RETURN TO THE SOUTHERN PANTANALS

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On Amy’s birthday morning we were up and at the bus station by 5.30am, then on a bus to the Pantanals again.

This time we stayed at Pousada Santa Clara, a Hostel International place, another 15km along the Pantanal Road.

As soon as we got there, Amy was ready to start celebrating her 6th Birthday. We gave her cards and presents and she was as excited as if she were having a birthday party at home. In fact she was even more grateful for every little gift she received, which was very sweet.

Just outside the restaurant there was a Toucan sitting on the tree, being thrown bits of banana from one of the staff.

On the roof of the restaurant there was a scarlet macaw, also very tame and presumably fed by the staff too. While they were wild birds, they came back regularly for easy snacks.

Among the other wildlife and birds around the pousada were White & Black Woodpeckers, Blackfaced Parrots, Parakeets, Wild Pigs, Deer, countless Caracara and other birds.

We took a hike that afternoon with our guide, Luiz, and a couple of nice guys from Brisbane, Danny & Jeff. Didn’t see a great deal but the walk was pleasant enough.

Next morning we did a boat trip down the river, spotting birds and animals. Again there were lots of kingfishers on this stretch of the river.

That afternoon we took off on the jeep to do a Safari and hike along the Pantanal Road. In addition to birds and animals we’d seen before, there were Golden-crested Macaw, Hyacinth Macaws and a Yellow Armadillo. After an enjoyable few hours we stopped the jeep and watched another magical sunset.

The next morning’s activity was a horseride. I declined this time, but Andy & Amy went off with the group. Amy was put on the most adorable pony called Mushroom - it was so short legged, but perfect for her. She was as confident as ever and did her best at riding the pony properly.

We declined the river tubing that afternoon and went walking on our own. The highlight of the walk was us all sitting watching a few meters away from a Campo Flicker Woodpecker as he fed on the ground, he wasn’t shy at all.

On our departure day we did another boat trip, this time up river. We were delighted when we were joined by two giant otters, playing near the rivers edge. For the first time we also saw a few Pygmy Kingfishers which are notoriously hard to spot.

That morning it rained a lot and turned the roads to mud. That made our 25km journey to the top of the road very difficult (made almost impossible when the truck broke down too!).

As we were leaving we saw 100s of woodstorks and a few spoonbills in the trees along the drive (why weren’t they there the day before when we were walking?!). We finally got to the top of the road with our van awaiting.

Then off to Campo Grande for the night.

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Photos

Amy 6th Birthday Cake
A peanut and toffee creation (we had to improvise!)