My Brazil

The wonderful world of the Pantanal

Discover the best region in Brazil to see wildlife

By Ronny Hein and photos from Valdemir Cunha

Someone has already said, with good reason, that the best place to get to know nature in Brazil is the Pantanal – and not the Amazon, the largest jungle in the country and in the world. Let me explain: closed and mysterious, the great Amazonian universe hides its main secrets from travelers. The Pantanal, the large flooded area in the interior of South America, alternates periods of flood with periods of drought. Its rivers rise and fall, pumping like a big heart.

Visiting it is not just any trip. The perfect destination for families with an adventurous spirit and a hunger for knowledge, the Pantanal is the pleasure of an African safari within Brazil. Want to discover?

advertising

Its area, between Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, is the size of Great Britain. 124 types of mammals live there, free and loose (including the ever-attractive jaguar, which is one of its symbols. Birds? There are 463 species, which fly from here to there and populate the treetops, in a show of colors. 177 versions of reptiles (including four million alligators) and more than 3500 different types of plants and flowers also live in the area.

In the past, it was a script for the few. There was no access, the rare inns were too precarious, the means of transport practically did not exist. But it has changed a lot from the 80s of the last century until today:

– It’s the most beautiful place in the world. I visit it several times a year and every day I am more surprised by the sustainable development it has achieved – says photographer Valdemir Cunha, author of several books on the region, father of three children and organizer of excursions for photography students in the Pantanal.

He doesn’t even remember how many times he was there anymore, but he did everything. He participated in the famous “comitivas”, which are routes on horseback to lead the Pantanal cattle from one pasture to another, almost always with the animals knee-deep in water. He photographed jaguars, macaws, tuiuiús…He went down rivers and backwaters, always finding one emotion after another.

He frequents both areas of the biome: the North Pantanal, accessible by plane from Cuiabá, and the South Pantanal, whose gateway is Campo Grande.

The South is better known. There is the Pousada Caiman, headquarters of the Onçafari project and aimed at the most refined travelers, with children over 8 years old. It was also the setting for the two soap operas (“novelas”) shown on national television, the first on the extinct TV Manchete, the second on TV Globo.

To spend some time in this last idyllic area, the best thing to do is to stay at the Hotel Fazenda Barra Mansa, owned by the musician Guilherme Rondon, next door to the singer Almir Sater. It is on the banks of the Negro River and is perfect for sightings and contact with the local fauna, in addition to providing exciting family outings (swimming or by boat) taking advantage of the river’s ebb tides and the sandy beaches that appear in the dry months. These, by the way, are the best time of year to visit the region. These are the so-called months without “r” (in Portuguese): May, June, July and August. But it’s also really good to be there until November.

Valdemir also strongly recommends the Xaraés Farm, near Corumbá, on the banks of the Abobral River. An original farm, where you live with the so-called root pantaneiros, aboard tererês – which are a kind of iced chimarrão typical of the place. There is also an abundance of fauna, but the focus is on the farm and the work of the Pantanal, including the aforementioned “comitivas”. Ideal place for long rides. Children and teenagers will enjoy taking pictures of this abundant nature, experiencing local and genuine experiences, which bring knowledge and beautiful memories.

For a complete vacation, the suggestion is to combine this destination with Bonito, which is a 3 or 4 hour drive away, where you can discover translucent rivers and float (with children over 5 years old).

In the northern Pantanal, where the Transpantaneira is located, a dirt road that crosses the flooded areas and can become impassable during the months of high water, the lodging recommendations include the well-equipped Araras Lodge, which has specialized guides, deep connoisseurs of the sublime Biosphere Reserve consecrated by Unesco.

Further on, almost at the end of the Transpantaneira – which is a memorable ride in itself – is the Hotel Porto Jofre, where you and your family will have the opportunity to spot jaguars and navigate through a more wild Pantanal. Yes, because at Porto Jofre, almost all tours are done by boats, which invade the Cuiabá, Piquiri, and São Lourenço rivers. The banks of the three watercourses are true sanctuaries of the local fauna, and the embarked visitors have the opportunity to see a good part of the region’s abundant wildlife.

If you think the Transpantaneira is too much of an adventure for your family’s age group, it’s possible to combine the destination with Chapada dos Guimarães to admire magnificent waterfalls or with Nobres, where you can do floating in crystal clear waters.

It is known that the Pantanal, as well as the Paraguayan and Bolivian Chaco region, are remnants of an extinct inner sea millions of years ago.

The recent possibility of discovering this universe is worth everything it costs. Almost all the lodges mentioned offer travelers 4×4 transportation from the arrival airport. Some of them – like Fazenda Barra Mansa – are only accessible at certain times using small planes, called teco-tecos. If you experience this, especially with your family, you will be enchanted. Believe me: seen from above, with its lagoons, rivers, and islands, the Pantanal is even more beautiful.