Tour 11: all in one package

14 days/13 nights (only from Marchl - middle of December)

1st to 3rd day (2 nights): Chapada dos Guimarães

Our travel guide will pick you up at Cuiabá airport and take you to Chapada dos Guimarães in an air-conditioned minivan or car (depending on the number of travellers). Here you will spend two nights at Pousada Penhasco (or a different but similar lodge in Hotel Turismo) and experience the unique beauty of the local table mountains. After breakfast visit to the national park. During the hike through the highlands you will get many a chance to take a shower under one of the many waterfalls. Walk to the cave of “Casa de Pedra” (with its subterranean river), view from “Morro de São Jerônimo” (836 m), and to the highest waterfall in the area, “Véu de Noiva”, plunging down 96 m into a majestic canyon.

3th to 5th day (2 nights): Pousada Piuval

After breakfast you say goodbye to Chapada and take the 170 km to Poconé. You are a guest in the house of Dona Dalva and Senhor Antonio, having lunch with a typically Brazilian family. Here you get the opportunity to freshen up a bit. Right after that, you start out on your sightseeing flight over Pantanal. A unique experience: seeing Pantanal from a bird’s eye view. Afterwards drive to Pousada Piuval (about 20 minutes’ ride). Here, two overnight stays with full board are scheduled. In the afternoon we offer more tours in the vicinity of the lodge, either on horseback or by boat. After dinner nighttime safari watching nocturnal animals.

In the next morning you rise early to witness the sun rising and the awakening of the Pantanal fauna. After breakfast more trips on horseback or by boat on the nearby Lake Piuval are on the schedule; same programme in the afternoon. In the evening another nighttime safari tracking and watching nocturnal animals. Overnight stay at Pousada Piuval.

5th to 7th day: Pousada Rio Claro (2 nights)

A trip by horse is offered after breakfast to watch the animal kingdom in the vicinity of the lodge. After that, ride along the Transpantaneira to the Pousada Rio Claro. This lodge is designed as the climax of the whole tour and offers a vast amount of observation options which can only be sketched here in short. It lays directly at the river Rio Claro, embedded in a nearly untouched and diverse landscape.

At the river many kinds of Kingfishers (Chloroceryle), Agami Herons (Agamia agami), Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus savana), Trinidad Piping-guans (Aburria pipile), Toco Toucans (Ramphastos toco) and Giant Otters can be watched! Near by you will find a gallery forest which many birds like the Blue-crowned Trogon (Trogon curucui), the Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda), the Golden-collared Macaw (Ara auricollis), the Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus commersoni), the Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus) or the Great Rufous Woodcreeper (Xiphocolaptes major) call “home”.

Fotos urheberrechtlich geschützt: ©Günter Ziesler

7th to 9th day: Jaguar-Eco-Lodge (2 nights)

First a, sunrise tour before breakfast - to experience the awakening of the animal world in the Pantanal. After breakfast, you will take a trekking tour or a boat trip. Then, lunch in the pousada. After that, you take a ride along the Transpantaneira to the Jaguar-Eco Lodge, the starting point for the jaguar excursions. In the afternoon, in the vicinity of the lodge, you will take an excursion on foot. After dinner, you will take a tour to search for nocturnal animals (depending on the weather).

Next day, after getting up at 5:00 AM, take a drive to Porto Jofre, the end point of the Transpantaneira. Following your arrival here, you will have breakfast. After that, a boat trip (approx. five hours) begins, which takes you deep into the Cerrado, into the heart of a pristine natural landscape – in the vicinity of the Rio Tres Irmãos, Rio São Lourenço and the Rio Piquiri to search for jaguars here. At approximately noon, we return by boat to Porto Jofre, where you will have a picnic lunch. After lunch, we drive back to the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge. Dinner (followed by overnight stay) in the Lodge.

9th to 11th day (2 nights): Fazenda Santa Tereza

After breakfast you say goodbye to the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge and take along the Transpantaneira to the Fazenda Santa Tereza. This fazenda is preferably visited by ornithologists and biologists, since here people have tried in the past few years to recreate the old habitats of, mainly, aras and other bird species. In the immediate vicinity of the fazenda, you can find swarms of hyacinth macaws (Andorohynchus hyacinthinus).

Other animal species such as the toco toucan (Ramphastos toco), the American rhea (Rhea americana), the jabiru (Jabiru mycteria) coatis, raccoons and giant anteaters (Nasua nasua, Procyon lotor, Myrmecophaga tridactyla), capibaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), giant otters (Lontra longicaudis) and large gatherings of caimans are often to be found here. On a horseback ride in the morning, you can spot Black Skimmers (Rynchops niger) catching fish in ponds. They are constantly scouring the pools for food. This fazenda is a must-see for nature lovers and photographers and offers a wide range of activities!

Next up is an excursion in the afternoon, to forest islands with diverse trees that are exclusive to this area. After dinner night-time drive into the environment of the lodge to watch nocturnal animals, such as caimans, rarely tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), but certainly Rufus Nightjars (Caprimulgus rufus), Common Pauraques (Nyctidromus albicollis) and the occasional Common Potoo (Nyctibius grandis).

11th to 13th day (2 nights): Curicaca-Lodge

After breakfast Go to the Pousada Pouso Alegre with many stops at the Transpantaneira. This Fazenda is preferred by ornithologists and pays a visit to biologists since you have a try here especially for macaws and other bird ways within the last few years to produce old day rooms again. In an immediate proximity of the Fazenda whole swarms have to be watched by Hyazinth macaws (Andorohynchus hyacinthinus).

Other species of animals like Giant Toucan (Ramphastos toco), Rhea (Rhea Americana), Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), noses, wash and great anteaters (Nasua nasua, Procyon lotor, Myrmecophaga tridactyla), Water Pigs (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) giant Otters (Lontra longicaudis) and great collections of caymans have to be watched frequently here.

American Scissor Beaks (Rynchops Niger) can be seen at her raids on fish at a morning ride at rest ponds. They steadily comb through the complete pond for food. This Fazenda is must and offers as described above, various fields of activity, one for nature lovers and photographers!

After dinner night journey to the surroundings: Caymans, possible Tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) in all cases but rust night Swallow (Caprimulgus Rufus), Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis) and perhaps the day Sleeper "Common Potoo" (Nyctibius grandis).

13th to 14th day (1 night): Hotel SESC - Porto Cercado

After breakfast you horse riding tour in the area of the farm. Lunch at the Lodge. After Lunch you drive to
Porto Cercado at the Hotel SESC. Here you can relaxing at the swimming pool. Dinner in the Hotel. The next day, depending your flight Transfer to the Airport.

Note:

The tours are adapted to the local conditions, changes of the programme are left. A punctual booking is required since the Hotel SESC and the Refúgio Ilha do Caracará are booked up already months in advance.

Prices:

Participant	2 pers. DBL	3 pers. TPL	4 pers. 2 DBL	6 pers. 3 DBL
Prices per person	2275,00 €	1995,00 €	1775,00 €	1595,00 €

_{All prices valid until 23.12.2010. DBL = double room, TPL = 3-bed-room}

Performances included in the prices:

24-hour support by trained biologist (English speaking).
All transfers, journeys in the air-conditioned minibus, incl. all petrol costs.
All tours by car, to foot by horse and by boat.
2 overnight stay in the Pousada Penhasco in Chapada dos Guimarães with full board, but lunch and dinner in an typical local restaurant in Chapada.
Lunch in a typically Brazilian family in Poconé.
2 overnight stay at the Pousada Piuval with full board.
2 overnight stay at the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge with full board.
2 overnight stay at the Pousada Rio Claro with full board.
2 overnight stay at the Fazenda Santa Tereza in the Pantanal with full board.
2 overnight stay at the Curicaca-Lodge with full board.
1 overnight stay in the hotel SESC (luxury) in Porto Cercado (Pantanal) with dinner/breakfast.
All accommodations with air conditioner, bath/shower, Swimmingpool (except for Pouso Alegre, here no Swimmingpool), city centre tour of Cuiabá, approximately 1-hour sightseeing flight about the Pantanal in a Cessna (3 passengers per airplane) as of/at Fazenda Santa Tereza.

Are not included in the prices:

Request regarding journey