For the Amazon hinterland, Manaus has long symbolized "civilization". Traditionally, this meant simply that it was the trading centre , where the hardships of life in the forest could be escaped temporarily and where manufactured commodities to make that life easier could be purchased - metal pots, steel knives, machetes and the like. Virgin jungle seems further from the city these days - just how far really depends on what you want "virgin forest" to mean - but there are still waterways and channels within a short river journey of Manaus where you can find dolphins, alligators, kingfishers and the impression, at least, that man has barely penetrated. Indeed, most visitors to Manaus rightly regard a river trip as an essential part of their stay; there is a variety of jungle tour and lodge options. Even if you can't afford the time to disappear up the Amazon for days at a stretch, however, there are a number of sites around Manaus that make worthwhile day excursions, most notably the meeting of the waters of the yellow Rio SolimAµes and the black Rio Negro, and the lily-strewn Parque EcA?logico Janauary .