Ive just come back from a 2 night, 3 day pampas tour that described itself as being eco-friendly and respecting nature. We went with Fluvial, number 1 on the Lonely Planets list of tour companies and the accomodation and food were fine but the way the animals we`re treated was not so great. Within minutes of meeting our guide we witnessed him kick a dog (who only walked in front of him) so hard it lifted all 4 legs off the ground. He then asked us if we wanted him to catch a baby caiman and despite most of the group saying no he still did. We went on a walk to find an anaconda and after an hour there was still no luck so the guides told us to wait and they would find one. Minutes later and they came back carrying one. They encouraged everyone to touch it and did not ask whether anyone had DEET or sunscreen on their hands, which apparently can irritate the snake´s skin. I did not feel at all comfortable with this and the snake did not look happy either. Afterwards one guide did not let go of the snake and told everyone to follow the other guide back to the boat. We kept watching the guide who stayed back and he hung onto the snake. We are almost certain it came from a cage or trap and he stayed behind to return it to the cage.
I would definitely recommend checking the tours very carefully as they do not seem to practice what they say in the office during booking.
