Blogs from Pantanal, Brazil, South America - page 3

We have been to so many amazing places since i´ve last blogged. It seems like forever ago since the last blog because we have done so much stuff. We left Argentina went to the Pantanal in Brazil and now we are in Bolivia. Ok to start from the last blog we headed up to Iguazu falls. This was a very long bus ride but we rode on the first class seats so it wasn´t so bad. When we got to Iguazu we found it to be even hotter then all the places we were before but this was because it had a high humidity. Thankfully our hostel had a pool for us to cool off in. The falls were absolutely spectacular. These falls seem so much bigger then Niagra falls for anyone that´s been there. The ... read more

The Pantanal, a largely flat, wetland area about half the size of France and told by our guide one of the best places in the continent for observing wildlife. The area is sparsely populated and what few roads exist are in poor condition. We take a 4-wheel-drive vehicle to get into the area, the journey is rough to travel and more rustic accommodation (hammocks). This vast wetland area is seasonally flooded by the Paraguay River from October to March and we were very lucky to visit during the dry season to see what the wild life had to offer, rich in bird life such as macaws and Jabiru storks. We were also lucky enough spot capivara, howler monkeys, caiman, giant river otters, anacondas and anteaters among the rare wildlife here. We take a two-day wildlife excursion ... read more

We arrived in Sucre (2800m asl) late afternoon with the sun shining yippee! We checked into our nice hotel in the centre of town after our seven hour bus journey. We went out for dinner in a place where you could watch movies so we saw a film about the working conditions of the Potosi silver mine we had visited called "Devil Miner". Next day we took the opportunity to get our laundry done and chill in a restaraunt balcony and have a look around the city and sit in the sun, gladly away from the cold at last! The second day eight of us had booked a mountain bike tour for the majority of the day for a measly twenty pounds. This was "real" mountainbiking in that it was offroad and on a mountain! We ... read more

Day 1 We left Cuiaba for a five day tour of the Northern Pantanals in southwest Brazil, booked through Pantanal Nature Tours (info@wildbrazilpantanaltourguide.com) Our short drive along the Transpantaneira took us past the most amazing wildlife, including dozens of different types of birds, some of which we have not encountered on our travels before. Perhaps the most amazing bird was the Jabiru, the symbolic bird for the Pantanals. It’s big (as tall as Amy), with a bright red band on its neck, and it even flies. We spotted two Jabirus up a tree sitting on their nest which was also inhabited by green parrots. There were kingfishers everywhere, hawks, kites, heron, egrets (snowy and great) and more. On each side of the Transpantaneira were lakes and streams filled with lilies, and vast grassy farmlands. In the ... read more

So after finishing up on Brazil´s sunny coastline, we took three buses (over a period of 31 hours) to a place in the south of the country called Bonito. The plan was to stay two days in Bonito and then spend four days in the Pantanal (a large wetland area on the border of Bolivia, the size of France). The first day in Bonito was all about recovery. The second involved heading out to the Rio da Prata to spend the day snorkling down the river, checking out the wildlife of the area. As you would expect we saw a lot of fish. The big fish (30cm to 1m), most of the time, kept their distance, however the small fish (5cm) were quite happy to come up to you and have a taste. Tracy found this ... read more