Tour 4: Day trips to the Indios (Day Use)9 days/8 nights from/to Cuiabá - possible from May to November2 persons minimum, 10 persons maximum
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 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 an abbreviated, combined vesion of Tour 1 and Tour 2 of our Indio tours. You will not spend the night in the Indio village, instead you will only visit them on a day trip (all-day tour).
1st day: Arrival in Cuiabá -
Transfer to the Hotel OdaraAfter 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.
4th day: Canarana -
Aldeia EtenhiritipaAfter 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 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 (from where you get a view over the whole village).
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).
You go back to Canarana and spend the rest of the day in the town. The night you spend at the Hotel Raios do Sol. |
 |
 |
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 (only on their invitation, can not be guaranteed).
 |
 |
 |
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 your tour guide.
 |
 |
5th - 6th day: Aldeia Waurá - Canarana
In the late afternoon you fly back to Canarana and spend the remainder of the evening in the town. You spend the night at the Hotel Raios do Sol.6th - 7th day: Barra do Garças (1 night)
After breakfast you go to Barra do Garças. On the way you have lunch at a local restaurant. Arrival in Barra do Garças in the afternoon, opportunity for tour of the city. The rest of the afternoon is free. You spend the night at the Araguaia-Park Hotel.7th - 9th day: Barra do Garças - Chapada dos Guimarães (2 nights)
After breakfast you go from Barra do Garças to Chapada dos Guimarães, where you will spend two nights at the Pousada do Parque. Here you can relax in peace and process the experiences of the past few days. 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 (not mandatory). 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.
 |
 |
9th 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.Route map
 |
 |
What you should take with you:
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.).
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 the “tourist gouging” common in the big cities. The Xingu Indios in particular are known for their brisk trade.
 |
 |
Prices apiece:
| Tour 4: Day trips |
2 persons |
3-4 persons |
5-6 persons |
|---|---|---|---|
9 days/8 night | 2395,00 € | 2275,00 € | 2165,00
€ |
| single room premium | 600,00 € | 8 nights at | the Hotel |
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 night stops at the Araguaia Park Hotel in Barra do Garças including breakfast.
3 night stops at the Hotel Raios do Sol in Canarana including breakfast.
Drinking water on all trips.
Food, drinking water and cook during your stay in the Indio village.
2 night stops at the Pousada do Parque in Chapada dos Guimarães including breakfast and lunch. If the Pousada do Parque is fully booked (there are only 8 rooms available), we will rebook to the Hotel Turismo in Chapada.
All tours described above.
24-hour guidance by English-speaking tour guide (Pedro Paulo), as well as the representative of the Waurá Indios (Xingu) and the local guide Paulo in the Indio village of the Xavantes.
Not included are:
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 |
 |
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. |
 |
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.
 |
 |
Texts and photographs on this site are protected by copyright:
© by Pantanal-/Amazonas-Tours