Wildlife spotting in the Pantanal
About this Adventure
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Duration: Customisable
Price: Customisable
Discover one of Brazil’s hidden gems.
For many of us when we think of Brazil we think of Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon, Carnival, football and Copacabana beach but we rarely think of the Pantanal despite the fact it is the largest freshwater wetlands in the world and home to some amazing and unusual wildlife.
Brazil’s other natural wonder, the Amazon, has a similar biodiversity, but there among the rainforest, it is hard to pick out the individual animals and sometimes the undergrowth is so dense you could miss an animal even if it were mere metres from you. Conversely, here in the Pantanal, animals are far easier to spot and identify.
The biggest draws to the area are the jaguar, the third largest of the big cats, and the anaconda, the 5m long snakes which are the stuff of nightmares. There is, however, far more to see than just these two and some of them are almost unbelievable. The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, is the size of a pig – who knew the Princess Bride was so prescient with its ROUSs (Rodents of Unusual Size), while the birdlife is second to none; toucans, macaws and vultures are easily spotted in trees.
This is the fact that is most striking, the wildlife is just there, you don’t need to seek it out, wherever you look you see a weird and wonderful animal, a giant anteater here, a caiman waiting by the side of the road. It’s unbelievable. Pantanal tours can be organised through Pure Brasil.
See what else Pure Brasil have to offer in this amazing country below:
‘The thought of a brand new day spent interacting with nature, or rather, reintegrating with it, is what drives most of us as travellers. We at Venturas Aventuras look to enrich this contact by offering you a wide range of destinations here in Brazil. On the Atlantic coast of Maranhão lies Lençóis Maranhenses, a protected area of incredible natural beauty. It’s an almost unreal landscape made up of fresh water lagoons tucked between seemingly infinite dunes of pure white sand. Within the metropolitan disctrict of Rio, the Tijuca Forest National Park is home to the famous statue of Christ The Redeemer. However, the forest itself covers an immense area and hides many other treasures awaiting the more adventurous traveller. Wildlife lovers have the chance to make their dreams come true and spot a jaguar in the Pantanal
perhaps catch sight of migrating whales off the coast of southern state, Santa Catarina. Mountains, caves and waterfalls are among the attractions in the nationals parks; Chapada Diamantina, Chapada dos Veadeiros and the Chapada dos Guimarães.
Encounter crystal clear water and incredible diving in the sea around the islands of Fernando de Noronha, 400km from the coast of Recife. The rivers of Bonito in the south of the Pantanal also offer spectacularly clear water suitable for snorkelling and coming into close contact with nature. The Atlantic Rain Forest is more accessible than you might imagine as it stretches along the coast from Rio to São Paulo including Ilha Grande, Parati, Ilha Bela and São Sebastião. All of this and we haven’t even mentioned the Amazon and the explosive force of Iguazu Falls.’
