The Pantanal has the greatest concentration of fauna in the Americas. People outside Brazil know only the Amazon. . . it's a shame because the Pantanal is a very important ecological place (Dr. Maria Tereza Jorge Pádua, Former Director, Brazil's National Parks).
The Amazon gets the press coverage, but the Pantanal is a better place to see wildlife. The dense foliage of the Amazon makes it difficult to observe the animals, but in the open marshes of the Pantanal, wildlife is much easier to spot. If you like to see animals in their natural environment, the Pantanal should not be missed.
With a total area of almost 195 000 square kilometres (or 75 000 square miles), the Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world. The vast majority of it is in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it also extends into Mato Grosso and the separate countries of Paraguay and Bolivia, which neighbour Brazil.
This area is an unparalleled wildlife sanctuary of spectacular beauty, an ecological paradise containing hundreds of species of birds, thousands of varieties of butterflies, myriads of brightly colored flowers, and shoals of fish. Capuchin and Howler monkeys, capybaras, toucans, anacondas, caimans and tapirs help create an aquatic and sylvan theater of sights and sounds. The endangered jaguar, and increasingly rare Hyacinthine macaws and giant river otters, all make their home in the Pantanal. The Pantanal also provides incalculable economic benefits. It offers a huge area for water purification and groundwater discharge and recharge, climate stabilization, water supply, flood abatement, and an extensive, transport system, among numerous other important functions. And yet, despite the region’s beauty and remarkable environmental and economic value, the Pantanal remains poorly known and faces an uncertain future stemming from a myriad of socioeconomic pressures.
During the rainy season, between October and March, the Pantanal is practically impassable by land. The rest of the year, the soil form an excellent pasture for livestock. Because about 80% of the wetlands are submerged during the wet season, the species here include aquatic ones, making it an even more diverse and fascinating destination to consider. The water can rise by up to five metres during the wet season. The daily highs average an annual mean of 25 degrees Celsius.
However, summer days have been known to soar to a scorching 40 degrees, while winter nights can plummet to zero.
The Pantanal’s dry season extends from April to October of each year. During this time, it is possible to access the region by road. During the wet season, however, visitors may be forced to enter only by aeroplane. Because this area is popular amongst tourists, there is ample accommodation available, as well as organised tours and activities. Some of these activities include:
• Horse riding
• Hiking and walking trails
• Game viewing and photography
• Exploring the wetlands on canoe or boat
• Catch-and-release fishing
• Bird watching (particularly rewarding over October and November)
Even during warmer seasons, the nights in the Pantanal can become crisp and cold. Therefore, tourists are urged to bring some warm clothing, regardless of when they are visiting.
One of the region form the Mato Grosso Pantanal National Park located on the border of MS and MT states.
Discovered in 1912, this geological formation resulting from the collapse of rock blocks through thousands years ago creating this enormous cavity: it has a circumference of 500 meters (1600 feet) and the depth reaches 100 meters (330 feet). At the bottom, an emerald-green lagoon, surrounded by exuberant vegetation, is home to caimans whose survival is a mystery. Besides them and the red-and-green macaws (hence the name of the cave), mammals such as armadillos, anteaters, coatis, foxes and others 130 birds species, including ibisis and toucans, chose the place to live.
It's considered the only cave of this type in Brazil and the largest in Latin America with its own ecosystem. Worldwide, there are only five dolines with these features and this one is considered the second largest.
A contemplative ride that lasts about an hour, where visitors can observe the vagaries of nature, hear the call of birds echoing on the rocky walls, ideal shelter for red macaws. If you go at the right time, the scent of flowers and fruits of the Cerrado, like guavira, will also be part of this sensory experience.
Come see the Buraco of Araras Private Reserve and feel all the sensations that nature can to offer!!
The macaws have similar routine to that of humans. Early in the morning, the birds wake up and leave the nest to go in search of food. So this time of day is best suited to do the tour, because you can see them grouped in large quantities.
To reach the lookouts at the edge of the sinkhole (dolina), you must go through a track 900 meters through the vegetation. To have no problems during the tour, the ideal is to use light and comfortable clothes, hat monitored for protection from the sun and closed shoes.The tour of the cave begins with a pleasant and short hike on a trail of about 900 meters, stopping at two watch posts for observation and photos.
The observatories have telescopes through which you can see the flight closer of birds. The corner of the macaws can also be heard on site. Some tourists prefer to take binoculars to better spotting birds. The tour lasts about 40 minutes.
It also has trails that lead to a cave with an underground river suitable for diving. It is a point with difficult access / visitation worthy tourist spot, despite the difficulties of access by dangerous trails, it is common practice to rappel descent. The rappel descent has approximately 65 meters high. To this practice look for certified instructors.
On the way down, at the beginning you can be supported on the wall (for about 10m), but then becomes negative (without footrest). Only from that point is that you see the enormity of the cave.
On this side of the hole down to the rocks there is an entrance to a cave, about 30 meters long, with a beautiful underground lake of clear water.
