Forest Adventure Brazil 5

Last summer, Sara from Wildfoot enjoyed a Brazil wildlife break, recording the high points of her adventure. We are posting her daily journal entries here on the Wildfoot blog. Today, Sara says goodbye to Rio Azul and makes her way to Porte Jofre.

Day 5

This morning, there’s time for another boat ride with Carlos and his father. We set out and immediately admire how crystal clear the shallow water is, which allows us to spot stingrays and all varieties of aquarium fish I know from having a tropical fish tank at home.

We also search favoured hideouts for anaconda (with no success), hear the terrifyingly noisy howler monkeys and get to photograph several beautiful hummingbirds, my favourite being the crimson topaz.

I think it’s also worth noting that if you are a keen fisherman, this is the place to come. In fact, Robson Green has recently visited to film an episode of his Extreme Fishing series here!

I am very sad to say goodbye to Rio Azul so shortly after arriving, but we have another three-hour drive, a one-hour flight and then another four-hour drive along the Transpantaneira, with all of its 122 bridges, ahead of me to get to the final destination.

Next stop is Porte Jofre, which is in the heart of the Pantanal.

Large numbers of capybara and caiman litter the road, and several times we have to swerve or come to a grinding stop to avoid hitting them, The biggest surprise, however, comes when a puma runs into the road and almost dances in front of our car for a few seconds. We had never expected to see this elusive big cat here!

We arrive in the dark, tired and hungry, but we’re instantly rejuvenated by the warm welcome from Nelson, the manager at Hotel Pantanal Norte. A late but tasty buffet dinner follows, and then we’re off to bed, slightly excited with anticipation of possible jaguar action tomorrow!