Brasil - SP&Pantanal Day 8

Day 08 - Tuesday, August 4, 2009 - Pousada Xaraés

We began our day at 5:40 with showers and breakfast just as the light was breaking in the east. There were several more people here today at the lodge, a gentleman from Curitiba and a couple from New Zealand.

At 7:00 we joined Silvana and another guide Bruna, along with Barriga, our driver and Sophia who was in charge of opening and closing the cattle gates as we passed.

Eight of us boarded a large safari truck and set off across the open fields, through rivers, through submerged swamp land and tall grasslands.

For those of our readers who are into birding – I will list the fantastic inventory of our sightings at the end of the journal today. Gennie kept a list of all of the animals and birds we saw on our journey this morning.

We saw brown and red Brocket Deer, a family of capivaras, the largest rodents in the world, and a small Azara Agouti, a foot-long ground squirrel type of rodent. Many of the animals of the Pantanal are nocturnal, so we did not see the giant anteater, the tapir, or the elusive cats.

The cats; ocelots, jaguars, and pumas are all very rare and unfortunately they are still hunted in these regions of the Pantanal. In our nature lecture last night Bruna told us that because of the eco-tourism now, farmers are starting to respect these endangered species.

At 9:00, about half way through our journey, we came upon a cattle drive, where five caregadores, or cowboys crossed through a river in front of us. We hurried to the other side so we could watch them work the cattle on their horses.

With a long stick and an even longer whip, they herded the cattle that they will take to a greener pasture for fattening. One of the men, Lucio stopped to talk with us and I was able to take a few close-up photos of him in his authentic gear.

Barriga dropped us off at the lodge at 10:30. Gennie started the journal and I started looking at the hundreds of photos from our safari.

We had lunch at noon. It was 92º with 36% humidity just after lunch. The weather has changed dramatically in just a few short hours. I worked on pictures while Gennie took a nap and then we went to check our mail.

At 3:00 we met our group at the main lodge for a horseback ride through the surrounding areas. Horses are a main form of transportation here, especially in the wet season, when cars and trucks do not have a chance in the flooded regions.

We saw many boats by seemingly dry docks, but in the wet season, the water comes up to the docks and boats are a necessity. After we watched the crew saddle the horses, our ride began across the open fields on the tractor roads.

Our guide Trigo lead the way as we made many river crossings, followed bridle paths, and we also went through palm groves where we made our own route.

After a 2 and a half hour ride, the sun was setting on the Pantanal and the horses were ready to get back to the corral. We thanked our guides and got back into the safari truck for our ride to the pousada.

By this point it was getting dark; the time those nocturnal animals start to hunt. We were very fortunate to see two armadillos and two feral pigs. Although it was much too dark for photographs, we can all remember seeing these night creatures in our mind’s eye.

We arrived back at the lodge and Bob and I immediately got a drink to quench our parched throats. Gennie had taken her shower when I got back to the room and was packing for tomorrow.

Our driver will come back for us very early at 5:00 am and we will arrive at Boca da Onça at mid-morning. After spending the day there at caves and water falls, we will be in Bonito by evening.

We enjoyed our last dinner here and finished the journal, the photos, and posted everything to GarciaTrips. The signal strength is not good here in the wilderness so I have been sending the videos to our son Eduardo who can easily post them with his high speed internet connection.

And now the list of birds we saw on the morning safari…Roadside Hawk, Burrowing Owl, Red & Green Macaw, Barefaced Ibis, Nacunda Night Hawk, Wattled Jancana, Southern Lapwing, Greater Rhea, BlackVulture, Plumbleous Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Jabiru Stork, Snowy Egret, Snail Kite, Savannah Hawk, Maguari Stork, Picui Dove, Southern Caracara, Black Collared Hawk, Muscovy Duck, Great Egret, Whistling Duck, Great Kiskadee, Great Black Hawk, Whistling Heron, Hyacinth Macaw, Cocoi Heron, and Southern Screamer.

Loved the pictures and the video. Great work, as usual.

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

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