The Pantanal

So like I said, I think all budget tours of the Pantanal are basically the same thing - 3 nights, 4 days of doing various kinds of trips into the Pantanal while staying at a lodge, so anyone who has done it will be familiar with my experiences.

We arrived at our lodge in the late morning, just in time for lunch (again George had given us good advice about what bus to catch from Campo Grange, the other operators suggesting later buses). Then after lunch we had a boat trip along the Miranda River, which ran right outside the lodge (when not on a trip, or waiting for one, I'd just sit in one of the comfy chairs on the veranda looking at the river and reading).

Within minutes of setting off in the boat we spotted a huge green lizard, and got really close to him before he scuttled off his branch and fell into the river and disappeared. Right after that we started seeing the caimans (small crocs), and lots of them, lounging on the river banks and scuttling into the water when our small boat approached. We also got to see a few of the huge storks that are the symbol of the Pantanal. But basically it's just a leisurely boat trip down and back up the river, although we did stop at a small sandy beach at a curve in the river and popped in for refreshing swim (obviously we'd been informed that caiman never attack humans, but of course only three of the people on our boat 'braved' the croc infested waters!).

Our next day was a full day safari in the wetlands themselves. This involved a long drive along the only road in the Southern Pantanal (I think the North is similar in that it also has only one long road running through it for access). As we cruised along we spotted loads of birds of course, although not in flocks, and tons of caiman lounging by small water pools. At one stage we all got out to see the caiman up close and got to see two large one fighting over a couple of live, flapping about fish one of them had just caught. Apparently the rains have pretty much finished now and so the water is receding, meaning less water for the fish to move about in, which in turn makes for very easy hunting for the caimans. At another small pool we could actually see the poor fish gasping for oxygen at the surface as the water was drying up. We also passed a group of gauchos (South American cowboys) herding their cattle down the road, which was pretty cool too.

After lunch we all got out of the safari truck and started hiking through the bush proper. This of course was the highlight of the whole trip for me, as it really felt like we were in the wilderness now (and the road you drive along is paralleled with high-tension electricity pylons and cables, which naturally is a great pity). Early on the guide (Rony) brings us to an armadillo den under the carcass of a cow, and we all creep up really close (I'm pretty sure this critter has lived there for a good while as the guide went straight to him, but earlier another armadillo had scurried across the main road, and I got a great view of him as I was up the front). So yes, yet another mad critter ticked off the 'must see' list for me.

We hiked for the whole afternoon, often wading through knee deep water in our barefeet, which was cool. We got to spot a group of blue macaws, and later a pair of scarlet macaws, which are all apparently making a good comeback after being endangered due to the illegal rare bird trade. We also spotted moneys and small deer, wild pigs, loads of big kingfishers, quite a few mad looking toucans (don't know why I got so excited seeing one in Iguasu Falls, as I've seen loads of wild ones now!), a few capybara and a family of curious giant otters in a small water pool.

It was on this hike that I suffered my first wild animal attack. I heard it first as a loud buzzing noise and then felt something on the back of my neck. I tried to swat it away, but it felt quite big and wouldn't budge. Then the guide suddenly shouted 'Run, Run!' to everyone and as I started running I could see a number of these huge black wasps buzzing around. Obviously I'd been stung by one as had a couple of other people on the hike. Turns out that black wasps are not stinging because they're threatened or anything, but to try and lay their eggs! Pretty disgusting thought but nothing to worry about apparently, as it takes them a while and my one got swatted away after a couple of attempts. Some of the other people on the hike got a right fright though, as they hadn't seen the wasps at all and so had no idea why the guide had shouted in such a panicky voice, some of them even thinking the group was being attacked by a jaguar - as if!

The next morning it was just me and Sarah for the horse riding - well mule riding in fact. This was a nice leisurely affair, and we only got to canter a few times on an out-and-back trail between the main road and the electricity pylons! After the same-old-same-old lunch of rice, beans and meat we did the boat trip again (we could have done the 'piranha fishing' activity, but we knew that only takes half-an-hour before you get bored so we decided to hop on the boat instead (these lodge places are very relaxed, and your pretty much free to do whatever activity you like if there is room)). This was much the same as the first boat trip, only we had a lot more time to swim at the small beach. Rony the guide had actually brought along fishing gear too, so we all had a go fishing for piranha in-between swimming with the wee biters and the caiman.

We all caught a couple of fish, as they start to bite almost the second you drop the baited hook into the water (so I'm assuming the river was pretty much infested with them, but again, they never attack humans (unless you have a bleeding cut or something I suppose)). On the way back in the boat we saw more otters, and this time got to see them come up on the river bank and dive into their den. It was cool to see them out of the water, as you can then really appreciate their impressive size.

The next day was our last (and Sarah's birthday), but we didn't have to catch the bus to Corumba until 15:30, so in the morning we got to 'tube' down the river - basically you just sit in a big inflated tyre and float down the river. Again this was lovely and relaxing, and with no boat engine noise it was really peaceful too. It was cool to just float past caiman and feel tiny fish nibble at the hairs of your bum as it stuck out through the tube into the water.

I got very excited at one stage though as I was sure I spotted an anaconda. I shouted at the boat that floated along beside us, and they went over to investigate. It did indeed turn out to be an anaconda (which apparently can grow up to 35 feet long!), but this was a dead one, and only half of one at that (the other half presumably eaten by the caimans). The guide poked it out from the branches it was caught in and it floated down the river with us. I paddled over to get a good look and to poke it a bit, but it was quite stinky and bloated - still pretty cool though!

When we floated back to the lodge we showered and then did a spot more piranha fishing before lunch. Sarah was the undisputed queen, catching loads while I only managed one wee tiddler (which got thrown back in). You get to eat the ones you catch for lunch and they're quite tasty, although there isn't much meat on them (but their teeth really are amazing).

So after another lunch of rice and beans (the food was good and plentiful, but very much the same every day), we were dropped off on the main highway and after a short wait we caught the bus to Corumba on the border with Bolivia.