 for 300/400/500 ml) that makes a great break on hot days.

Tacacá stalls, Praca da Independencia. A popular evening spot for tacacá among locals. Small/medium/big R$ 15/18/20.
AFA Bistro. Pricey and fancy pay-per-kilo lunch restaurant that will cater for businessman tastes. R$ 59.90/kg of food on weekdays, R$ 70.90/kg on weekends, R$ 8 for dessert and R$ 8 for 350 ml of fresh orange juice.
Mercado do Bosque, Rua Coronel Alexandrino 635. Traditional afterparty spot. Good breakfast with local delicacies. Try the tapioca, or the banana porridge.

Tacacá stalls, Praca da Independencia. A popular evening spot for tacacá among locals. Small/medium/big R$ 15/18/20.

AFA Bistro. Pricey and fancy pay-per-kilo lunch restaurant that will cater for businessman tastes. R$ 59.90/kg of food on weekdays, R$ 70.90/kg on weekends, R$ 8 for dessert and R$ 8 for 350 ml of fresh orange juice.

Mercado do Bosque, Rua Coronel Alexandrino 635. Traditional afterparty spot. Good breakfast with local delicacies. Try the tapioca, or the banana porridge.

Studio Beer, R. Alexandre Farhat, 132. Bar with live regional music on Thursday, Friday and Satuday evenings
Mercado Velho, Rua Epaminondas Jácome. Usually has al fresco tables and live music on evenings Friday to Sunday.

Studio Beer, R. Alexandre Farhat, 132. Bar with live regional music on Thursday, Friday and Satuday evenings

Mercado Velho, Rua Epaminondas Jácome. Usually has al fresco tables and live music on evenings Friday to Sunday.

Xapuri - home to environmental activist Chico Mendes.
Cobija - Bolivian border town where Brazilians usually go for shopping.
Porto Velho - where you can take a reliable boat service to Manaus.
Puerto Maldonado - gateway to Peru.