Blogs from Mato Grosso, Brazil, South America - page 3

Three years ago, I was introduced to the inimitable (and slightly insane) Sahil Nijhawan while interviewing potential roommates for a three-bedroom apartment in New York City. During our first meeting, Sahil told me a funny story that, when he was a child in India, he would only breast-feed when he was around animals, forcing his parents to find strays on the streets whenever he was hungry. I knew then that we would be good friends. Shortly after becoming roommates, he and I made a pact to collaborate on a film project that would combine my interest in documentary filmmaking with his interest in wildlife conservation (at the time, I was working at National Geographic Television and he was working for a big-cat conservation agency called Panthera). Now, hundreds of miles into the Brazilian Pantanal, we were ... read more

I have never seen more mosquitoes in my life than in the Pantanl. Quinn got bit over a hundred times ( On her left leg!) The Pantanl is a wetland region about the size of Missouri spanning southwest Brazil and part of Paraguary. I did not really know what to expect before we got there. I was told that it is one of the best areas to see wildlife and is famous place to watch birds. All this is true but what I did not real realize is that area is essentially a huge swamp, hence all the mosquitoes. From Foz de Iguazu, Brazil we arranged for a 3 day and 2 night stay in the Pantanal at the farm Pousada Santa Clara, which is about 2 hours southeast of Corumba. To get there required 14 ... read more

Today was a whole day in Pantanal. Breakfast was beautiful (fruit, bread, cheese, ham, juice and a yummy cake made from Manioc). We then ventured onto the water in a boat / canoe for a few hours. It was fantastic. We saw everything from caiman, kingfishers (4 out of the 5 in the Pantanal), toucans, herons, piranhas, otters (giant river and neo tropical) and some very rare sightings and photo opportunities of other birds. After lunch (and siesta) we were onto the horses. Jess isn’t keen on riding without helmets, so it was a bit scary at first, but she warmed to it. On the horses we saw land turtles, marsh deer, woodpeckers and armadillos (ran off very quick though!!). Upon returning, Capybara’s were right at the lodge, so great photos were taken, even with the ... read more

The Pantanal is a massive wetland located pretty much in the middle of South America, mostly in the west of Brazil. It floods on a seasonal basis and is now in the dry season which meant we didn't get to see it in all it's glory but it is the best time for spotting jaguars and it meant we didn't have to wade through chest height water with swarms of mosquitos. This time the flights were cheaper than buses so we flew from Rio via Sao Paulo to Campo Grande, one of the gateways to the Pantanal. Unfortunately David's bag did not arrive with us. Bit of a pain really, but if there's anywhere you can get by with just the clothes on your back it's the jungle! The tour company we went with arranged to ... read more

From Brazilia we took an overnight bus to Cuiaba hoping to organise a tour into the Pantanal. The Pantanal is a huge wetland area - the biggest wetlands in the world. Its rich in wildlife particularly birds. For about 4 months of the year the land is flooded. This has preserved the area from too much human settlement. The long distance buses are excellent (they need to be with a country this big). Comfy seats that recline right back, toilets, air con and frequent stops for meals. The food that we have met so far is interesting even the bus stops have “per kilo” buffets where you load your plate up then have it weighed at the till. There is always a good selection to chose from with salads, vegetable dishes as well as plenty of ... read more