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USAnimalfan
Posted (edited)

Well, not totally, but the days we set aside for seeing jaguars along the Paraguay River coincided with a "cold snap" for the Pantanal winter and we saw no jaguars (and not many other animals during that time). Cold there means very pleasant temperatures in the mid to high 60s F and a little colder at night. We were told that the Pantanal animals like it HOT and don't come out when it is at all cool. We went late June, and if I go again, I will wait till late July, August or even September. Supposedly this cold snap was very unusual, even for June.

 

We booked with Carlos Grandes of Pantanal Ecoexplorer and our guide Paulo was terrific- originally from Mozambique, he was raised in Portugal and now makes his home in Pocone, right in the northern Pantanal. He is extremely knowledgable about birds, which was helpful when the cold snap turned that part of the trip essentially into birdwatching only.

 

First stop was at the Pousada Pouso Alegre along the Transpantaneira Road, a ranch which is owned by a biologist- no animal killing there!! This was before the cold snap and the first night we saw both Giant and Lesser anteater, tapir, and crab eating fox. The roads are built up from the rest of the land so they will be out of the water during the wet season, and we saw families of capybara and Yacare Caiman on the roads at night. Often the vehicles had to get close to make them move to the side. Guides said that the capybara do it to get good vision of any approaching predators, including jaguars.

 

These Yacare Caiman are smaller than the Nile crocs and American Alligators, and if you get close, they hiss at you, but will get out of your way every time. But they often let you get pretty close. Along the Transpantaneira Road and on the ranch there were lots of these reptiles. Capybara, once uncommon from overhunting, were extremely common on this ranch.

 

The ranch has a grapefruit tree behind the kitchen and a young tapir had discovered that he had a taste for fruit, so every evening about 30 minutes after dark he would come and eat the grapefruits off the ground and entertain the guests.

 

We saw beautiful Hyacinth Macaws which nested right near the house the next morning.

 

A few pictures from the early part of the trip (if I can remember how to do this):

 

 

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Edited by USAnimalfan
Posted

Even though you were disappointed (by lack of jaguars), you have some gorgeous photos! I'd love to see more.

Posted

Very interesting. I would love to hear more.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

The grapefruit eating tapir is adorable. Sounds like a children's book. Sorry about the cold snap. Even if the jaguar eluded you, you had some other good wildlife viewing based on your first post and pictures.

USAnimalfan
Posted

Middle part of the trip was along the Paraguay River and we drove from the Pousada Pouso Alegre on the Transpantaniera Road back north and west to the town of Caceres where we caught a fast boat to travel south several hours along the Paraguay River to the Pousada Baizinha, an upscale lodge along the river used mostly by fishermen. The plan was to go even further south to the Taima Reserve, which is a long island in the river where the habitat is totally protected and jaguars are supposed to be most easily seen. Here is where the weather didn't cooperate and when we did that trip we saw zero cats. Thank goodness that our guide Paulo was an expert on birds, because we were essentially relegated to birdwatchers for the next few days. Not the primary purpose of the trip, but I can certainly understand why birders want to come here.

 

Probably the highlight of that part of the trip were the Giant River Otters that we encountered several times along the Paraguay River and in the side lagoons. Paulo had mastered a great imitation of the call that invading males make when they are trying to muscle in on an otter family, and this never failed to get their attention. In fact he got one otter (Alpha male, I guess) so concerned with it that he tried to jump up beside him and give him a bite, but Paulo's reactions were quick enough to avoid that trouble. Really entertaining to see them.

 

And we did a little piranha fishing. Below is a picture of my wife doing the old trick holding the fish near the camera to increase its size. Although piranha are not as fearsome as their reputation (but don't go swimming with a bleeding flesh wound), every time our live bait hit the water, it was just a second or two till one of them hit the bait, and they put up a little bit of fight for a small fish. The locals say they are too bony to eat, but we had a great piranha soup.

 

The last part of the trip was on another ranch west of the Paraguay River.

 

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Posted

Otters...or monsters???

 

Great photos! Quite evocative (especially the otters).

Posted

How nice you saw the river otters, not easy to see and less easy to photograph!

USAnimalfan
Posted
How nice you saw the river otters, not easy to see and less easy to photograph!

 

Well that's where the proper otter call that Paulo knew came in so handy! We were told that absent something to get their attention like that, they shy away from boats. We saw them at several places along the Paraguay River and it's lagoons.

Posted

Can you please teach us the otter call? :) One animal I never have luck with!

kittykat23uk
Posted

Sorry about the cold snap. Seems to be a risk no matter when you go to be honest. We had a cold snap for two days in August but were lucky enough to see a Jaguar on our first day in Porto Jofre before it came on and also had luck with another three jaguars after it passed a couple of days later. B) We did not see tapir or either of the anteaters which I was hoping for, but we had Tayra, Ocelot and Jaguarundi and a brief glimpse of a tapeti. :unsure:

 

I love the Pantanal! :blink:

Posted (edited)

post-5837-1281811496_thumb.jpgThe last part of the trip was spent at another ranch west of the Paraguay River where we were the only guests. Here there were nesting Hyacynth Macaws as well as Red and Green Macaws, which are similar to the Red and Yellow Macaws that are often sold in the pet trade, but we were told the Red and Yellows were more common further north near the Amazon River. In addition to those parrots we saw Yellow-collared Macaw, Blue-fronted parrot, Peach-fronted parakeet, White eyed parakeet, Monk parakeet and Yellow chevroned parakeet. You often heard them squawking before you saw them.

 

Other than the birds and several armadillo species, not much was seen until right at the end of the trip when the weather finally warmed up a little, and at night we again saw two more Giant anteaters, a couple of Lesser anteaters, a Crab eating fox and a White-eared opossum crossing the road. On the way back to Cuiaba the next morning we encountered a tree of Black-tailed marmosets, although they are tiny and the photo using that much zoom lacks detail (picture at the top). Then another crab eating fox wandering around in the daylight, and a Red-Legged Seriema, a large very attractive bird that isn't shy about posing for the camera. The really big birds are the Rhea, kind of like emus, which are easy to see right out in the pastures where the cattle graze.

 

We enjoyed the Cuiaba zoo (the only jaguars we saw) particularly the Maned wolf (last picture before the edit), which are extremely rare and hard to see in the wild even in perfect weather. If you are detemined to see one, don't skip a visit to the zoo, as you are unlikely to see one elsewhere.

 

Other animals we saw on the trip that I didn't already mention were Collared peccary, Red Brocket deer, Marsh deer, Pampas deer (deer are all quite small compared to the Eastern white-tails we are used to seeing in the eastern United States), Forest rabbit and Black agouti.

 

I guess I can't really complain too much , except for the cats! It is amazing how many animals co-exist with the many cattle ranches down there. And other than an occasional calf-killing jaguar, the ranchers generally let them be. You don't usually go to a ranch in Africa to see wild animals.

 

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Edited by USAnimalfan
Posted

Really enjoyed the photos. You certainly had blue skies in spite of the cold.

Posted

You got to stay at the Hyacinth Macaw ranch? How nice, I just visited. A marmoset in the wild is very cool. Great view of the red and green macaw.

Posted

USAnimalfan,

 

could you please post some details about the lodge that you stayed at that is west of Carceres as I am interested in visiting this area?

 

I was in the Pantanal for 2 weeks in mid-July and caught the same cold spell. Three beautiful hot days at Barranco Alto in the Southern Pantanal with great sightings, giant otters, 3 giant anteaters a lesser anteater, neo-tropical otters with young and a tree full of boat-billed herons were highlights. There was a tropical storm on our last night which was the prelude to a cold day. The cold stayed with us in the Northern Pantanal where the animals had literally gone to ground.

 

Our guide in the Northern Pantanal said it was the coldest weather since 2001! We decided to leave Porto Jofte after only one cold, drizzly day on the river in search of jaguar, which we did not find. Oh well, this is a great reason to visit again.

 

Regards,

 

 

Pol.

Posted
USAnimalfan,

 

could you please post some details about the lodge that you stayed at that is west of Carceres as I am interested in visiting this area?

 

I was in the Pantanal for 2 weeks in mid-July and caught the same cold spell. Three beautiful hot days at Barranco Alto in the Southern Pantanal with great sightings, giant otters, 3 giant anteaters a lesser anteater, neo-tropical otters with young and a tree full of boat-billed herons were highlights. There was a tropical storm on our last night which was the prelude to a cold day. The cold stayed with us in the Northern Pantanal where the animals had literally gone to ground.

 

Our guide in the Northern Pantanal said it was the coldest weather since 2001! We decided to leave Porto Jofte after only one cold, drizzly day on the river in search of jaguar, which we did not find. Oh well, this is a great reason to visit again.

 

Regards,

 

 

Pol.

 

 

We stayed at Fazenda Santa Lucia west of the Paraguay River at the end of our Pantanal trip. I think that Carlos (who we booked through), who is originally from Peru, but has become quite the wheeler-dealer down there, is the only one they do rooms through and I think this is the first year it has been done there. Beautiful place, but the beds were not so wonderful- I let Carlos know in my end of trip evaluation, so maybe that will improve. Tghe owners are contemplating building a brand new building to house more guests also.

 

Lynn, we saw Hyacinth Macaws and both the Pousada Pousa Alegre and the Fazanda Santa Maria, but the second one is the only place where there were both Hyacinth and the Red-and-Greens together. Tapirs only at the first place near the Transpantaniera.

 

Those who have been to both northern and southern Pantanal, which did you like best and why?

Posted (edited)

Which did I like best? A tie, which I will elaborate on for many pages.

 

My comments are based on only one 10-day visit to each location--the North in mid August of 2007 after a good wet season and the South in late June/early July of 2009 after a non-existent wet season. In the north I stayed at several locations along the Transpantaneira Highway & Baiazinha Lodge along the Paraguay River. In the South I stayed at Refúgio Ecológico Caiman & Refúgio da Ilha, which included a spotlighting night drive at Fazenda San Francisco.

 

Accommodations—The places I stayed along the Transpantaneria Hwy in the north cannot compare luxury-wise with Baiazinha on the Paraguay River in the north or Caiman and Ila in the South. But all were completely acceptable with good food and places I’d happily return.

 

Scenery—The picturesque waterways of the Salobra River at Ilha win the award, but all areas were pretty. The flowering trees that usually start blooming in July (some in late June) added to the attractiveness of any landscape.

 

Logistics, arrangements—If you can get to Campo Grande, Caiman takes care of the rest for an easy trip, especially for solo travel. At Ilha, you need your own guide unless you speak Portuguese. In the north, I needed a guide and an agent to plan for the entire trip. Group departures are not that common in the north so I designed my own group trip that others joined. In the north it is also important to arrange an open vehicle, which is not the typical form of transport. At Caiman and Ilha, open vehicles were provided. If you wanted to include Bonito for waterfalls and snorkeling, that is closer to the south.

 

Viewing conditions—I spent more time along the highway in the north. Of course on the Paraguay River everything was by boat. The viewing areas felt more private and removed from other traffic in the south. Caiman has such a huge area that it is very safari-like on drives with the only other traffic being employees, or maximum 3 other vehicles with guests. At Ilha we stayed mostly on their property or that of cooperating neighbors. The walks in both north and south were in secluded areas. In the north, which is closer to the Amazon, that presence was felt. The north just seemed lusher, greener, and less savanna-like. The wildlife activity seemed more concentrated in the north and more spread out in the south. I found the Pixiam River, near the Transp Hwy to have the most bird and caiman activity of any rivers, though it was not as charming as the Ilha waterways nor as jaguar-filled as the Paraguay.

 

Weather—Pretty much the same north or south. The Paraguay River was cooler, plus speeding around on a boat also cooled things off.

 

Weather websites

For South Pantanal, the city of Miranda is more accurate than Campo Grande. I was checking the Campo Grande weather before leaving home and as a result packed my waterproof socks, which were not needed in the Pantanal, but might have been handy for the downpours they had in Campo Grande.

 

http://weather.yahoo.com/Miranda-Brazil/BR...2/forecast.html

 

For North Pantanal, I’d check Pocone and Cuiaba, depending on where you’ll be.

 

http://weather.yahoo.com/Pocone-Brazil/BRX...4/forecast.html

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/83361.html

 

Wildlife—In general every place I went was a great nature and wildlife destination.

~birds: I noted greater abundance, as in huge flocks, in the north. When counting species, I had 154 in the north but about half of that trip was mainly a jaguar hunt down a wide river. I had 161 species in the south. Caiman in the south, Jaguar Lodge along the Transpantaneira Hwy in the north, and a location near Baiazinha Lodge on the Paraguay River in the north all offered nice opportunities to see and photograph the Hyacinth Macaw. These birds were not seen much at Ilha.

 

~jaguars—If seeing them is a goal, then a place like Baiazinha Lodge along the Paraguay River in Pantanal North should be in the itinerary. Most other locations have rare jaguar sightings. Jaguar Lodge along the Transpantaneira Hwy in the north has a better record than the average ranch, though, maybe 25% of guests on a 2-3 day stay see one. San Francisco in the south is known for its mammal-rich night drives, including jaguars.

 

~ocelots—All just luck. I saw 3 in the north on the Transp Hwy and 4 in the south. The only ocelot picture was on the San Francisco night drive.

 

~anteaters—Again, just luck. But here I was extremely lucky with 31 sightings of the giant anteater in the south; 21 at Caiman and 10 at Ilha. In contrast I saw one giant anteater butt hanging out of the forest in the north. Well spotted on a night drive! I saw 1 lesser anteater in the north and 2 in the south.

 

~capybaras—Everytime I went to the Caiman properties of Baiazinha (not to be confused with the Baiazinha Lodge on the Paraguay River) or Main Lodge, there were herds of capybaras grazing out of the water. Refugio had one resident capybara that I noticed, but I saw only a couple on the boat outings. Whole families could be easily approached on the banks along the Paraguay River.

 

~crab eating foxes and raccoons—About the same in north or south, but Cordilheira, a Caiman property, offers good daytime viewing of the foxes who live in the area and are accustomed to human activity.

 

~coaties—About the same north or south, but Cordilheira has some relaxed troops for easier viewing.

 

~caiman—In keeping with my observations of abundance, I saw larger groups of them in the north.

 

~giant river otters—This is a species that is usually found at Ilha and a good place to go for giant river otters. Heavy flooding in the north of Brazil resulted in river conditions that made for one rare sighting during my stay. The less commonly seen Neotropic otter was around, though. I saw giant river otters on both of my Pixiam River trips in the north and in the Paraguay River in the north.

 

~snakes, lizards, tapirs, jagarundis, etc.—Any sightings at one place or another, especially in just a 10 day time frame, is an indication of good fortune more than suitable habitat.

 

~monkeys (howlers and brown capuchins) was pretty much the same in north and south, but I got lucky at Ilha in the south when a troop of capuchins came to say good-bye.

 

Some other distinctions:

In the north, much of our vehicle game viewing was actually done on the Transpantaneira Hwy, which is a dirt road without very much traffic. We could stop at will to look at sightings and stay as long as we wanted by just pulling off to the side of the road. What we could not do was drive into the fields next to the road because their were often huge ditches on either side, serving as cachment for rains. Much of what we saw was swimming in these cachments, sitting in trees overhanging them, drinking out of them, or lounging near them.

 

When I arrived in the north and found out the vast majority of our wildlife viewing from the vehicle would be on the Transpantaneira Highway I was suddenly distressed that I had somehow missed this crucial detail--wildlife viewing from a highway with fenced ranches on either side!!?? But it turned out not to be a big deal. Here’s why:

 

There were very few other vehicles on the road, some occasional big trucks transporting goods, very light local traffic, and just a couple other tourism vehicles.

 

We never saw one other spotlighting vehicle at night. The guide had told us that most other companies do only one night drive during their entire trip, (we were out once or twice a night) and with the lack of night-time traffic that did seem to be the case with the other outfitters.

 

The fences were not intrusive, maybe because a lot of what we were looking at were birds in trees and the wire fences were only a couple of feet high. Or maybe because at night, when most of the mammals were seen, you could not see the fence anyway. As the itinerary progressed south toward Jaguar Lodge either there were no more fences or they were covered by thick brush because I didn’t notice any.

 

A couple of our accommodations (Pousada Alegra & Rio Clara) had a mile or so of non-fenced private road, so wildlife viewing was completely unobstructed while on these properties. No off road driving was allowed on these private roads, though.

 

A lot of our time was spent on foot or in a boat, away from the road or fences.

 

At Caiman and Ilha, the dirt road and catchment setup was much the same. There also were frequent fences, as in the north, because of the cattle. At Caiman there were paths in the middle of the refuge where we could go offroad and we did sometimes.

 

As for other lodge traffic in the north, or even other vehicles from where we were staying, I bet we saw 4 vehicles in 5 days on the road. I don't recall any of the ranches/lodges having their own safari vehicle. We had to pick up ours in Pocone, all arranged by the agent, Focus Tours. We drove from the airport at Cuiaba in a regular van, then dropped that off and got a new driver and safari vehicle in Pocone. Ours was the only open vehicle I saw on the trip in the north.

 

At Caiman, Main Lodge operates 2 vehicles if needed, and the other 2 properties operate 1 each. So that is 4 safari-type vehicles in 53,000 hectares if the place is full. Sometimes we encountered trucks, farm equipment, and employee cars. It was obvious that the policy was that sightseeing guests had the right of way. And we all yielded to the capybaras that napped on the road!

Edited by Atravelynn
Posted
Which did I like best? A tie, which I will elaborate on for many pages.

 

My comments are based on only one 10-day visit to each location--the North in mid August of 2007 after a good wet season and the South in late June/early July of 2009 after a non-existent wet season. In the north I stayed at several locations along the Transpantaneira Highway & Baiazinha Lodge along the Paraguay River. In the South I stayed at Refúgio Ecológico Caiman & Refúgio da Ilha, which included a spotlighting night drive at Fazenda San Francisco.

 

Accommodations—The places I stayed along the Transpantaneria Hwy in the north cannot compare luxury-wise with Baiazinha on the Paraguay River in the north or Caiman and Ila in the South. But all were completely acceptable with good food and places I’d happily return.

 

Scenery—The picturesque waterways of the Salobra River at Ilha win the award, but all areas were pretty. The flowering trees that usually start blooming in July (some in late June) added to the attractiveness of any landscape.

 

Logistics, arrangements—If you can get to Campo Grande, Caiman takes care of the rest for an easy trip, especially for solo travel. At Ilha, you need your own guide unless you speak Portuguese. In the north, I needed a guide and an agent to plan for the entire trip. Group departures are not that common in the north so I designed my own group trip that others joined. In the north it is also important to arrange an open vehicle, which is not the typical form of transport. At Caiman and Ilha, open vehicles were provided. If you wanted to include Bonito for waterfalls and snorkeling, that is closer to the south.

 

Viewing conditions—I spent more time along the highway in the north. Of course on the Paraguay River everything was by boat. The viewing areas felt more private and removed from other traffic in the south. Caiman has such a huge area that it is very safari-like on drives with the only other traffic being employees, or maximum 3 other vehicles with guests. At Ilha we stayed mostly on their property or that of cooperating neighbors. The walks in both north and south were in secluded areas. In the north, which is closer to the Amazon, that presence was felt. The north just seemed lusher, greener, and less savanna-like. The wildlife activity seemed more concentrated in the north and more spread out in the south. I found the Pixiam River, near the Transp Hwy to have the most bird and caiman activity of any rivers, though it was not as charming as the Ilha waterways nor as jaguar-filled as the Paraguay.

 

Weather—Pretty much the same north or south. The Paraguay River was cooler, plus speeding around on a boat also cooled things off.

 

Weather websites

For South Pantanal, the city of Miranda is more accurate than Campo Grande. I was checking the Campo Grande weather before leaving home and as a result packed my waterproof socks, which were not needed in the Pantanal, but might have been handy for the downpours they had in Campo Grande.

 

http://weather.yahoo.com/Miranda-Brazil/BR...2/forecast.html

 

For North Pantanal, I’d check Pocone and Cuiaba, depending on where you’ll be.

 

http://weather.yahoo.com/Pocone-Brazil/BRX...4/forecast.html

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/83361.html

 

Wildlife—In general every place I went was a great nature and wildlife destination.

~birds: I noted greater abundance, as in huge flocks, in the north. When counting species, I had 154 in the north but about half of that trip was mainly a jaguar hunt down a wide river. I had 161 species in the south. Caiman in the south, Jaguar Lodge along the Transpantaneira Hwy in the north, and a location near Baiazinha Lodge on the Paraguay River in the north all offered nice opportunities to see and photograph the Hyacinth Macaw. These birds were not seen much at Ilha.

 

~jaguars—If seeing them is a goal, then a place like Baiazinha Lodge along the Paraguay River in Pantanal North should be in the itinerary. Most other locations have rare jaguar sightings. Jaguar Lodge along the Transpantaneira Hwy in the north has a better record than the average ranch, though, maybe 25% of guests on a 2-3 day stay see one. San Francisco in the south is known for its mammal-rich night drives, including jaguars.

 

~ocelots—All just luck. I saw 3 in the north on the Transp Hwy and 4 in the south. The only ocelot picture was on the San Francisco night drive.

 

~anteaters—Again, just luck. But here I was extremely lucky with 31 sightings of the giant anteater in the south; 21 at Caiman and 10 at Ilha. In contrast I saw one giant anteater butt hanging out of the forest in the north. Well spotted on a night drive! I saw 1 lesser anteater in the north and 2 in the south.

 

~capybaras—Everytime I went to the Caiman properties of Baiazinha (not to be confused with the Baiazinha Lodge on the Paraguay River) or Main Lodge, there were herds of capybaras grazing out of the water. Refugio had one resident capybara that I noticed, but I saw only a couple on the boat outings. Whole families could be easily approached on the banks along the Paraguay River.

 

~crab eating foxes and raccoons—About the same in north or south, but Cordilheira, a Caiman property, offers good daytime viewing of the foxes who live in the area and are accustomed to human activity.

 

~coaties—About the same north or south, but Cordilheira has some relaxed troops for easier viewing.

 

~caiman—In keeping with my observations of abundance, I saw larger groups of them in the north.

 

~giant river otters—This is a species that is usually found at Ilha and a good place to go for giant river otters. Heavy flooding in the north of Brazil resulted in river conditions that made for one rare sighting during my stay. The less commonly seen Neotropic otter was around, though. I saw giant river otters on both of my Pixiam River trips in the north and in the Paraguay River in the north.

 

~snakes, lizards, tapirs, jagarundis, etc.—Any sightings at one place or another, especially in just a 10 day time frame, is an indication of good fortune more than suitable habitat.

 

~monkeys (howlers and brown capuchins) was pretty much the same in north and south, but I got lucky at Ilha in the south when a troop of capuchins came to say good-bye.

 

Some other distinctions:

In the north, much of our vehicle game viewing was actually done on the Transpantaneira Hwy, which is a dirt road without very much traffic. We could stop at will to look at sightings and stay as long as we wanted by just pulling off to the side of the road. What we could not do was drive into the fields next to the road because their were often huge ditches on either side, serving as cachment for rains. Much of what we saw was swimming in these cachments, sitting in trees overhanging them, drinking out of them, or lounging near them.

 

When I arrived in the north and found out the vast majority of our wildlife viewing from the vehicle would be on the Transpantaneira Highway I was suddenly distressed that I had somehow missed this crucial detail--wildlife viewing from a highway with fenced ranches on either side!!?? But it turned out not to be a big deal. Here’s why:

 

There were very few other vehicles on the road, some occasional big trucks transporting goods, very light local traffic, and just a couple other tourism vehicles.

 

We never saw one other spotlighting vehicle at night. The guide had told us that most other companies do only one night drive during their entire trip, (we were out once or twice a night) and with the lack of night-time traffic that did seem to be the case with the other outfitters.

 

The fences were not intrusive, maybe because a lot of what we were looking at were birds in trees and the wire fences were only a couple of feet high. Or maybe because at night, when most of the mammals were seen, you could not see the fence anyway. As the itinerary progressed south toward Jaguar Lodge either there were no more fences or they were covered by thick brush because I didn’t notice any.

 

A couple of our accommodations (Pousada Alegra & Rio Clara) had a mile or so of non-fenced private road, so wildlife viewing was completely unobstructed while on these properties. No off road driving was allowed on these private roads, though.

 

A lot of our time was spent on foot or in a boat, away from the road or fences.

 

At Caiman and Ilha, the dirt road and catchment setup was much the same. There also were frequent fences, as in the north, because of the cattle. At Caiman there were paths in the middle of the refuge where we could go offroad and we did sometimes.

 

As for other lodge traffic in the north, or even other vehicles from where we were staying, I bet we saw 4 vehicles in 5 days on the road. I don't recall any of the ranches/lodges having their own safari vehicle. We had to pick up ours in Pocone, all arranged by the agent, Focus Tours. We drove from the airport at Cuiaba in a regular van, then dropped that off and got a new driver and safari vehicle in Pocone. Ours was the only open vehicle I saw on the trip in the north.

 

At Caiman, Main Lodge operates 2 vehicles if needed, and the other 2 properties operate 1 each. So that is 4 safari-type vehicles in 53,000 hectares if the place is full. Sometimes we encountered trucks, farm equipment, and employee cars. It was obvious that the policy was that sightseeing guests had the right of way. And we all yielded to the capybaras that napped on the road!

 

Are you going back?

Posted

I hope to go back, but nothing in the works right now. It is easier and less expensive than Africa. In the Pantanal I'd like to try Barranco Alto, in the South.

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