WILD BRAZIL

Campo Grande is the entry point to the Southern Pantanal in Brazil. On arrival you will be met and driven overland to the lodge. The journey takes around 4 hours and there is also the option of taking a short charter flight to the lodge. Refúgio Ecológico Caiman is a cattle farm, an important centre for nature conservation projects and home to one of the most exclusive eco-lodges in the Pantanal. Established in 1985, the 53,000 hectare ranch was the first eco-tourism operation in the Southern Pantanal. Since its inception it has aimed at creating and offering visitors a means of getting close to the the region’s nature and culture, while pursuing excellence in hospitality services and gastronomy.

The area is famous for wildlife including anteaters, armadillo, caiman and monkeys, but it is the lodge’s world-leading jaguar habituation program which makes it so special. The Onçafari is unique in South America and offers visitors an opportunity to track jaguars in an Africa style jeep safari. Farmers hunt jaguar in the Pantanal and their numbers have seen a rapid decline, but the Onçafari has helped to protect the species and inform locals of their importance to the eco-system.

During your stay at the Caiman Ecological Refuge you will spend a day with the jaguar habituation team and see the work they are doing and hopefully see the jaguars in the wild (if visiting during the dry-season from May to September, the chances are very good).

Stay: Four nights at Caiman Ecological Refuge – Full-board

After breakfast on day five you will leave the Pantanal and transfer back to Campo Grande, where you will board a flight to Cuiabá.

Note: A connecting night in Cuiaba is required when travelling between the Pantanal and southern-Amazon due to the flight times.

Stay: One night at the Hotel Deville Prime Cuiabá – Bed & breakfast

On day six you will fly from Cuiabá to Alta Floresta, the entry point to the southern-Amazon in Brazil.

Note: Alta Floresta has relatively poor connections to the rest of the country and there is only one flight a day from Cuiabá. The benefit for travellers is there are very few lodges in the area, which means the environment is still relatively untouched.

On arrival you will be met by representatives from Cristalino Lodge and transferred 1 hour by road and then 30 minutes by boat to the lodge.

Cristalino Lodge is uniquely located in the far south of the Brazilian Amazon, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in this very special, off the beaten track ecosystem. The luxury eco-lodge is situated beside the clean, calm waters of the Cristalino River, and the unusual variations in altitude – up to 450 metres asl – contributes to the extreme biodiversity and enables year round use of trails.

During your stay a wide range of outdoor activities are included. The half-day tours take place each morning and afternoon, and include canoeing, hiking in the forest (along the 30kms of trails), climbing the 50-metre observation towers, boat trips and fauna & flora observation.

Not only is the surrounding area teeming with biodiversity, but by staying at Cristalino Lodge you will be supporting them in their responsible tourism and environmental commitments. Everything at Cristalino is geared towards sustainability, helping guests to integrate with nature. Examples include solar panels which heat the water and an air circulation system that cools rooms removing the need for air conditioning. The lodge also has their own foundation, which supports environmental education and research in the region.

Stay: Three nights at Cristalino Lodge – Full-board

After breakfast you will return to Alta Floresta airport and board your flight to Cuiabá, where you will then connect onto a flight to Brasilia.

Inaugurated as Brazil’s capital in 1960, Brasilia is home to some of the country’s most impressive architecture. Designed by renowned Oscar Niemeyer, the city is distinguished by its butterfly layout and white, modern architecture.

Note: A night in Brasilia is required due to the journey time from the capital to Pousada Trijunção.

Stay: One night at B Hotel Brasilia – Bed & breakfast

In the morning of day ten you will be met and driven out of the city, into the Cerrado, Brazil’s great savannah.

The journey takes approximately 5 hours (there is also the option of a charter flight) and the landscape soon changes as you arrive at the high plains of Pousada Trijunção’s 33,000 hectare private reserve. The richest savannah in the world, the area is home to more than 850 species of birds, 251 mammals, 482 reptiles and amphibians and 1,200 fish as well as 13,000 plant species (about 5% of all plant species of the world).

During your stay a variety of excursions are included. Guides will take you in search Blue, Yellow, and Red macaws, Giant Anteaters, tapirs and armadillos. Endangered Maned Wolves also inhabit the area and Pousada Trijunção have their own conservation project which guests can visit. Kayak trips on the Rio Formoso, bicycle tours and night safaris can all be organised too. Despite its remote position, the lodge is incredibly comfortable. There are only 7 rooms, which allows for a truly personalised service and the rooms are beautifully decorated.

The restaurant serves delicious local recipes and there is an outdoor pool for guests to relax around between activities. Evenings can be spent star-gazing or searching for alligators on on a night safari.

Stay: Three nights at Pousada Trijunção – Full-board

On your final day in Brazil you will return to Brasilia for your onward flight.

After completing Brazilian departure procedures you will board your flight home.

Note: Some airlines do have international flights from Brasilia, which would avoid a connecting flight back to São Paulo.