Bountiful Brazil - By Sarah Williams (Wildlife Consultant)
Heathrow airport was as chaotic as ever - never a great way to begin a trip but the overnight flight, on a new aircraft, to Sao Paulo was comfortable.
I arrived early in the morning and checked in for the flight to Campo Grande and then on to Cuiaba although it is possible to fly direct from San Paulo. Jean, who was to be our driver/guide in the North Pantanal region, met us at the airport. Originally from Haiti, he had a lovely humour and a very good knowledge of birds and mammals.
We set off along the tarmaced road until the town of Pocone. It's from here that the infamous Transpantaneira Road begins. In reality it's a dirt track with very few cars but plenty of rickety bridges to cross! This journey soon turns into a game drive as the only available water lies along side the road and this is where an amazing amount of birdlife is concentrated as well as plenty of Caimen and Capybaras. It's so easy to see everything and consequently you are stopping on a regular basis to take photos or identify a bird. The scenery is flat and a bit scrubby but excellent visability, we managed to see 56 birds and 4 mammals on this journey.
We drove almost to the end of the Transpantaneira Road but because we stopped so many times, it took us over six hours to reach Jaguar Lodge! We met the owner Edwardo over dinner and then fell into bed.
I woke the next morning to the incredible sounds of birds and general jungle noise around the lodge; there were so many birds to see, including Hyacinth Macaws. We departed for Port Joffe for a trip along the Rio Cuiaba with Edwardo who asked us to keep an eye out for Jaguars coming down to the river to drink. Although we didn't spot a Jaguar we had an excellent sighting of a family of Giant River Otters, various birds and monkeys. On returning to the lodge, Edwardo showed us a recent footprint of a Jaguar which was just metres from the front gate!
After lunch we departed for Santa Theresa Lodge. Our room overlooked the garden where several mango and cashew nut trees were keeping the birdlife occupied! When it was cooler we set off along the Pixaim River by boat; very pretty scenery and we saw lots of birds such as the White-Faced Whistling Duck, Yellow-headed Caracara and Chestnut-bellied Guan, as well as Caimen and Capybaras.
At dinner, piranha was on the menu, an ugly looking fish with quite a strong taste and huge bones! After dinner we did a night drive and saw a Crab Eating Fox, Crab Eating Racoon and lots and lots of Caimen, especially their eyes reflecting the spotlight.
The following morning we set off for a walk in the forest, before it got too hot. We saw so many new birds including a Laughing Falcon, Squirrel Cuckoo and a Pauraque; by this stage our list was quite impressive! We also saw Howler and Brown Capuchin Monkeys and a Tamandua.
After breakfast we continued our journey down the Transpantaneira Road to Rio Claro Lodge. On the way we surprised a Marsh Deer cooling off in a pool on the side of the road. We went out on the river, which was very pretty and saw two families of Giant River Otter, a large Chameleon having a snooze in the top of a tree and of course lots of birds.
Over breakfast the following morning, a family of Collared Peccary came close to the lodge and a group of Howler Monkeys were creating a racket in a Mango Tree. We then did a horseback ride, which was a great opportunity to get close to the bird and wildlife and saw a Burrowing Owl, Marsh Deer, Toucan and Coati. Returning to the lodge I spent some time in the beautiful gardens. This lodge as well as many of the others we stayed at, had bird feeders, which offer a great opportunity for getting some close up photos of the colourful birdlife We returned to Cuiaba Airport for the short flight to Campo Grande, where our guide Antonio and driver met us for the South Pantanal part of our trip. We drove for several hours along tarred and then unsealed road to Xaraes Lodge. The driver remarked that he often sees wildlife along this route and the previous week he had seen a Giant Anteater, Puma and Tapir in one night!
We moved on to the San Francisco Lodge and surprised a Red Brocket Deer, which was crossing the road. When we arrived we were introduced to Ricardo who is the resident conservationist and is responsible for the Jaguar program based at the lodge. He gave us a presentation on the carnivores and wildlife in the area and how they work with the local farmers to try and reduce the number of Jaguars being killed.
After dinner we went out on a night drive and wow what an exciting night!!! It was not long before we came across a large adult Tapir who completely ignored us observing him. Next on the list was a Crab Eating Racoon followed by a Crab Eating Fox and then our first Ocelot for the night. We then saw a further three Ocelots and an unbelievable seven Giant Anteaters, which I think have to be my favourite mammal, such an elegant shape and beautiful colouring. With owls and a few night birds it really had been an exceptional evening.
Up early for a game drive the following morning it was an opportunity to see the area in daylight. San Francisco Farm is quite unusual - it's actually a rice farm but the owner is very environmentally aware having given over 50% of his land to a wilderness area. Due to the many water channels where Cabybaras, Caimen and Marsh Deer are to be found, this provides an ideal environment for Jaguars. Although Jaguars are often seen on the farm they were to prove elusive during our stay, the closest we got were footprints over our vehicle tracks of the previous night!
Back at the lodge Katia presented an interesting lecture on the Pantanal region, which has 485 bird species and 95 mammals, 16 of which are endangered. In the afternoon we did a boat trip on the very pretty river but due to the water level being so low we scraped along in a few places. We did attempt a spot of fishing but the Brazilian guys were the only ones successful, we then fed our meagre catch to the waiting eagles, kingfishers and Caimen.
On the game drive that evening we were anticipating another bumper night but still the Jaguars were keeping a low profile, however we did see another four Ocelots and a Crab Eating Fox with cub.
On our last morning we were up early to go birding with Katia, it was overcast so not the ideal weather but the mozzies were certainly out in force. We did manage to see a hummingbird and an Agouti who charged through the undergrowth at great speed on a mission!
Our last stop on this trip was Bonito, which is the place to visit if you are keen on snorkelling, fish or adventure sports in general. This small town has heaps to offer and a few days here can be packed with things to do. Not far from the centre of town is the Natural Aquarium where you can hire a wetsuit and snorkel equipment to be able to drift down the incredibly clear river and observe the fish really close up. For non-water babes it's also possible to do the same journey by boat and you can see just as much due to the crystal clear water. Another river, Rio Prada, offers a similar experience but is a much longer swim and more difficult than the Natural Aquarium.
The Blue Grotto is also a popular destination. With hard hats on we descended the rocky steps in to darkness. When our eyes became used to the lack of light we could see staligtites/staglimites, bats and at the very bottom of the cave was a bright blue pool. The grotto is only open in the morning when the sun is at a particular angle to provide the light, which makes the pool so blue.
Driving to the Macaw Crater we saw a Pampas Deer, which meant we had managed to see all the deer species! The crater was an amazing place, a huge gaping hole where hundreds of Macaws nest. As it was a wet day the Macaws looked very bedraggled but I'm sure on a warm day it would be quite a sight. Many different macaw species can be found here as well as bespectacled owl and there are look out points where you peer into the crater.
Other activities that can be enjoyed in Bonito include abseiling, waterfall walks, mountain biking, horse riding, birdwatching and rafting. The town is popular with Brazilian tourists so avoid local holidays if you can but there are lots of restaurants, bars and shops for buying local crafts.
This had been my first visit to South America and for someone who has travelled to Africa many times it was interesting to look back and see how Brazil compared. I was certainly very impressed with the variety of both the birdlife and mammals we saw and I did not expect to see as much as we did, so that was a real bonus. Scenically I think Africa has the upper hand but of course I have only scratched the surface of a tiny part of a very large continent, so I shall look forward to a future visit as this trip has definitely made me keen to see more.
Click here to read Sarah's previous report about the Hyacinth Macaw Project.
Click here for the 'Brazil's Endangered Wildlife' itinerary.