Tour 3: Combined-Package - Xavantes-Reservat and Parque Indigena do Xingu
14 days/13 nights from/to Cuiabá - possible from May to November min. 2 persons; max. 10 persons
cerrado of Mato Grosso (dense rainforest/gallery
forest) approaching the village of the Waurá Indios
Join us on an adventure of a slightly different kind: Become a part of an unknown culture and meet one of the last remaining Brazilian Indio tribes in the “Parque Indigena do Xingu” and in the reservation of the Xavantes Indios in the state of Mato Grosso. Visit the people of the Waurá, who are part of the Xingu tribe, and the Etenhiritipa, who belong to the Xavantes Indios. They live protected by the FUNAI agency (National Indio Foundation) and have the right to use their land as they wish, forbidding entrance to whoever has not been invited by the tribe. As a participant in this tour you of course have such an invitation, along with the unique chance to experience life as a native Brazilian first-hand. A large part of the travel price will go to the Indian community for maintaining and making this project possible, for the purpose of a gentle tourism. It will be paid directly to the tribe’s chief.
We are the first travel business worldwide to get permission to visit the indigenous peoples in the Xingu national park. In early March 2010 we drove to the reservation of the Xavantes and Xingu Indios (Parque Indigenas do Xingu). After hard negotiations, we received all the documents necessary from the Brazilian Indio agency (FUNAI) as well as from the other authorities involved in Canarana, Mato Grosso.
We visited the village of the Waurá Indios in March 2010.
We are the first travel business (tour operator) worldwide to get permission to visit the indigenous peoples in the Xingu national park. In early March 2010 we drove to the reservation of the Xavantes and Xingu Indios (Parque Indigenas do Xingu). After hard negotiations, we received all the documents necessary from the Brazilian Indio agency (FUNAI) as well as from the other authorities involved in Canarana, Mato Grosso.
This programme is a combination of Tour 1 and Tour 2 of our Indio tours.
1st day: Arrival in Cuiabá - Transfer to the Hotel Odara
After your arrival at the airport in Cuiabá our tour guide will meet you and take you to the Hotel Odara. Here you move to your room and have some rest, relax by the small swimming pool or get ready for the impending tour at the bar. Right next to the hotel there is the best barbecue place in Cuiabá, the Churrascaria Gauchó, where you can eat to your heart’s content and enjoy the Rodizio typical to the Mato Grosso (they are closed on Mondays). If your time of arrival at the airport allows it, and if you wish it, our guide will go on a short city tour in Cuiabá with you (not included in the price). The rest of the afternoon/evening is free. Dinner not included.
2nd day: Cuiabá - Barra
do Garças - Araguaia Park-Hotel (1 night)
After breakfast at 8.00 am drive from Cuiabá to Barro do Garças (about 420 km), located by Rio Araguaia. During the slightly tiring and exhausting ride you experience the diversity of the federal state of Mato Grosso, and you get an idea of the vastness of the country. You pass by countless corn and soy fields, eucalyptus plantations, herds of cattle and sesame fields in the direction of Campo Verde and Primaverde do Leste, all the way to Barra do Garças. On the road opportunity for lunch or break at a local restaurant respectively.
There are approximately 53,500 people living in Barra do Garças. Here
you will spend the night at the Araguaia Park-Hotel, situated directly
by Rio Araguaia. Due to the bad road conditions with many potholes and
some extreme traffic, you had better be prepared for a few delays and an
exhausting car drive. Depending on time of arrival there will be a
small tour offered to have a look at the town of Barra do Garças. Dinner
at a local restaurant in Barra do Garças (not included). Night stop at
the Araguaia Park-Hotel including breakfast.
3rd day:
Barra do Garças - Canarana - Hotel Raios de Sol (1 night)
In the next morning you take a ride to Canarana after breakfast (about 350 km), a small town with roughly 22,000 inhabitants, which will be the starting point for your visit to the Xavantes Indios. Canarana has a tropical climate and was founded 15.02.1975, to cultivate the land and to allow farmers from the south-east of Brazil to settle here. The town is close to the Xingu national park (Parque Indigene do Xingu), located in the south-east. P0
30 years ago everything in this area was covered with Amazon rainforest. Now the forest is gone and everywhere soy and corn are grown. Lunch on the way to Canarana at a local restaurant in Nova Xavantina. Dinner in Canarana (not included) and night stop at the Hotel Raios do Sol, located right in the center of Canarana.
Pedro Paulo, your travel guide (blue shirt on the right)
After breakfast at the Hotel Raios do Sol you go to a supermarket with your tour guide to buy the food and water rations you will need during the next 4 days. Afterwards you pick up a cook and go to Matinha (about 55 km), a small village with few houses that isn’t charted on any map. Matinha is located on the border to the indigenous territory. From here you ride the car on 35 km of non-asphalt road to the village of the Xavante Indios. It has been agreed upon with the villagers that you will not be accommodated directly in the village, but about 100 m away from the houses in a bamboo-thatched cabin (without walls). It is of traditional build and was erected specifically for the visitors. You spend the night in the hammocks or sleeping bags you brought with you; the toilet and shower are very simple and not up to European standards, which of course is not to be expected out here, far from civilisation.
During your stay a cook will prepare all meals according to a Brazilian recipe. Next to rice and beans there will be meat, fish, fruit and vegetables on the menu. You will also get an opportunity to eat dinner according to indigenous tradition with the Indios. On the first evening the village elders will welcome you and invite you to a first visit in their village, dinner will be served near your cabin.
During your stay in the Indio village you will get to know the rich culture of the Xavantes Indios. Part of it is the interpretation of dreams as an important factor of their everyday life. This means that the day’s activities are set in the early morning as a result of the dreams dreamt the past night. You can take a bath in a river close to the village or go fishing with the natives. You accompany the Indios to their work on the fields (rice, manioc etc.) and thus get to know the everyday life of the Xavantes. With a little bit of luck you may even get invited to a bow and arrow hunt.
Hikes into the village and its surrounding land will allow you an intimate glimpse into an utterly different way of life, one that is closely linked with the Indios’ natural environment. You experience the savannah landscape and go on hikes up into the Serra do Roncador, you partake in village celebrations, go fishing and learn the traditional way to cultivate crops, always accompanied by an indigenous villager and by your tour guide (Pedro Paulo).
7th - 8th day: Aldeia Etenhiritipa
- Canarana
You go back to Canarana and spend the rest of the day in town. You spend the night at the Hotel Raios do Sol.
8th - 11th day: Canarana -
Aldeia Waurá
After breakfast at the Hotel Raios do Sol you go to the airport of Canarana with your tour guide. From there you fly into the “Parque Indigena do Xingu” (about 45 to 60 minutes’ flight). Take only a bare minimum of luggage with you (10 kg a person maximum). Beforehand you have the opportunity to buy a few small presents (fishing line for the men, chocolate, lollipops, chewing gum for the children and women – the Indios love sweets).
After your arrival at the village you will be welcomed by the Indios. The male tourists take a seat in front of the “man house” with their tour guide to discuss the further course of your stay with the chief and the council of elders.
As agreed upon with the villagers, you will not be accommodated directly in the village, but roughly 500 m away from the Indio houses, in a bamboo-thatched cabin. It is of traditional build and was erected specifically for the visitors. You spend the night in the hammocks or sleeping bags you brought with you; the toilet and shower are very simple and not up to European standards, which of course is not to be expected out here, far from civilisation (don’t forget to bring toilet paper). Please also remember to take your garbage with you and dispose of it when you leave.
During your stay a cook will prepare all meals according to a Brazilian recipe. Next to rice and beans there will be meat, fish, fruit and vegetables on the menu. You will also get an opportunity to eat dinner according to indigenous tradition with the Xavantes. On the first evening the village elders will welcome you and invite you to a first visit in their village, dinner will be served near your cabin.
During your stay in the Indio village you will get to know the rich culture of the Xavantes Indios. Part of it is the interpretation of dreams as an important factor of their everyday life. This means that the day’s activities are set in the early morning as a result of the dreams dreamt the past night. You can take a bath in a river close to the village or go fishing with the natives. You accompany the Indios to their work on the fields (rice, manioc etc.) and thus get to know the everyday life of the Xavantes. With a little bit of luck you may even get invited to a bow and arrow hunt.
Hikes into the village and its surrounding land will allow you an intimate glimpse into an utterly different way of life, one that is closely linked with the Indios’ natural environment. You experience the savannah landscape and go on hikes up into the Serra do Roncador, you partake in village celebrations, go fishing and learn the traditional way to cultivate crops, always accompanied by an indigenous villager and by your tour guide.
11th - 12th day (1 night): Barra do Garças
On the morning of the 11th day you fly back to Canarana. Depending on arrival time you will get an opportunity for lunch at a restaurant (not inclusive). On to Barra do Garças, lunch on the road (if not sooner), dinner in Barra do Garças. Night stop at the Araguaia Park-Hotel in Barra do Garças.
12th - 14th day: Barra do Garças - Chapada dos Guimarães (2 nights)
After breakfast you go to Chapada dos Guimarães (280 km) where you spend two nights at the Pousada do Parque. During a hike through the highland you get an opportunity to take a bath under one of the many waterfalls. The hike lasts about 3 hours, so a certain stamina is required. Dinner at a local restaurant in Chapada dos Guimarães.
In the next morning visit to the national park and the reservation in the environment of the Pousada do Parque. Trip to the cave of Casa de Pedra (with an underground river), view from Morro de São Jerônimo; hike through the mesas with their many small waterfalls and stunning outlook. Return to the Pousada and dinner at a local restaurant in Chapada.
14th day: Chapada dos Guimarães - Cuiabá
Depending on time of departure transfer to the airport in Cuiabá, if need be there will be further tours in Chapada dos Guimarães offered in the morning.
Sleeping bag or hammock, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, mosquito repellent, sunglasses, headgear, swimming gear, towels, walking boots, torch or flashlight (please dispose of empty batteries at home), light clothing, warm clothing for cooler nights (it is considerably cooler in the evening and at night), bedcover or sheet and all personal items. Jaundice inoculation is mandatory. You should be in good health and not have any contagious illnesses. A malaria prophylaxis is not required. Please remember to bring a bag for your garbage, which you have to take back to Canarana with you.
The Indios, especially the children are always happy about small
presents. The giving of a gift from guest to host plays a very important
role in the Indio culture (used clothes, sweets, chocolate, small toys,
torches, hats, sunglasses, crayons, paper for drawing, ball pens,
pencils etc.) Among the men knives, fishing line and fishhooks are in
great demand.
The Indios also expect you to buy souvenirs in the village (products of
Indio craftsmanship) to help support them (you should budget about 50 –
70 euros for this). This is part of the Indio mentality and has nothing
to do with “ripping off tourists”, as it happens in the big cities. It
is rather part of the culture and customs of the indigenous peoples.
Especially the Xingu Indios are well-known for their brisk trade.
Where you will spend the nights?
You spend the night in plain straw cabins, about 500 m from the village center. Your cabin is located near a lake surrounded by dense cerrado forest. You sleep in hammocks or sleeping bags. Next to your cabin there is a simple shower and toilet. In another cabin there is the kitchen, where you will also take your meals.
In this cabin you will spend the nights.
Here your meals will be prepared and eaten.
This is your shower and your toilet
Prices per person:
Tour 3: Indio-Combi-Tour
2 persons
3-4 persons
5-6 persons
14 days/13 nights
4675,00 €
4365,00 €
4125,00
€
single room premium
500,00 €
6 nights at
the Hotel
All prices apiece (valid until 30.11.2011). Additional days possible. Follow-up tour to Nobres or to the Pantanal are possible at a premium, on request
The following services are included in our prices:
Transfer airport Cuiabá – Hotel Odara – airport Cuiabá. Transfer Cuiabá - Canarana - Chapada dos Guimarães - Cuiabá in an air-conditioned vehicle. Transfer Canarana - Aldeia Waurá (Xingu Indio village) by airplane (round trip). Transfer Canarana – Aldeia Etenhiritipa (Xavantes Indio village) by vehicle (round trip). 1 night stop at the Hotel Odara in Cuiabá including breakfast. 2 overnight stays at Araguaia Park-Hotel in Barra do Garças including breakfast. 2 overnight stays at Hotel Raios do Sol in Canarana including breakfast. 2 overnight stays at Araguaia Park-Hotel in Barra do Garças including breakfast3 overnight stays at the Indio village Aldeia Etenhiritipa (plain accommodation, poor sanitary facilities). Drinking water on all trips. Food, water and cook during your stay at the Indio village (6 nights). 2 overnight stays at the Pousada do Parque in Chapada dos Guimarães including breakfast and lunch. If the Pousada do Parque is fully booked (only 8 rooms available) we will re-book to the Hotel Turismo in Chapada. All transfers and tours described above. 24-hour supervision by English-speaking tour guide (Pedro Paulo), the representative of the Xavantes Indios and local tour guide Paulo in the Indio village.
Not included in our prices:
Other beverages, tips and personal expenses Lunch and dinner at local restaurants in Barra do Garças, Canarana und Nova Xavantinas, as described above. Dinner in Chapada dos Guimarães
In front of the so-called man house or council house; only men are allowed there.
Aldeia Waurá
This village is located approximately 298 km (GPS distance) from Canarana, in the midst of the “Parque Indigena do Xingu”. Here live about 320 members of the tribe of the Waurá (Xinguanas). The villagers live mostly on fishing and the cultivation of rice and manioc. While the Indios have contact to civilisation they still continue to preserve and live their culture, customs and traditions. Transfer to the village is only possible by plane and depends on the weather.
Etenhiritipa Village
The village with its 360 inhabitants has only had contact with the outside world for about 60 years. It is located on indigenous land in the district of Canarana, federal state Mato Grosso. The language is Xavante. You spend the night in a simple cabin, in a hammock or sleeping bag.
Left: the chief's son Right: Member of the council of elders
Note:
Please follow the instructions of both the local tour guide and ours. Never go anywhere alone. It is strictly prohibited to bring alcoholic beverages to the Indio reservation! Before the start of the tour you will receive a declaration of commitment that you have to return to us. We also need your complete data such as birth date, address, profession, passport number, vaccination card and a certificate from your doctor (German or English) attesting that you have no contagious diseases.
All prices are assuming that the basic political and economic conditions in Brazil will not change until the start of this tour. Due to exchange rate fluctuation and continually rising gas prices, price changes are reserved.
Itinerary changes due to untoward weather and other causes that we have no influence on remain reserved. The transfer from Canarana to the Indio village via airplane is weather-dependent and may have to be postponed. This can cause waiting periods (in that case you will be provided with food and beverages at the airport in Canarana). There is also a bathroom here. However, please do not panic, this is just a reminder of a situation that might arise; we just want you to be prepared. Up to this point all transfers via plane were executed without major delays.