The Rainforest Ultra takes place in two protected areas in Brazil’s Amazon basin, the Reserva Extratavista Tapajós-Arapiuns (RESEX) and Floresta Nacional do Tapajós (FLONA).
The RESEX was created November 6th, 1998. It covers an area of 677,513.24 hectares. 66% of it are part of the municipality of Santarém and 24% are part of Aveiro. 4,853 families and a total of 23,000 people live here in 72 communities and 24 indigenous villages of 7 ethnic groups. The Rainforest Ultra will take place in the North, in an area that is part of the municipality of Santarém. About half of our trails will take us through jungle and the other half along white, sandy beaches. It will be mainly flat terrain and overall slightly easier to handle than our trails in the FLONA. That is why we begin the Rainforest Ultra in the RESEX. It will get our athletes a better chance to get used to the terrain and climate. Also, it’s the perfect place for our 100 km distance.
All those in the 200 km race will then run and hike in the FLONA, which was created February 19th, 1974. It covers a total area of 527,319 hectares and is situated in the municipalities of Aveiro, Belterra, Placas and Rurópolis, in the west of the State of Pará. 1,050 families and around 4 thousand residents live here, along the BR-163 highway, in 23 communities and three indigenous villages of the Munduruku ethnic group.
In the FLONA our trail will be in the area that is part of the Belterra municipality. We will run from the South to the North and cover 100 km. The race route will be a mixture of jungle trails and beaches. Participants will face some sections with elevation and dense rainforest. On the way we will pass through many village, some of which will be checkpoints and some start/finish lines.
The very first Rainforest Ultra will be held August 29th to September 9th, 2025. Athletes in the 100 km distance have the option to leave September 6th or stay along for the second 100 km distance, getting to know the FLONA as “tourists”, relaxing and/or going on short hikes.
