Basic information on the Pantanal

Poconé, Mato Grosso:

  • Inhabitants: 31.850
  • Distance Cuiabá-Poconé: 100 km
  • Distance to other towns from Poconé:
  • Campo Grande = 900 km
  • São Paulo = 1789 km
  • Brasilia = 1000 km

Festivals:

  • Town anniversary on 21st January
  • Carnival: February/March
  • Exposição Agropecuária - Whitsun
  • Festa do Divino Espirito Santo
  • Dança dos Mascarados: May
  • Festa São Benedito - Cavalhada: June
  • Folklore festival: August
  • Festa da Paróquia: October
  • Festa do Idoso Pantaneiro: November
  • Concurso de Presépio: December
Another interesting event are the cattle auctions in Poconé, which take place on every second Sunday.

You can find more information on the federal state of Mato Grosso, its history, culture, origin, population, economy etc. on the website of our business partner Marco Svalduz (Switzerland) from sabiá brasilinfo.

Climate

The best time to visit the Pantanal is from April/May to mid-November, sometimes even until early December (the climate change has left its marks on the Pantanal as well), when the climate is dry and hot; but the rainy season from late November/early December until March has its attractions too. Beautiful sunsets, a magnificent starry sky and the unique natural spectacle of the largest flood plain in the world make up for the rain.

The best time to watch birds are the months from May to September; anglers should visit in April or May.

Recommended equipment:

A mosquito net is not really necessary, since all accommodations are equipped with fly screens. You should bring sturdy shoes and long pants, strong sunscreen, sunglasses and some kind of headgear. Torches (flashlights) for animal watching at night can be useful, as well as footage and a telephoto lens with a UV filter. Your batteries can easily be charged at any accommodation.

Mosquito protection

Unfortunately, the well-known european mosquito repellents (Autan etc.) have not stood the test. There is a Brazilian one which at least helps a little bit, called Repelex. It is relatively cheap and available in various forms (creme, spray, fluid) at any drugstore or pharmacy in Brazil. Especially in the months from December to March a mosquito repellent is essential. According to some of our customers, there is another very good one: Nobite. It is available as a spray for skin and clothing, apparently clothes can be washed four to five times without being washed. We have not yet tested this repellent ourselves.


Vaccination

The German Institute for Tropical Medicine declares the Pantanal a malaria area, therefore a malaria prophylaxis is recommendable. However, we ourselves have not heard of a single case of malaria in the region in the past 18 years. In any case, a jaundice inoculation is mandatory. You can find more information on this at a tropical institute near you.