 General
Info About Brazil
Everything in Brazil seems larger
than life. It has the world’s wildest party, its greatest waterfall,
its biggest wetlands, its mightiest river and its largest rain forest.
For travelers, Brazil’s sheer size and variety can be overwhelming.
We do recommend that you try to venture beyond the thousands of miles
of beach to explore Brazil’s other remarkable attractions: the folk
religions of Salvador, the colonial towns of Ouro Preto and Olinda or
the wilderness of the Pantanal, one of the best wildlife
preserves in South America. Rio might draw you to Brazil the first time,
but the country’s unexplored corners and breadth of attractions will
make you want to go back.
Brazil was a Portuguese colony for more than three centuries (much of
it at the center of the great Atlantic sugar and slave trades), and
evidence of Portuguese culture abounds in everything from language to
food. After declaring its independence in 1822, Brazil went on to become
a kingdom, an empire and, finally, in 1889, a republic. The country is
shared by descendants of native Indians, European immigrants, Africans
slaves, Japanese farmers and even Confederate refugees from the U.S.
Civil War.
Brazil’s territory is as varied as its people: dense jungles,
semiarid scrub land, rugged hills, jagged mountains and a beautiful
coastline. Hills and mountains dominate most of the southern coastline,
while jungle covers nearly all of the northwest and west of the country.
The Amazon River cuts across the entire country from west to east, while
most southern rivers drain to the interior of the country, finally
emptying into the Atlantic between Uruguay and Argentina.
Pantanal
According to Portuguese-English
dictionary, PANTANAL
is a "large swamp or marsh". In reality the definition is not precise .
The term Pantanal is applied to a large land mass which becomes partially
submersed during the raining season, covering an area of about 210,000
square kilometers in Central-Western Brazil, Eastern Bolivia and part of
Paraguay. The largest portion of Pantanal, about 140,000 square kilometers
lies, in Brazil, stretching over two states-- Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso
do Sul. By comparison, Florida Everglades has only 10,000 square
kilometers.
The vegetation of the Pantanal is mainly a mixture between three of
the most important Eco-systems of South America; the Chaco with its dry
forest formations to the south, the savanna-like Cerrado to the east and
the Amazon jungle to the north. As a result of the topography and the
seasonal climate the landscapes consist of swamps, seasonally flooded
grass and woodlands, and various types of forest (evergreen, semi
deciduous, gallery etc.). This mixture has caused the Pantanal to house
the highest concentration of wildlife in all of the Americas.
In the Pantanal region
occur around 700 species of birds (compared to about 500 in all Europe).
It is one of the most important breeding grounds for typical wetland birds
such as heron, stork, ibis and pink spoonbill that are found in enormous
flocks. The magnificent Jabiru with its red neck and black head; the
biggest stork of the Americas is known as the symbol of the Pantanal.
Quite evident are also the 26 species of parrot including the endangered
blue hyacinth macaw, the world's largest parrot more than one meter long.
Of other characteristic birds can be mentioned the rhea – the South
American version of the ostrich. The large quantity of birds of prey –
represented by 45 species – indicates a well balanced ecosystem."
"The Pantanal is a huge plain of marshy areas. The flooding period
justifies the myth about its origin that says that it used to be a huge
inside ocean, the Xaraés ocean. This hydrographic complex yet includes,
countless of bays and lakes with the most diversified areas, linked or not
by booklet and runways which are small perennial or even periodic rivers.
During the river flooding or rains, it takes place an extraordinary
linkage among rivers, river arms and the bays. The river water finally
becomes only one: The Xaraés ocean. During the drainage period the region,
enriched by humus, becomes the most and more rich concentration of natural
foods which will sustain its entire flora and fauna. It is the period that
the most large and vigorous grazing land of the world becomes green."
When to Go
March-November is the driest and
best time to visit; December-February can be rainy and humid. In
southern Brazil, the evenings and winter days can be fairly cool, and
sweaters or light coats are needed. The Amazon region is always hot
and humid, but the best time to see it is July-August, when it’s
neither the peak of the rainy season nor the time when the river is
lowest.
Accommodations
Hotel reservations in Brazil
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