South Pantanal
Hi, two of us are going to Brazil next year and after visiting Iguazu for a couple of days, we would like to go to the Pantanal. I can see that there are buses to Campo Grande that take about 14 hours. We do not really fancy going on a backpacker tour of the Pantanal through the agencies at Campo Grande and would much rather somewhere a little more low key. Ultimately, all we care about is the wildlife and nature, so we want to go where that will be best. Is our best bet to get a tour through Camp Grande, or would it be worth going to Miranda and hooking up with one of the fazendas around there?Our budget is approximately $80 each per day, and we can go for anywhere between 3 and 6 days. I have been looking at some of the older posts and 'ericos' recommended the Cacimba De Pedra fazenda. This does indeed look great but their website is down. Does anyone have any experience with them? I have also seen the possibility of hiring fishermen in Miranda and camping along the river which sounds incredibly cool. However, we are going in late March, so the season is probably not the best to be camping by a river!
Does anyone have any recommendations for the south Pantanal that can be done in a budget, but not with one of the mass groups from Campo Grande? Any other fazendas anyone can suggest or more DIY options? I don't have any allusions that I will see a jaguar (I looked up Cuiaba but it was too expensive to get to + tours involved), but giant anteaters, tapirs and giant otters would be really fantastic if possible. After the 3-6 days we will need to get back to Campo Grande for a flight to Sao Paolo to continue our trip up the coast. Any suggestions are much appreciated.
2
First of all, you don`t have to take a bus from Foz do Iguacu to Campo Grande. There are buses from Foz do Iguacu to Corumba that pass in Miranda. Eventually you have to change in Dourados but I think there are buses directly to Corumba.Second; as Amobr82 already said, for the stay in fazendas your budget is (I think) too low,
Go to Miranda and look for hiring boats ( tipo voadeira, aluminum boats) to go along the river Miranda. I made two times a descent of this river up to Passo do Lontra and came back by truck. I cannot describe what I have seen during this trip of three days. Amazing!!
You can easely camp on the camping aereas. The weather will be fine, no problem. And most of camping owners make trips along the river. Very cheap and good.
Your problem is that you don`t have to lose much days looking after such possibilities. And I don`t know if the language will be a problem to discuss and clearify what you desire. That time I spook very good the portuguese language.
I should go to Miranda and see what are the possibilities. Don`t lose much time and eventuelly visit an agency in Miranda or further on in Corumba.
You can also reach (by bus) the point Passo do Lontra along the old road to Corumba. That point is very good to start a trip in the Pantanal and I think there are low budget operators that work out of there. Get for this info somewhere.
Good luck
3
Hi,In case you should do a trip of several days in the Pantanal, the best is to sleep in a hammoc you can buy everywhere.Note two things:
1) you will need also a blanket to cover you at night. This blanket you will need also in the bus for nighttrips.
2) Take in account that in some areas in the Pantanal (for example near to Passo do Lontra following the river Miranda) the river has almost no more banks. In this case it is difficult to hang up a hammoc or install a tent.
All depends of the watherlevel at that time of the year.
I don`t know the quality of the operators in the Pantanal. I was never with them. I always was with friends who lived there. That gave me the possibility to prepare my trips in the (southern) Pantanal.
I repeat:" Don`t lose many time (days) preparing your trip. In Brasil they don`t have an idea how little your stay there is."
