Trip of the week: wildlife spotting in the wetlands of Brazil
The Pantanal wetland is home to a dazzling array of wildlife and the best place on Earth to see jaguars
Spread across an area the size of Great Britain, the Pantanal, in southwest Brazil, is the world’s largest tropical wetland. It is the best place on Earth to see jaguars, and home to a dazzling array of other wildlife too, says Lisa Grainger in The Times. Go in the dry season, between April and October; you can fly to the city of Campo Grande, and from there get a prop plane to one of the region’s excellent lodges. Among them is Casa Caiman, a terracotta-tiled estancia with a swimming pool. Set in a privately-owned 74,000 acre ecological reserve, it plays host to Onçafari, a wildlife organisation devoted to jaguar preservation and research.
Seeing a jaguar in the wild is “more thrilling” than spotting a lion in Africa, because the cats are so elusive. Unlike lions, they live alone, and, with only about 15,000 left in the wild – fewer than were killed annually in the 1960s for their fur – they are wary of humans. Even so, the number of sightings each year at Casa Caiman has increased from 35 to 1,075 in the past decade, and 99% of visitors now spot one. Not that the cats’ future is secure even here. Both water and forest cover are dwindling because of farming – and the diversion of rivers for large-scale soy farms to the north. “If soy farms come to the Pantanal – which is currently the big threat – it will be game over,” says Roberto Klabin, the reserve’s owner.
For now, though, there’s something to see wherever you go on the reserve. Guests strike out on horseback, on foot, and in jeeps, and always in the company of naturalist guides. Among the stars of the show are pumas, “prehistoric-looking” armadillos and long-haired giant anteaters – along with 120 other mammal species – and the birdlife is still more spectacular, ranging from ostrich-like rheas to great flocks of “luminous blue” hyacinth macaws.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Specialist tour operators include Joro Experiences (joroexperiences.com), Dehouche (dehouche.com) and Plan South America (plansouthamerica.com)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Alan Cumming's 6 favorite works with resilient characters
Feature The award-winning stage and screen actor recommends works by Douglas Stuart, Alasdair Gray, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 historical homes in Greek Revival style
Feature Featuring a participant in Azalea Festival Garden Tour in North Carolina and a home listed on the National Register of Historic Places in New York
By The Week Staff Published
-
The best books about money and business
The Week Recommends Featuring works by Michael Morris, Alan Edwards, Andrew Leigh and others.
By The Week UK Published
-
A motorbike ride in the mountains of Vietnam
The Week Recommends The landscapes of Hà Giang are incredibly varied but breathtaking
By The Week UK Published
-
Nightbitch: Amy Adams satire is 'less wild' than it sounds
Talking Point Character of Mother starts turning into a dog in dark comedy
By The Week UK Published
-
Electric Dreams: a 'nerd's nirvana' at Tate Modern
The Week Recommends 'Poignant' show explores 20th-century arts' relationship with technology
By The Week UK Published
-
Joya Chatterji shares her favourite books
The Week Recommends The historian chooses works by Thomas Hardy, George Eliot and Peter Carey
By The Week UK Published
-
Ballet Shoes: 'magnificent' show 'never puts a foot wrong'
The Week Recommends Stage adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's much-loved children's novel is a Christmas treat
By The Week UK Published