What to see in Brazil: 140 kilometers of the wildest adventure
If you like things in their place, you will have a bad time in Pantanal. On the other hand, if you read García Márquez, you should come. Pantanal is magical realism applied to nature. It's not that jaguars dance bossa nova and alligators traffic in gold teeth, but this wetland that stretches across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay looks like something out of One hundred years of loneliness. Which makes it the ideal destination for the traveler who is not afraid of losing his suitcase.
The suitcase, after all, is for those who return. And here it is not possible to back down. Whoever wants civilized fauna should choose the Madrid Zoo. And whoever prefers ordered flora should visit Holland. You are not one of those, of course, but if you come to Pantanal keep in mind that you will meet a wild habitat that will make you question the importance of pajamas.
Pantanal, the great wetland of Brazil
Listed as the largest freshwater wetland on the planet, Pantanal is the preferred tourist destination for those who arrive in South America in search of green emotions. The wetland has a low density of inhabitants. There are, according to the Andalusian eye, a million trees per person. In the rainy season, the natives use boats or pantaneira breed horses to bridge the enormous distances of this protected area of 220,000 square kilometers.
Getting here is relatively easy. In Cuiaba, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso and gateway to the North Pantanal area, you have the possibility of renting a car and visiting the more than 140 kilometers from the Transpantaneira, a dirt track that connects Poconé with Porto Jofre. On the way you will cross more than 120 wooden bridges.
The wooden bridges are distinctive of the Transpantaneira
Along this path, Nattule offers you 6 adventures so you can be Pantanal meat:
1. You wait until dawn or dusk to observe wildlife
The dry season, which runs from June to October, is the best time to observe wildlife. The lowering of the water level facilitates the movement across the plains of most large wild mammals and also other species. Thus, birds like the hyacinth macaw, the jabirú and the rhea and other mammals such as the capybara, the anteater, the swamp deer, the tapir and the maned wolf are easy to distinguish. To see anacondas, giant otters and jaguars, we must wait until evening falls. They don't do well with heat.
Hyacinth macaws browsing from a log
From 5 in the morning until 10 at night you will have the opportunity to see all kinds of animals, whether on foot or by jeep. A good option is to start from Cuiabá and take the road that takes you to Poconé, located 100 kilometers away. Shortly after leaving this town behind, the road gives way to a dirt track known as the Transpantaneira. You won't have to drive more than a kilometer to find yourself immersed in the Pantanal, where you will begin to see a large number of birds and capybaras.
Group of capybaras fleeing the heat
2. Pantaneiro horse ride at dawn
On the back of one of these horses you will be able to reach flooded areas that are impossible to reach if you go on foot, by off-road vehicle or by boat. Most places to stay in Pantanal Norte offer this type of guided excursions. In the section from Cuiabá to Poconé the offer for this type of activities is wide. Accompanied by a local guide, the most experienced riders will be able to ride through the flooded meadows in the rainy season. If, on the other hand, you are not very experienced in these matters, the dry season is more recommended for you.
The horse is the best option in the rainy season
Don't forget to wear appropriate clothing, mosquito repellent, boots and a hat.
3. Fishing ecotourism in the den of piranhas
The Pantanal wetland also stands out for its richness of river fish species. Specifically, there are around a quarter of a thousand cohabitants, which means that there is a greater variety of freshwater fish than in the entire old European continent. Bait is allowed. In the Cuiabá rivers and Pixaim there is a deep-rooted fishing tradition. In the small town of Barão de Melgaço, on the banks of the Cuiabá River and less than two hours by car from the capital of Mato Grosso, fishing is one of the economic engines of the region.
A beautiful picture of the sunset over the Cuiabá River
A guided tour of the corixos (local word to designate the temporary channels formed during the rainy season), such as the Moquém, Corixão or the Corixo Verde, is the best option to understand the intricate and delicate cycle that the waters must carry out annually for the maintenance of this ecosystem.
If you also want to know other values of the Pantaneira culture, taste typical local dishes such as piranha broth, or painted and pacúes cooked in a traditional way.
4. Pantaneira expedition
Walking excursions, during the dry season and with an experienced guide, are another great opportunity for you to get to know the different environments that make up the Pantanal and are the way to have a direct contact with flora and fauna. You must be attentive to the spectacle represented by the very high concentration of alligator caimans, which will undoubtedly make you feel that you are in a territory where the adjective wild is too small.
Alligator caimans resting in the sun
One of these expeditions will take you along the riverbed clear river, 40 kilometers from Poconé. There, from a wooden platform built on a tree, you can observe the Pantanal landscape in 360०; from the tropical forests around the river to the savanna. If you are an early riser, you will enjoy the magnificent sunrise over the Pantanal.
On foot you can find spectacular corners
5. Camping with the pantaneiros and their cattle retinues
The local ranchers of the Claro River have two annual appointments obligatory marked by the season. In the cattle processions you will accompany the pantaneiros in the search for the most favorable areas for the cattle and you will collaborate in their daily work. Separating livestock and helping to mark and cure animals will be some of the tasks that will be assigned to you.
Local man guiding cattle through the Transpantaneira
After the day, you will camp in Full nature, you will talk with the ranchers and enjoy a typical Pantaneira dinner sitting next to a bonfire, under a starry, almost white sky.
6. Night canoe safari
Between Poconé and Porto Jofre you can take canoe trips and navigate the Pixaim or Claro rivers, where the fauna is the protagonist. If you want to observe the largest cat in America, you should go along the Transpantaneira to the crossroads of the Cuiabá, Três Irmãos and Piquiri rivers, on the edge of Porto Jofre.
Scanning from the canoe in search of fauna
In this place, located in the Foundo das Águas State Park, resides the largest population of jaguars of the world. Taking a stealthy canoe ride to find the quiet shores at dawn is the best way to try to observe the king of these jungles.
Jaguar walks cautiously along the banks of the Piquiri River (Wild Brazil)
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In Pantanal you will pinch yourself, not to check if you are dreaming, but to stay awake in the face of so much greatness. Pantanal is a fight of all against all. Plants, birds, rain, fish, ponds, reptiles, lagoons, felines and wetlands collide here with each other as if they were participating in a gang fight. Pantanal clarifies how much of a republic there is in the animal kingdom.
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