Ueso Fazenda Pantanal

... It was dry season though so besides a few lakes, it was mostly grassland and didn´t look much like a swamp at all. <br>We had a great night of sleep in our hammocks. The next day, we went on a safari. First stop was a lot of alligators. Loads. We managed to get pretty close for some photos, helped by the fact that they don´t move much. We also saw some weird oversized guinea pig things. Not sure what they´re called but they are ...

... the planet. These strange supersized cousins of the rat are as big as a large dog. They're funny looking beasts who seem completely fearless of humans. They roam in large family groups and are absolutely everywhere in the Pantanal, swimming in the waters and slowly waddling on dry ground. In the early afternoon I stoped off at a Pousada for a good hearty lunch and then went out in a small boat for a few hours, drifting down the beautiful little river ...

... pas!) ou encore marcher pied-nus dans les marecages en suivant johnny l'indien, notre guide otochtone qui nous garantit que c'est la meilleure technique pour sentir l'anaconda lorsqu'on marche dessus.... Mais rien, meme pas une trace, ce n'etait juste pas mon jour. Pas mon jour non plus quand les touristes du bateau qui nous suivait ont pu apercevoir l'espace de 2sec un jaguar se ruer sur la rive pour ...

... for a few which the guide caught and kept for dinner. A few hours later we returned to camp, stopping on the way for the boys to have a swim but in the safer part of the river - the red river is full of piranhas and so not safe for swimming but the other river is wider and so the piranhas apparently don't need to attack as the have plenty of food! After dinner (piranha soup for starters) we went on a night boat ride to look for Cayman. There is something about ...

... on our arrival to Campo Grande. Having just arrived, all eager and raring for some adventure, we stepped off the bus. Amidst the jostling herds of wild men offering tours accidents rather than adventure found us first. Under pressure from the tour guides Sam managed to slip off the station platform (about 3 ft high) and came crashing down on her ankle under the weight of her backpack - do not underestimate the weight of this backpack). Her ankle ...

... the wetland, bird spotting by foot, night time excursion to see nocturnal animals, fishing expedition, camp fire. The lodge grew mangoes, papaya, limes, tamarinds (heaven for me!) I like The Pantanal and the lodge - though the weather could be a bit humid (glad didn't come here in wet season, what with the leeches!) Rather thrilling to be fishing for piranhas for dinner! Managed to catch 2 piranhas! Their teeth are really sharp! There were a couple of ...

Having left the beautiful relaxing slow way of life of Paraty, we were on the road again heading for the jungle, the Pantanal wetlands! We had to get 3 different buses including one overnight bus, but we eventually arrived in the small town of Miranda 30 hours after we had left Paraty. A little tired and dirty we located our guide at the bus stop and headed back to his house. At this point we were unsure what to expect. We had looked long and hard to find a ...

What an icredible four days in the gorgeous region of mid-western Brasil, The Pantanal. But it was quite a journey to get there first! Spent the morning wandering around the near deserted streets of Foz. Saw a cute street market and Paraguay across the river. Caught the 14 hour bus to Campo Grande in the evening. Day 1 - Monday 21st April: Arrived after some sleep on the bus, had a shower and breakfast at the Ecological Expeditions Hostel then jumped ...

Bonito is a tiny little tourist town in the middle of nowhere, but there is plenty to do! On our first night we went out to dinner to try the local meats ... caiman (alligator), capibura (giant rodent, looks like very big wombat, check out the Pantanal photos) and white lipped piccary (wild pig). Caiman was very chewy, the pig was extremely salty but the capibura was nice ... but it may have has something to do with the bacon that was wrapped around it! Its not the ...

Sylvia from Open Door Tur arrived right on time and took us for the 3.5 hour drive to Refugio Ecologico Caiman. We were met on arrival by the staff and immediately shown to a room near the swimming pool at Sede Lodge. Everyone was very friendly and they explained about the board with the tours and activities. They divide everyone into two groups-yellow (English) and blue (Portuguese). A buffet ...