The Jewels of Brazil
The Pantanal, Bonito and Iguaçu Falls
August 18 – 28, 2006
As you can see from the title, the next venture will now be BRAZIL ! I've had to forget Madagascar for this year due to the chik epidemic on the East Coast, though I am assured they are working on a vaccine, so I'm putting this on hold till next year... (as I don't fancy crippling pain for months on end... ).
So with the money saved I'll able to afford two BIG trips instead, the first one to Brazil to explore the Pantanal (as I heard so many guides rave about it last time I went to Brazil in 2003) and the 2nd one will be to Australia for 3 weeks in November (more details will follow nearer the time though all our flights are already booked – I'll be going back with Janet :)
August is one of the most expensive times to go to the Pantanal but it's the dry season so it'll be easier to spot the animals around the water holes AND it will be in bloom that month as it'll be early Spring over there, so the colours should be fantastic... Trying to secure decent flights was a complete nightmare as almost everything was fully booked (and some of the best hotels too)... I spent hours working on this with my NY-based travel agent... and was on the phone a few times to her to finalise everything urgently (a few seats left here & there... ).
I'll be having my private guide with me the whole time, available 24/7... She assured me that if I wanted to try and find jaguars at midnight even (they hunt by night), he'd be ready to get in the jeep ! COOL ! (though I guess I'll have to think about catching up on *some* sleep at *some* point too !!!).
Iguaçu is too amazing for words so I just HAD to go back... being so near... impossible to resist. It is probably my 3rd favourite place on earth. Definitely in my top 5 anyway ! If you still have my scanned photos from my previous trip, you'll soon remember why... if not, watch the 360C video on the link I've listed further down...
You know me, I need to be visually blown away on a regular basis... so I couldn't wait till Nov to do something mega... I did go to Southern Italy (24 June - 2 July) BUT it was not quite the same as being in a place where I can (hopefully) see jaguars and the giant ant-eaters (the only place left in the world where you have good chances of seeing them as they are now extinct in Costa Rica). The lesser ant eaters also look rather cuddly so I hope to see a few of them too !
1 in 4 guests have been able to spot jaguars in the Pantanal as they are so used to tourists... so, I will HOPE for the best... This will be my 4th attempt at seeing them in the wild... may it be 4th time lucky !
Bonito, I came across the pix on the internet by chance and it looked stunning and since I love snorkelling and am such a water baby, I felt it was well worth a stop-over as they say it's a 'must see'.... and I've never snorkelled in a river before. And it is one of the purest in the world.
I'm attaching my full itinerary below, because, as you'll soon realise, it's pretty packed (no surprises since I always live it up that way) so I may not have email access for ages, or no time to email at all (assuming there is email access in the middle of no-where) ! But at least, if you're interested, you'll be able to have a rough idea of what I'll be up to on a daily basis.
The itinerary will therefore be as follows: -
Day 1 – August 18
Depart London on Air France at around 8pm for my overnight flight to Sao Paulo. 45mns wait in Paris so my first flight'd better be on time otherwise it will be tight !
Day 2 – August 19
I will land in Brazil at approximately 5:55 am, and after immigration will need to connect for a TAM Airlines flight 3804 departing at 9:00 am.
As soon as I've landed (for the 3rd time), I will NOT head for a hotel to have a shower, but (because I'm mad ! :) I will begin straight away the 330km/4 hour journey to Hotel Fazenda Santa Tereza with a stop en route to have lunch (I'm banking on the fact I will have got *some* sleep on the planes !! if not, I guess I will just doze off and won't see much of *that* safari, hum).
After lunch, depart for the Pantanal, driving for about 2 hours to reach the famous Transpantaneira Road . This is one of the best wildlife viewing areas in the world (when you are lucky, I guess). Arrival at my hotel late afternoon
Here I'll be deep into the Pantanal where I'll be able to take boat safaris on the rivers to try and spot capybaras, caimans, and giant otters. With another nocturnal trip after dinner (not sure when we're supposed to catch up on our sleep, come to think of it, hum).
The following link will tell you more about what a special and unique place the Pantanal is http://www.tropicalnaturetravel.com/travel/ brazil/pantanalwe.shtml
Day 3 – August 20
Another early start, at around 6:00 am with a 3-hour boat ride on the river Pixaim where two colonies of giant otters live. Back at the hotel for breakfast then onto the Transpantaneira again, heading for the Jaguar Ecological Reserve.
The lodge is located within the Jaguar Ecological Reserve and hosts the largest concentration of Hyacinth Macaws in the state. The lodge is in the richest habitat of the Pantanal. More hikes and safari-vehicle drives in the afternoon to look for all the beautiful cats there (margays, ocelots, jaguars and jaguarandis to name a few, plus anteaters, tapirs, maned wolves, etc). With yet another nocturnal drive after dinner to try our luck again (as most cats hunt by night anyway but I know I won't be able to take decent shots then). Overnight at the Jaguar Ecological Reserve.
Day 4 – August 21
Another FULL day AND night for more of the same, exploring this incredibly rich area on foot and by vehicle. There will be several areas of different types of forest alongside lakes, seasonally flooded fields and rivers so I hope to take some neat landscape shots too. Overnight at the JER Lodge.
Day 5 – August 22
Up at the crack of dawn again, starting the day with a 3-hour hike in a private ecological reserve. Return for lunch and then hitting the road again to drive back north, back to Fazenda Santa Tereza. Arrival planned late in the afternoon. Check-in and dinner followed by another evening trip to spot nocturnal animals. Overnight at Fazenda Santa Tereza.
Day 6 – August 23
After breakfast, checkout and head for another photo-safari along the spectacular Transpantaneira Park Rd - on the way back to Cuiabá. Chances are there will be the opportunity to see an immense abundance of wildlife in this area - but the return trip must be done as quickly as possible in order for me to catch my 12-noon flight to Campo Grande!
After arrival in Campo Grande an English-speaking guide will pick me up for the transfer to Bonito, which will take approximately 3.5 to 4 hours. I will leave the Pantanal behind and travel through the National Park of Serra da Bodoquena .
Arrival scheduled around late afternoon and check-in at Pousada Olho d'Agua. It will have a specially illuminated pool for night swims but it might be quite cool at night. We'll see. I also may be low on energy by then !!!
Day 7 – August 24
After breakfast my guide will pick me up for a visit to the Sucuri River. After a 45-minute boat ride along the crystal clear river, one can descend in to the river and start the snorkeling tour. All along the 750-meter (818 yards) long trip one can observe the rich sub aquatic flora and fauna, which is, I am told, "truly an unforgettable experience."
After lunch we will depart for Gruta do Lago Azul ("The Cave with the Blue Lake"). The trail starts with a 5 mins walk to the cave and then, after descending a trail of 350 meters (1,148 feet), I should see the lake with the famous crystal clear water. The depth of lake is approximately 120 meters (394 feet) and during the day when the sunbeams hit the lake, the water will have an intense blue color (but the most magical time is December so I'm not sure I'll be as thoroughly impressed in August).
After the tour I will be driven back to my hotel and have the rest of the day at leisure. Overnight at the Pousada Olha d'Agua.
You can look up pictures from the Bonito excursions on this link:
http://www.tropicalnaturetravel.com/travel/ brazil/bonito.shtml
Day 8 – August 25
After breakfast (God knows what time that will be !) my guide/driver will take me to visit the Buraco das Araras (Macaw's Hole). It is a very special ecosystem made up by a forest and a lake complete with micro algae and fish. There should be many red-and-green macaws there.
After that, I will start my half-day snorkeling tour to the Rio da Prata and on arrival walk 1.6 miles along the interpretative trail in the forest (and will hopefully see a few wild animals such as the mutum, the udu, the nail-monkey, the cutia and the queixada – whatever they might be !!!).
Once at the snorkeling spot, I should enjoy a snorkel/dive in some of "the most transparent fresh-water river in the world", rich in aquatic fauna and flora. Lunch will follow and then back to my hotel to pick up my luggage and transfer to Campo Grande airport which is approximately 4 hrs /330 km or 205 miles away to catch my 6:30 pm TAM flight to Iguaçu. This flight stops once and changes planes before arriving in Iguaçu at 12:40 am. Oh joy !
On arrival a rep will take me to my hotel… I guess I won't be asleep before 2am and will need to be up again for my hike around Iguacu for 7am. I shall confess to feeling shattered just typing all this up…. And starting to seriously wonder if I may have over-done it, slightly. HUM.
Day 9 – August 26
After breakfast I will begin my tour of Iguaçu Fall from Argentina. Once there we will hike through the 55,500 hectares reserve until we get to a different, more complete view of the falls, than what can be seen from the Brazilian side, as lower and upper walkways permit a closer look at the waterfalls .
Hopefully the adrenaline will start pumping to keep me awake !!! Check this out: -
http://www.destination360.com/south-america/ brazil/iguassu-falls.php
After the tour, back to my hotel where I will have time to grab some lunch before heading for the tour of the Brazilian site. Then back to my hotel again to sleep (I guess I'll have little energy left for emails by then). Overnight at the Hotel del Ray.
Day 10 – August 27
Morning at leisure to catch up on my sleep, or on my emails or to go to the bird sanctuary again (I did this in 2003, it was beautiful). It will all depend on how much energy and TIME I have left basically as I will have to check out on time for my 12:30pm transfer to the airport to catch my 1:55 pm TAM flight to Sao Paulo !!! "No rest for the wicked", boy….
Upon arrival I will be met by a rep who will help me find the KLM ticket counter and check-in for my 6:35pm KLM departure home, via Amsterdam.
Make that another 3 flights in a row and a London arrival time scheduled for 1:50pm… into T4, so it means I won't be home for another 2 hours after that as I usually use public transport (cabs in London being unaffordable) so it will be a bus, tube and bus/walk. Plus it can take up to an hour to go through passport control and retrieve one's luggage, on top too.
Righteeo, I'm exhausted ! and I haven't left YET…. I'll have to trust God to carry me when I start to flag ! And if I don't flag, then I'll award myself the well-earned title of 'Wonder Woman'… :)
The Pantanal, Bonito and Iguaçu Falls
August 18 – 28, 2006
As you can see from the title, the next venture will now be BRAZIL ! I've had to forget Madagascar for this year due to the chik epidemic on the East Coast, though I am assured they are working on a vaccine, so I'm putting this on hold till next year... (as I don't fancy crippling pain for months on end... ).
So with the money saved I'll able to afford two BIG trips instead, the first one to Brazil to explore the Pantanal (as I heard so many guides rave about it last time I went to Brazil in 2003) and the 2nd one will be to Australia for 3 weeks in November (more details will follow nearer the time though all our flights are already booked – I'll be going back with Janet :)
August is one of the most expensive times to go to the Pantanal but it's the dry season so it'll be easier to spot the animals around the water holes AND it will be in bloom that month as it'll be early Spring over there, so the colours should be fantastic... Trying to secure decent flights was a complete nightmare as almost everything was fully booked (and some of the best hotels too)... I spent hours working on this with my NY-based travel agent... and was on the phone a few times to her to finalise everything urgently (a few seats left here & there... ).
I'll be having my private guide with me the whole time, available 24/7... She assured me that if I wanted to try and find jaguars at midnight even (they hunt by night), he'd be ready to get in the jeep ! COOL ! (though I guess I'll have to think about catching up on *some* sleep at *some* point too !!!).
Iguaçu is too amazing for words so I just HAD to go back... being so near... impossible to resist. It is probably my 3rd favourite place on earth. Definitely in my top 5 anyway ! If you still have my scanned photos from my previous trip, you'll soon remember why... if not, watch the 360C video on the link I've listed further down...
You know me, I need to be visually blown away on a regular basis... so I couldn't wait till Nov to do something mega... I did go to Southern Italy (24 June - 2 July) BUT it was not quite the same as being in a place where I can (hopefully) see jaguars and the giant ant-eaters (the only place left in the world where you have good chances of seeing them as they are now extinct in Costa Rica). The lesser ant eaters also look rather cuddly so I hope to see a few of them too !
1 in 4 guests have been able to spot jaguars in the Pantanal as they are so used to tourists... so, I will HOPE for the best... This will be my 4th attempt at seeing them in the wild... may it be 4th time lucky !
Bonito, I came across the pix on the internet by chance and it looked stunning and since I love snorkelling and am such a water baby, I felt it was well worth a stop-over as they say it's a 'must see'.... and I've never snorkelled in a river before. And it is one of the purest in the world.
I'm attaching my full itinerary below, because, as you'll soon realise, it's pretty packed (no surprises since I always live it up that way) so I may not have email access for ages, or no time to email at all (assuming there is email access in the middle of no-where) ! But at least, if you're interested, you'll be able to have a rough idea of what I'll be up to on a daily basis.
The itinerary will therefore be as follows: -
Day 1 – August 18
Depart London on Air France at around 8pm for my overnight flight to Sao Paulo. 45mns wait in Paris so my first flight'd better be on time otherwise it will be tight !
Day 2 – August 19
I will land in Brazil at approximately 5:55 am, and after immigration will need to connect for a TAM Airlines flight 3804 departing at 9:00 am.
As soon as I've landed (for the 3rd time), I will NOT head for a hotel to have a shower, but (because I'm mad ! :) I will begin straight away the 330km/4 hour journey to Hotel Fazenda Santa Tereza with a stop en route to have lunch (I'm banking on the fact I will have got *some* sleep on the planes !! if not, I guess I will just doze off and won't see much of *that* safari, hum).
After lunch, depart for the Pantanal, driving for about 2 hours to reach the famous Transpantaneira Road . This is one of the best wildlife viewing areas in the world (when you are lucky, I guess). Arrival at my hotel late afternoon
Here I'll be deep into the Pantanal where I'll be able to take boat safaris on the rivers to try and spot capybaras, caimans, and giant otters. With another nocturnal trip after dinner (not sure when we're supposed to catch up on our sleep, come to think of it, hum).
The following link will tell you more about what a special and unique place the Pantanal is http://www.tropicalnaturetravel.com/travel/ brazil/pantanalwe.shtml
Day 3 – August 20
Another early start, at around 6:00 am with a 3-hour boat ride on the river Pixaim where two colonies of giant otters live. Back at the hotel for breakfast then onto the Transpantaneira again, heading for the Jaguar Ecological Reserve.
The lodge is located within the Jaguar Ecological Reserve and hosts the largest concentration of Hyacinth Macaws in the state. The lodge is in the richest habitat of the Pantanal. More hikes and safari-vehicle drives in the afternoon to look for all the beautiful cats there (margays, ocelots, jaguars and jaguarandis to name a few, plus anteaters, tapirs, maned wolves, etc). With yet another nocturnal drive after dinner to try our luck again (as most cats hunt by night anyway but I know I won't be able to take decent shots then). Overnight at the Jaguar Ecological Reserve.
Day 4 – August 21
Another FULL day AND night for more of the same, exploring this incredibly rich area on foot and by vehicle. There will be several areas of different types of forest alongside lakes, seasonally flooded fields and rivers so I hope to take some neat landscape shots too. Overnight at the JER Lodge.
Day 5 – August 22
Up at the crack of dawn again, starting the day with a 3-hour hike in a private ecological reserve. Return for lunch and then hitting the road again to drive back north, back to Fazenda Santa Tereza. Arrival planned late in the afternoon. Check-in and dinner followed by another evening trip to spot nocturnal animals. Overnight at Fazenda Santa Tereza.
Day 6 – August 23
After breakfast, checkout and head for another photo-safari along the spectacular Transpantaneira Park Rd - on the way back to Cuiabá. Chances are there will be the opportunity to see an immense abundance of wildlife in this area - but the return trip must be done as quickly as possible in order for me to catch my 12-noon flight to Campo Grande!
After arrival in Campo Grande an English-speaking guide will pick me up for the transfer to Bonito, which will take approximately 3.5 to 4 hours. I will leave the Pantanal behind and travel through the National Park of Serra da Bodoquena .
Arrival scheduled around late afternoon and check-in at Pousada Olho d'Agua. It will have a specially illuminated pool for night swims but it might be quite cool at night. We'll see. I also may be low on energy by then !!!
Day 7 – August 24
After breakfast my guide will pick me up for a visit to the Sucuri River. After a 45-minute boat ride along the crystal clear river, one can descend in to the river and start the snorkeling tour. All along the 750-meter (818 yards) long trip one can observe the rich sub aquatic flora and fauna, which is, I am told, "truly an unforgettable experience."
After lunch we will depart for Gruta do Lago Azul ("The Cave with the Blue Lake"). The trail starts with a 5 mins walk to the cave and then, after descending a trail of 350 meters (1,148 feet), I should see the lake with the famous crystal clear water. The depth of lake is approximately 120 meters (394 feet) and during the day when the sunbeams hit the lake, the water will have an intense blue color (but the most magical time is December so I'm not sure I'll be as thoroughly impressed in August).
After the tour I will be driven back to my hotel and have the rest of the day at leisure. Overnight at the Pousada Olha d'Agua.
You can look up pictures from the Bonito excursions on this link:
http://www.tropicalnaturetravel.com/travel/ brazil/bonito.shtml
Day 8 – August 25
After breakfast (God knows what time that will be !) my guide/driver will take me to visit the Buraco das Araras (Macaw's Hole). It is a very special ecosystem made up by a forest and a lake complete with micro algae and fish. There should be many red-and-green macaws there.
After that, I will start my half-day snorkeling tour to the Rio da Prata and on arrival walk 1.6 miles along the interpretative trail in the forest (and will hopefully see a few wild animals such as the mutum, the udu, the nail-monkey, the cutia and the queixada – whatever they might be !!!).
Once at the snorkeling spot, I should enjoy a snorkel/dive in some of "the most transparent fresh-water river in the world", rich in aquatic fauna and flora. Lunch will follow and then back to my hotel to pick up my luggage and transfer to Campo Grande airport which is approximately 4 hrs /330 km or 205 miles away to catch my 6:30 pm TAM flight to Iguaçu. This flight stops once and changes planes before arriving in Iguaçu at 12:40 am. Oh joy !
On arrival a rep will take me to my hotel… I guess I won't be asleep before 2am and will need to be up again for my hike around Iguacu for 7am. I shall confess to feeling shattered just typing all this up…. And starting to seriously wonder if I may have over-done it, slightly. HUM.
Day 9 – August 26
After breakfast I will begin my tour of Iguaçu Fall from Argentina. Once there we will hike through the 55,500 hectares reserve until we get to a different, more complete view of the falls, than what can be seen from the Brazilian side, as lower and upper walkways permit a closer look at the waterfalls .
Hopefully the adrenaline will start pumping to keep me awake !!! Check this out: -
http://www.destination360.com/south-america/ brazil/iguassu-falls.php
After the tour, back to my hotel where I will have time to grab some lunch before heading for the tour of the Brazilian site. Then back to my hotel again to sleep (I guess I'll have little energy left for emails by then). Overnight at the Hotel del Ray.
Day 10 – August 27
Morning at leisure to catch up on my sleep, or on my emails or to go to the bird sanctuary again (I did this in 2003, it was beautiful). It will all depend on how much energy and TIME I have left basically as I will have to check out on time for my 12:30pm transfer to the airport to catch my 1:55 pm TAM flight to Sao Paulo !!! "No rest for the wicked", boy….
Upon arrival I will be met by a rep who will help me find the KLM ticket counter and check-in for my 6:35pm KLM departure home, via Amsterdam.
Make that another 3 flights in a row and a London arrival time scheduled for 1:50pm… into T4, so it means I won't be home for another 2 hours after that as I usually use public transport (cabs in London being unaffordable) so it will be a bus, tube and bus/walk. Plus it can take up to an hour to go through passport control and retrieve one's luggage, on top too.
Righteeo, I'm exhausted ! and I haven't left YET…. I'll have to trust God to carry me when I start to flag ! And if I don't flag, then I'll award myself the well-earned title of 'Wonder Woman'… :)
posted by Sylvie at 5:21 PM
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