Tour 14: Pantanal - Natural treasures against wealth stress13 days/12 nights from/to Cuiabá (offered from late April until mid-November) Brazil possesses a unique nature and animal paradise called the Pantanal. We invite you to experience this fascinating wilderness with us. An incomparable, captivating adventure awaits you; an unforgettable holiday that will help you comprehend your inner relationship with nature. We will take you so close to the fauna of the Pantanal that all your senses will vibrate! The beautiful wilderness in Brazil’s warm climate is not a rigid structure. Flora, fauna, colours, even roads change, which often necessitates spontaneous improvisation. The vivid Pantanal requires knowledgeable, professional travel guides and a respectful and gentle tourism. Hence, this destination does not offer a fixed travel formula but a world full of wonders and surprises. The safest programme is based on flexibility and consideration for nature and the people who want to experience it with us individually. Mass tourism is an atrocity both to us and the Pantanal, which is why we organize ethically sound tours for people travelling in pairs or small groups.  Itinerary:1st to 3rd day (2 nights): Chapada dos GuimarãesOur travel guide picks you up at Cuiabá airport. Drive in an air-conditioned minivan to Chapada dos Guimarães. Here you spend two nights at Pousada Penhasco (the best accommodation in Chapada) and experience the singular beauty of these mesas. After breakfast visit to the national park. During the hike through the highlands you get the opportunity to take a bath under one of the many waterfalls. Visit to the cave of Casa de Pedra (with its underground river), view from Morro de São Jerônimo (860 m), the highest waterfall in the Véu de Noiva region with a height of 86 m, plunging down into a majestic canyon. Lunch and dinner at a local restaurant in the town of Chapada.
3rd to 5th day (2 nights): Pousada do Rio MutumAfter breakfast you set out for the Pousada do Rio Mutum, situated far from the Transpantaneira in a different area of the Pantanal, between the lakes of Sia Mariana and Chacorore in the Barão de Melgaço region. On this trip of approximately four hours you will see a diverse landscape and get your first impressions of the area. For instance, we will drive by a village called Mimoso, which is an important trading location for many indigenous people. After we arrive at the lodge you are informed about the programme for the next few days, and you have the opportunity to explore the environment of the pousada or to use its infrastructure. Afterwards visit to the biggest bird colony in the Pantanal. A five-hour speedboat drive takes you to the colony, which has an almost sacred reputation. From April to October it is populated by thousands of herons, storks, cormorants, European spoonbills and others. For lunch we return to the pousada. In the afternoon, you go on a boat tour on the lakes to see the sunset and to watch the many birds return home to their nesting sites. The breathtaking atmosphere and the landscape are simply unique. After dark, you can almost feel the bats circling over the boat and flashlights will help you see alligators and other nocturnal animals.After dinner you can discuss things and exchange experiences with the expert guides. Enjoy a cozy, interesting evening over a glass of wine, tea or coffee.
5th to 7th day (2 nights): Pousada PiuvalAfter breakfast drive from the Pousada do Rio Mutum to Poconé in an air-conditioned minivan. Here you have lunch with a typically Brazilian family. Right after that you start out on your one-hour flight over the Pantanal (in case of bad weather this may have to be postponed to the next day). A unique experience: the Pantanal from a bird’s eye view. Afterwards drive to the Pousada Piuval (about 20 minutes). Here two overnight stays are scheduled. In the afternoon there will be a few more smaller tours in the vicinity of the lodge on horseback and by boat. After dinner night-time safari to watch nocturnal animals.In the next morning, you rise early to watch the sunrise and see the fauna of the Pantanal awakening. After breakfast and in the afternoon more excursions on horseback and by boat on the nearby Piuval lake are on the itinerary. In the evening another night-time safari to track and watch nocturnal animals.
7th to 9th day (2 nights): Jaguar-Eco lodgeAfter breakfast we start out for the Jaguar-Eco lodge (about 100 km’s drive) on the Transpantaneira, where we make severals stops so you can watch and photograph the animals living near the Transpantaneira. After arrival assignment of rooms and time to settle in. With a bit of luck you are able to spot a population of hyacinth macaws which have been living near this lodge for many years. In the afternoon drive to Porto Jofre, the end of the Transpantaneira (about 40 km). From here you start out on a boat tour to track jaguars. Even in the vicinity of the lodge jaguars have been spotted very frequently (please pay attention to the instructions of your guide at all times). Overnight stay at the lodge.In the evening there will be another night-time safari to watch nocturnal animals. On the next day before breakfast sunrise tour. After breakfast opportunities for cycling or an excursion on foot. After lunch another try to track hyacinth macaws and jaguars, more excursions as well as a night-time safari. -
9th to 11th day (2 nights): Fazenda Santa TerezaAfter breakfast you say goodbye to the Jaguar-Eco lodge and let us take you on 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, macaws and other bird species. In the immediate vicinity of the fazenda you can spot 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. 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. Drive to a lodge close by and extensive excursion on a trail of about 2 km, through a gallery forest to a look-out tower. After dinner night-time drive into the environment of the lodge to watch nocturnal animals, such as caimans, rarely tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), but certainly rufous nightjars (Caprimulgus rufus), common pauraques (Nyctidromus albicollis) and the occasional common potoo (Nyctibius grandis). 11th to 13th day (2 nights): Araras lodgeFrom the Fazenda Santa Tereza we take you to the Araras lodge (ca. 37 km), situated directly by the Transpantaneira. After check-in and lunch, you take a walk to the look-out towers (12 and 25 m high), reached via a wooden bridge in the midst of a gallery forest. From up above you get an impressive view over the nature of the Pantanal. On the tower you can also admire the sunset with its enchanting colours. After dinner night-time safari in the environment of the lodge to track nocturnal animals.On the following day after breakfast you go on a hike to get to know the environment of the lodge. In the afternoon you undertake a ride through the vegetation of the private reservation of the Araras lodge on sturdy horses typical of the Pantanal. After dinner you take a walk to watch the “nightlife“ around the lodge. After breakfast on the next day drive in a “safari truck“ to the Corichao river, located about 4,5 km from the lodge. You take a canoe trip and paddle yourself. Without engine noises, you can watch the fauna a lot better. After lunch at the lodge, transfer to the airport or, as the case may be, additional programme.  Prices:
Performances included in the prices:2 overnight stays at the Pousada Penhasco in Chapada dos Guimarães incl. breakfast (lunch and dinner at a regional restaurant in Chapada incl.)2 overnight stays at the Pousada Rio do Mutum with full board 2 overnight stays at the Pousada Piuval with full board 2 overnight stays at the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge with full board 2 overnight stays at the Fazenda Santa Tereza with full board 2 overnight stays at the Araras-Lodge with full board Lunch in a typically Brazilian family in Pocone on the 3rd day 1-hour sightseeing flight on the 3rd or 4th day All accommodations with air conditioning, bathroom/shower, swimming pool All transfers and excursions by car, on horseback, on foot or by boat 24-hour support by English-speaking travel guide Not included in the prices:Beverages, tips, personal expensesEquipment:Appropriate footwear (light hiking shoes), long jeans or trekking pants, long-sleeved shirt or blouse, t-shirts and shirts for sleeping, hat, cap or head cloth, sunscreen and mosquito protection. No black clothes, since black attracts mosquitoes. Sweatshirt, sweater or fleece jacket from June to September, since it can get very cold at night. Jaundice inoculation strongly recommended.Note:Programme changes reserved due to weather and particularly flight schedules (arrival/departure and order of accommodations). Price changes expressly reserved due to fluctuating exchange rates and organisation and security reasons. Timely booking required, since the smaller accommodations are usually fully booked for months in advance.© by Günter Stysch © by Ingo Schulz |
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