Tour 1: Life with the Xavantes10 days/9 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 Indio tribes in Brazil in the village of Aldeia Etenhiritipa, in the state of Mato Grosso. Visit the people of 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.
This tour is a visiting itinerary to the Xavantes Indios, an indigenous tribe that has only in the past few decades attempted to carefully open itself to the so-called civilised world. In cooperation with SENAC (an institute for tourism) they are now looking for a way to preserve their way of thinking and of life, to make it public and to promote social appreciation for it. The visiting itinerary is the result of a long process of exchange, reflection and looking ahead; not least of all it is testimony to the historically ingrained reservation towards the Warazu (the strangers).
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.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 - 7th day (3 nights): 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).
7th day: Chapada dos Guimarães mit Übernachtung in Barra do GarçasIn the morning of the 7th day you go back to Barra do Garças. You have lunch on the way and dinner in Barra do Garças. Night stop at the Araguaia Park-Hotel in Barra do Garças.8th - 10th day 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.
10th day: Chapada dos Guimarães - CuiabáDepending 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 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.
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.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).
Prices apiece:
The following services are included in our prices:Transfer airport Cuiabá – Hotel Odara – Flughafen Cuiabá, depending on arrival time tour of the city1 overnight stay at Hotel Odara in Cuiabá including breakfast 2 overnight stays at Araguaia Park-Hotel in Barra do Garças including breakfast 1 overnight stay at Hotel Raios do Sol in Canarana including breakfast 3 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 (3 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 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.Etenhiritipa VillageThe 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.
Texts and photographs on this site are protectected © by Pantanal-/Amazonas-Tours |
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