Pantanal Wetlands and Amazon

On arrival, check-in at the Barranco Alto Lodge for three nights (inc. all meals and activities).

Barranco Alto Lodge
Barranco Alto Lodge enjoys an enviable location in the southern Pantanal Wetlands, a unique ecosystem of lush floodplains, water-lily lagoons, and dense rainforest.

Barranco Alto is a family-run lodge adjoining a working cattle ranch. It has just four rooms, all of them en-suite with air-conditioning and private verandahs. The remote location, combined with the restricted number of rooms, makes for a truly intimate experience.

Activities available during your stay at Barranco Alto Lodge include guided animal and plant observation safaris with an experienced biologist; boat and kayak tours on the Rio Negro; horse rides; night game drives; wild picnics; piranha fishing and horse-riding.

NB. This itinerary commences in Campo Grande. We can arrange your international flights to Brazil to arrive São Paulo and your connecting flight to Campo Grande, if required. Depending on your flight schedule, you may require a night in São Paulo or Campo Grande at the start of your itinerary.

A recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, the Pantanal is the largest continuous wetland on earth. It is Latin America’s primary wildlife sanctuary, hosting a spectacular diversity of fauna and flora, and straddling the borders of three countries (Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay). No fewer than 3,500 species of plant are found in the Pantanal, along with a recorded 124 mammal species, 177 reptiles, and over 400 species of bird. Howler capuchin monkeys, capybaras, giant anteater, peccary, Brazilian aardvarks can all be sighted, alongside an amazing variety of birds, including many varieties of macaw (hyacinth, red-and-green, collared).

Barranco Alto Farm is among the best lodges from which to explore the region. Staying here, you have a chance to observe hyacinth macaws in flight; a giant otter family fishing as dawn breaks; crab-eating racoon and foxes as they hunt for prey; and, if you’re especially lucky, the largest cat in the Americas, the jaguar!

To get the most out of your stay in the Pantanal, we recommend rising early each day before dawn, when most of the best action takes place! For guests on longer stays, every day should be different; your range of options for exploring the wilderness include guided walking safaris, open vehicle game drives, canoe trips and horseback rides.

Deville Hotel
The Deville is a modern 5-star hotel with a great location close in central Cuiabá. The rooms are equipped with all the expected mod-cons, including satellite TV, AC and Wi-Fi.

Facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, gymnasium, spa and a selection of restaurants.

The Transpantaneira is one of the most scenic routes in Brazil. It was formed in the 1970s, when plans were made to build a highway that would cut across the Pantanal from Poconé to Corumbá. In the end, nature won out, with the result that only a very basic track was laid down, terminating after 90 miles in Porto Joffre, a quiet fishing village on the Rio Cuiabá. The road runs far enough, however, to get you right into the heart of the Pantanal.

Transpantaneira is a basic highway, bumpy in places and joined by rickety wooden bridges. But it’s the only road into the Pantanal, and the scenery along the route is marvellous. Holes left behind during the initial phase of the construction have now become lagoons, canals and ponds, sheltering a rich away of wildlife, and making the journey along the Transpantaneira into an exciting safari!

Pousada Araras Lodge
Pousada Araras is a pioneering eco-lodge that occupies a beautiful location in the Pantanal (chosen by its conservation-minded owners for its proximity to a wildlife-rich lagoon). Built in a rustic, regional style, the lodge provides a homely setting from which to explore the surrounding wilderness—by vehicle, horseback, canoe or on foot. 

Araras’ 19 en-suite rooms are comfortably furnished and fully air-conditioned. Between activities you can relax on the lodge’s wide verandah with hammocks and pool, or in the relaxed bar and restaurant.

After checking in to your room, the afternoon is free for you to rest or explore the surrounding wilderness. You can take a hike through the surrounding area to a 12m observation tower for a magnificent sunset view. After dinner, set off on a guided night walk to observe the stars and look for nocturnal wildlife.

Araras’ bilingual nature guides lead a mix of low-impact activities, including 4x4 safaris, wildlife walks and night drives. Horseback rides will allow you to really experience the open grasslands up close, while canoeing and piranha fishing trips offer a chance to explore the waterways. Between the morning and evening activities, you can relax at the camp, or explore the surrounding lagoons via a network of wooden walkways and observation decks.

Talks by the guides will be provided most evenings after dinner, and are a chance for you to discuss the day’s sightings, and to learn more about the nature, culture and other particularities of the region.

You’ll be met on arrival in Alta Floresta and transferred to Cristalino Lodge – the journey is via private vehicle followed by a short half hour boat ride on the Cristalino River.

Check-in at Cristalino Lodge for three nights (inc. all meals and activities).

Cristalino Lodge
Cristalino Lodge is situated on the banks of the Cristalino River, within a private forest reserve in the southern part of the Brazilian Amazon. Designed to blend in with the surrounding jungle, Cristalino is a homely lodge, which offers its guests comfortable accommodation in a stunningly beautiful setting. Here you can go to sleep to the sound of the Cristalino River and wake to the cries of howler monkeys calling from the forest.

Cristalino’s 16 rustic guest rooms are wooden structures with tiled floors and screen windows. They feature en-suite bathrooms supplied with hot water (solar-heated). The rooms centre on an open-air river deck with inviting log fire, where meals are enjoyed most evenings under the stars.

Trails: Nature tours along the 19 mile trail system, conducted in small groups so as to minimize the disturbance to the rainforest, offer an in-depth understanding of the tropical ecosystem.

Wildlife viewing: Plentiful wildlife can be found in the region around Cristalino Lodge. Notable species include white-collar peccary, Brazilian tapir, giant otter, harpy eagle and white-nosed saki monkey. The plant life is equally rich.

Canopy towers: these 50m high structures offer a really unique perspective on the Amazon Rainforest. Climbers can enjoy magnificent views of the reserve from above the forest canopy. There are waystations at various heights, so those less comfortable with heights can also enjoy the views without climbing all the way to the top.

Canoeing: The gentle Cristalino River is perfect for canoeing excursions. All equipment is provided.

Boat trips: Accompanied by experienced guides, boat tours are ideal for observing wildlife along the banks of the river.

In São Paulo connect with your international fight home/onward transfers.