Tourist Regiões of Mato Grosso - Brazil

Mato Grosso offers an incredible variety of tourist itineraries. It is the only Brazilian state with natural regions such as the Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal and Araguaia. In addition to natural resources, there is here also a historical and cultural heritage that provides a multitude of opportunities for tourists.

Tourist regions:

Cerrado

It encompasses 48 municipalities including the three largest cities in the state: Cuiabá, Várzea Grande and Rondonopolis. It is an arid biome and quite dry during part of the year, but extremely rich in biodiversity. There are over 100,000 species of plants, many medicinal and endemic. It is in Mato Grosso cerrado that spring underground rivers that flow forming the main river basins of the country.

Tuiuiu bird. Photo flickr by bandeirantes

Pantanal

Considered one of the most beautiful and wild biomes on the planet, the Pantanal has 200,000 km2 (two thirds in Brazil, the rest in Paraguay and Bolivia). One third of the Brazilian portion is located in Mato Grosso, where covers 10 municipalities in the southwestern state. It is considered by ornithologists the world's best place for bird watching.

Between October and March, the rainy season, the rain causes the overflow of rivers. The waters run road sections, bridges and extensive tracts of land, forming gigantic flooded.

The Pantanal has as gateway the municipalities of Cáceres, Poconé and Barão de Melgaço, where you practice activities mainly related to the observation of flora and fauna, horseback riding, boating, photo safari and ecologic trails.

North Pantanal

The Pantanal backbone is the Paraguay River, which cuts through the region from north to south. The Miranda, Aquidauana, Taquari and Cuiaba rivers flow into the Paraguay River. From October to April, the high waters reveal outsized lakes, bays, river branches and outlets.

The Transpantaneira Highway connects the town of Pocone to Jofre Port, along the Cuiabá River bank. It is a dirt road with 126 wooden bridges, and extends for 149 km. On the way, it is possible to observe wild animals, especially alligators, capybaras and birds, among other wild animals.

Transpantaneira highway. Photo tarmortw

Pantanal (wetland) Photo: wikipedia by Alicia Yo

Amazon

Ten percent of the largest forest on the planet is in Mato Grosso. Are 49 cities in the northwest of the state covering nearly half of the state's territory. In these areas there are large areas of environmental conservation and indigenous reserves. The largest are the Juruena National Park, which occupies the northern end of the state, and the indigenous Xingu Park, the largest Indian reservation in the world.

The main regional centers of Mato Grosso Amazon region are Sinop, Sorriso and Alta Floresta. Cities are young, created from the 1970s on the banks of the BR163 highway.

Araguaia

The Araguaia valley has over 2.100 km2 and is marked by the passage of giant river Araguaia. Over its territory it is a natural border between the states of Mato Grosso, Goiás and Tocantins. The tourist region of Araguaia encompasses 34 municipalities in the extensive range that occupies the entire east of Mato Grosso, finding in the south the Cerrado and Pantanal and the Amazon region in the north.

The Araguaia river is one of the most famous Brazilian rivers for its number of fish and the transparency of water. The most popular programs for tourists are the navigation and sport fishing, besides the white sand beaches.

Pontão beaches, in Xinguara, on Araguaia River. Photo: planetapara

Araguaia River. Photo agencia phocus 

Sunset in Araguaia River. Photo: aparecidaagora

Alto Araguaia. Photo aiaunemat

National Parks of Mato Grosso

The State of Mato Grosso is one that has more national parks in the Midwest of Brazil. There are three: Pantanal National Park Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, Juruena National Park. Together they make up more than 3 million hectares of protected area.

Chapada dos Guimarães National Park

Internationally famous for its mystique and mystery, the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park has protected their savanna ecosystems and forests, numerous archaeological sites and historical monuments. It is pilgrimage point for tourists who like to feel and get in touch with nature. Its beautiful waterfalls and landscapes fill the eyes of visitors. It's unique and beautiful environment made from sandstone mountains and their subsequent erosion.

Geodesic center of Latin America, the Chapada National Park is the most central point of the continent. An unforgettable experience, right in the heart of Brazil.

Chapada dos Guimarães

Chapada dos Guimarães

Pantanal National Park Mato Grosso

The Pantanal National Park is considered by UNESCO, World Natural Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. His landscapes are so beautiful and remarkable that stay forever in the memory of the visitors. Who sees a sunset in the Pantanal never forgets.

Its amazing fauna and flora is a tourist destination of ecotourism lovers. The environmental conditions favor the establishment of variety of wildlife to be observed in their natural habitat. Furthermore, the Pantanal is the place in the world with the most butterfly index.

Photo: holidayInnCuiaba

Juruena National Park

Created in celebration of the World Environment Day, June 5, and located between the northern state of Mato Grosso and south of the Amazon, the Juruena National Park has an area of 1.9 million hectares. It is the third largest park in Brazil.

The park can only be visited accompanied by expert guides, but who has the opportunity to go will come across all the exuberance of nature in its wildest form. A piece of pristine Amazon in Mato Grosso.

 Photo: Zig Koch / WWF

Photo:  Zig Koch / WWF

Islet formed by flooding of the forest by the river Juruena. The region is home to several species at risk of extinction such as the jaguar and the harpy eagle. (Photo: WWF-Brazil / Adriano Gambarini)

mt-gov.site

The "Chapada dos Guimarães" a place that is steeped in mystery!

Cachoeira Véu de Noiva (Waterfall Bridal Veil) and its more than 80 m waterfall Photo: blogmundi

The Chapada dos Guimarães National Park (Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Guimarães in Portuguese) is a national park in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

Situated in the heart of Brazil, Chapada dos Guimaraes offers the visitor a variety of wildlife, including maned wolf, pampas deer, anteater and crowned caiman. 

The topography indicates that at some time in the past the entire area was ocean floor. The typical vegetation of the savannah (known in Brazil as cerrado) comprises colourful flowers, low and twisted trees, and gallery forest which contains many diverse plant species.

The Chapada dos Guimaraes lies only 46 miles from Cuiaba (and almost as an extension to it). Its scenario, which is also where the rivers rise before flowing into the Amazon Basin to the north and the River Plate Basin to the south, has helped create the mystique that in the Chapada it is possible to regenerate energy and that even the UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) were attracted by it - there is even an "Ufoport" at its highest point, the Morro de São Jerônimo. 

The Chapada divides the state of Mato Grosso into a southern area of flat wetland – the Pantanal – and the central upland region of high plateau. Further north lays the southernmost extent of Amazon rainforest.

Chapada is a Brazilian word that means a region of steep cliffs, usually at the edge of a plateau.

Photo: challengingyourdreams

Photo: pantanalechapada

Photo: wikimedia.org

white egret Photo: portaltagit

The Chapada dos Guimarães National Park was created in 1989 with the objective of protecting the enormous sandstone formations, outlooks that provide a broad view of the swampland plains and many waterfalls, thanks to the rich hydrography and sudden changes in altitude. In its 33 thousand hectares, the location is also home to more than 50 archaeological sites with prehistoric cave pictures and animal fossils. It is a natural Brazilian heritage.

The twisted trees are unique; flowers of all colours and exotic fruit exhibit a generous and beautiful Cerrado. The Park is open for the public from 8AM to 5PM, and it can be visited all year long. But the best time to get to know the location is between May and July, when the region is filled with flowers and the waterfalls are full. During the rainy season, between December and April, the trails are dangerous and access to some attractions is blocked.

If you happen to be visiting in July, it is worth mentioning that the Winter Festival takes place at the time. This is a very interesting occurrence that attracts artists and craftsmen from all over,and providing a mixture of ancient and modern art along with quite the underground, counterculture kind of atmosphere. 

Photo: viajeaquiabril

Photo: 27weeksinsouthamerica

Photo: challengingyourdreams

Photo: challengingyourdreams

Photo: brasilturista

Photo: pantanalcamping

Photo: adrenalinamt

Morro de São Jerônimo: This is the highest point of Chapada, 850 meters above the sea level. This hill is flattened, called ufoporto, or landing strip for UFOs. To get to the hillside, a 1 and a half hour walk to two hours is required, you need good physical preparation. In this way, there are fossils of shells embedded in the rocks, demonstrating the ancient geological formation beyond the natural sandstone sculptures.

Trails in the Chapada are excellent, so bring your hiking boots to avoid the snakes! Visit the Park Visitor Center, located about 5 miles inside the park from the entrance. (065-301- 1133) Obtain a map of the park, and go explore and take in the beautiful views, waterfalls and trails. 

Emas National Park, Goiás, Brazil!

Photo by rotabrasil

The Emas National Park is located between the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul in the Center-West Region of Brazil. Literally meaning "rhea National Park". With an area of about 132 thousand hectares, covers part of the municipalities of Mineiros, Chapadão do Céu and Serranópolis in the State of Goiás, and Costa Rica, in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Due to its length, integrity of habitat, richness of fauna and presence of rare and threatened species, the reserve is one of the most important protected areas of the cerrado biome. It has recently been included in the priority actions for biodiversity conservation in the Cerrado and Pantanal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At well over 1000 square kilometers of rolling grassy fields and patches of swamp forest, the park is home to a variety of large mammals, including puma, ocelot, collared peccary, white-lipped peccary, marsh deer, red brocket, gray brocket, black howler monkey, capybara, Maned wolf, Brazilian Tapir, and Giant Anteater, and it also shelters a number of threatened bird species, including the recently rediscovered Cone-Billed Tanager. But while the promise of Emas is indeed great, the bounty of the site highly dependent on season and luck, and access tightly controlled by the inclinations of a guide.

Emas National Park also holds a small jaguar population, perhaps consisting of about 10-12 animals. Only about 40% of the reserve is a good Jaguar habitat.

Photo by Andre Pessoa

Photo by André Pessoa

Here it's the namesake greater rhea:

Photo by rotabrasil

In fact, almost the entire park was wiped out by fire in 2010, decimating the once thriving Giant Anteater population. These burned areas are excellent places to find terrestrial birds that normally secret themselves away deep in the tall grass, including Ocellated Crake and Lesser Nothura, but they have also become stages for adaptation, as Coal-Crested Finch, Campo Miner, and White-Winged Nightjar have all evolved to utilize recently burned areas for different biological purposes. Towards the end of the dry season, diverse flocks of migratory seedeaters in breeding plumage surge through the park, including rarities such as Rufous-Rumped, Chestnut, Dark-Throated, and Black-Bellied Seedeaters.(BirdingBrazil)

Cerrado is the biome that covers the sprawling Planalto Central, the central plains of Brazil. It consists of several different habitat types. So unique is Cerrado that several of the Portuguese words for the habitat types have been adapted to English. Grasslands, or campo, cover much of the region. Campo sujo has shorter grass and sparse woody vegetation. Woodlands of short, twisted tree with waxy leaves and cork-like bark make up cerrado, not to be confused with Cerrado, the biome name. Gallery forests are moist forests that follow the watercourses. Some 90% of the plant and animal species of the Cerrado are found in the gallery forests. 

Indaiá Palm trees. Photo by aceleragoias

The park holds the greatest concentration of Blue-and-Yellow Macaws outside Amazonia, and blue-winged, red-shouldered and red-bellied Macaws can also be seen. The park headquarters building for scientists are visited daily by a pair of bare-faced currasows, white Woodpeckers, streamer-tailed Tyrants and other showy birds. 

  

In addition to the mammals and large birds, the park is known for other bird specialties. (visit: focustours)

The cupinzeiros (tall termites houses)

In the early stages of the rainy season the cupinzeiros (termites houses) perform the bio-luminescence phenomenon which consists in the irradiation of a blue greenish phosphorescent light, produced by small larvae stuck to the leafs in search for food. The result is a very beautiful night show. 

Photo Flickr by Cristina Morita

Photo by rotabrasil

Photo by aceleragoias

This park holds the largest concentration of cupinzeiros per square metre in the whole world. In about 25 million registered termites houses in preserved area, the fireflies were a sideshow, especially during spring nights. Between the holes dug in a kind of "natural building", insect larvae emit an intense greenish light and give a show to form different lighting points.

The Emas National Park is a place that requires different observation, attentive to detail, and use sensitivity to perceive the richness of life adjustments such as the Indaiá palm trees with trunks buried or trees with very thick bark to resist fire that selects life natural and at the same time makes everything grow again. 

For all this diversity, gets to be frustrating leave the park knowing that knew very little of what nature presents there. Even those who live on site and research about it, know  they don't know the Cerrado, and not knowing is an exciting feature an exciting mystery.

Visitation: With the payment of an entrance fee of R$ 6,00 (for local people) and R$13,00 for tourists, you can visit a restricted area of ​​the park without tracking guide. But the rides are more productive by hiring a good local guide who helps the tourist in the observation and interpretation of natural diversity. The municipal authorities inform the phones associations of guides. The Visitation and the need of the guide must be checked in advance, because of the impending change of management plan.

There are three types of ride / observation: 

1. Interpretive trail: identification of animals by the tracks, feces and food consumed; identification of vegetation. 

2. Motorized trail: by bus or car, for observation of animals hidden in the cerrado and those who do not have time to hide with a faster approach than in hiking. 

3. Hiking in the woods or field: where you can touch the nature, feel the way to see up close birds, lizards, armadillos, anteaters and other animals.

The trails at Parque das Emas are very extensive - some with more than 40 km, and must be traveled by car. Currently incursions walking is not allowed on some trails; overnight in the park is also not allowed, but the tourists have lodging structure in the park nearby farms and guesthouses. 

The Formoso River, and other rivers, provide conditions for canoeing and rafting outside the park boundaries. There are conservation areas outside the park that also deserve to be visited.

Cross float in Formoso River