The Pantanal, the largest inland wetland in the world, is one of the most pristine and biologically rich environments on the planet. With more than 400 species of fish, 80 species of mammals, at least 50 different reptiles and 650 types of birds, it is a paradise for twitchers, wildlife spotters and lovers of fishing. Many Pantanal fazendas [ranches] and pousadas [hotels] in Brazil organise different types of wildlife excursions to see it all.
Traditional Pantaneira Lifestyle at Pantanal Fazendas in Brazil
Ninety-nine percent of the Pantanal wetlands are private property. It is divided among a large number of fazendas – cattle-breeding ranches. The never-ending battle for decent cattle prices has forced many fazenda owners to turn or expand their fazenda into a pousada: lodging for tourists.
Traditional Pantanal fazendas may offer an interesting way to get an insight into the pantaneira lifestyle. Cattle ranching has existed in the Pantanal for more than 200 years and the area is largely ruled by vaqueiros, or pantaneiros – the Pantanal cowboys.
Cowboys and Traditional Dishes of the Pantanal
Pantaneiros are impressive to watch with their furrowed faces under wide sombreros and their rough and callused hands that leisurely hold the reigns or rests on their thigh. They always carry a knife tucked behind their back, sometimes held in place by a cummerbund. They sit high and proudly on their horses leading the cattle from one field to the next.
At the Pantanal fazendas traditional Brazilian food consists of rice and beans [fesjão], dried beef and pork dishes with manioc. For dessert they have sweet dishes made of fruits or doce de leite, a sweet made from milk, as well as fruit-based desserts.
Wildlife Trips to the Pantanal Wetlands
The best time of the day to watch wildlife is around sunrise and sunset. Many fazendas organise trail hikes with a guide to spot and identify wildlife such as different types of deer, boars, capybaras [large guinea pig], coatis [racoons] and maybe even an giant anteater. Large birds like the blue and yellow macaws chant and shriek, and share the treetops with toucans and many other bird species.
Depending on the area one is awakened by a jungle serenade of jacarés, caimans that inhabit the Pantanal's wetlands by the thousands, or of the monkeys that inhabit the forests. Jacarés live side by side with the giant otter, the anaconda [huge snake], and water birds like herons, kingfishers and the giant jabiro stork – called tuiuiu – that grows up to 1.6 metres tall.
Other wildlife excursions may be horseback rides, four-wheel drive safaris, night spotting excursions [owls, tapirs], canoe trips or fishing trips. Streams are filled with piranhas, which are easily caught and when prepared as a fried dish with seasoning of garlic, salt and lemon, a true delicacy of the Pantanal is tasted and savoured.
If the traveller is mainly, or only, interested in a wildlife trip by boat, with or without fishing, Corumbá may be the best place to organise transportation.
Accommodation at Pantanal Fazendas
Make sure to check out the kind of facilities before booking a fazenda. Some are remote, situated in the heart of the Pantanal and may lack amenities like hot water or Internet. Most tourist fazendas have television and telephone, only some have Internet. Whereas some are basic in comforts, others have all amenities one may wish for which, of course, comes at a price.
Many budget fazendas are concentrated around the Estrada Parque, near Corumbá on the Brazilian border with Bolivia, and some of the luxurious resorts like Rio Negro and Barra Mansa are situated deeper into the Pantanal – and are reachable by road as well as by plane. One fazenda in the heart of the Pantanal, well equipped but not extravagantly luxurious, is the secluded hotel of Fazenda 4 Cantos.
Reservations for Pantanal Fazendas and Pousadas in Brazil
Campo Grande, Corumbá and Cuiabá all have travel agencies that organise Pantanal tours to the wetlands that include guides, transportation as well as accommodation. The Tourist Information in Campo Grande is a good source of information on the availability of fazendas and wildlife trips. Having said that, Pantanal fazendas often have their own websites and lodging as well as wildlife trips can be booked directly through their website.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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