After catching a late flight from Iguacu to Bonito and arriving at around midnight, the only view of Bonito was at night from the taxi and initial feeling was very shabby however it was the taxis short cut to our hotel. We booked a 3 day Pantanal experience, and the organiser picked us up early in the morning and told us a long trip awaited us, around 100km of road.
Photo 1: The view from the dormitory.
Pantanal is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area. We were staying at the Pantanal Pousada Santa Clara and we although we booked the cheapest option: camping, given it was low season, we were given the dormitory option which to our luck was the best place as it wasn’t in the middle of the farm but rather on the river bed away from the buildings. The whole experience was quite pleasant which although very touristic, the dormitory was still basic with food being cooked on open fires, and waking in the morning with the view of the river and alligators resting very close by.
Photo 2: The dormitory.
Photo 3: Crocodile (Yacare Caiman) in the morning.
Photo 4: Brazilian Carcara bird
Photo 5/6: Jabiru Bird and its nest
Photo 7: Capybara
We had the following activities prepared for us:
· Horse Ride
· Safari with Hike
· Nocturnal Spot Wildlife
· Piranha Fishing
· Various Hikes
The overall experience was satisfactionary and although touristic and everything is organised too much, we had a pleasant time. I cannot compare this experience with the one in Amazon which will be in a separate blog given that the ecosystem is totally different: it’s a wetland. The hikes were the best part of the whole experience while the horse riding and safari were slightly disappointing.
Photo 7: Horse Riding
Waking up in the morning overlooking the river and easting locally prepared food on wood fire is definitely a plus to the experience. I am still not totally convinced if I would recommend such a place for fellow travellers however if you have enough time in Brazil it is definitely a place to visit where you can relax.
The wetland:
Next: Bonito!