Rates Note:

Day 1:
You arrive at 10.10am on TAM Airlines at Campo Grande. Our transfer will greet you and take you on a city tour with a short stop to see local crafts. We enjoy lunch in Campo Grande (local fish or a barbecue restaurant) and then head off around 1.30pm to São Roque farm (220 kms), arriving around 5pm - just in time to check in and freshen up, before we take a short walk with presentation of the horses. If you are up for it, we take a short horse ride to see the sun set near the scarps of the Serra de Maracaju. Dinner and overnight - S.Roque (Monteiros).

Day 2:  
A 7am departure to Babacú outstation on horse back, riding through open fields, cattle and babaçú palm groves. At midday we stop for a picnic under trees next to a vazante. Here you will see aligators, and have the opportunity to rest in a river-side hammock. In the afternoon we embark on a photographic safari in the lowlands, which offer us completely different scenery to our morning ride. The safari can be on horse back or in a 4x4 pick up (your choice). Tonight we have dinner and overnight at São João farm.

Day 3:
This morning we ride  up to the wetland delta of Rio Negro and enjoy a barbecue of Pantaneiro veal next to the Correntoso river. For those who prefer fish, fresh fish can be grilled - the most commonly caught are piranhas, pintados (skin) and dourados. After lunch a boat ride takes us to view the alligators, capybaras, jabirus, spoonbills and other wildlife living together with the cattle. Following this we take a canoe ride upstream to the rio Correntosos spring. Here you will find some excellent opportunities for bird watching as they flock to their sleeping places in the swampland. Night animal spotting is another optional activity today. Tonight we dine and stay overnight at São João farm.

Day 4: 
Today we embark on an all day ride across open fields - vazantes - cordilheiras up to Cumbaru outstation. Lunch is served with wild Monteiro pig meat. After lunch we spend a "Cowboy afternoon" helping seperate cows from their calves. There may be branding and vaccinating, depending on the season.  Dinner and overnight at Pousada dos Monteiros- S.João farm.

Day 5:  
Today we ride to the macaw trail, where we will find these fascinating creatures breeding in Mandovi trees. We make our way on foot under the trees in a cordillera. A late lunch is served at the main house. The afternoon is open for a walk in the wetland. Dinner and overnight at S.João farm.

Day 6: 
An early ride today takes us out to salt the cattle troughs.  This is followed by a safari on a 4x4 to Santo Amaro outstation, where we visit deer and giant otters. Here we will find wetlands with rich wild life  in dense vegetation. We have lunch at the outstation and take a safari out to where the Hyacinth macaws  gather together at dusk. Dinner and overnight at S.João farm.

Day 7:  
Departure to São Roque farm – 4x4 safari to visit to our neighbors at São Geraldo farm, where we stop for fresh fruit juices. Lunch is at São Roque. Leisurely afternoon by the pool or a ride to the foothill of the Maracajú range. Dinner and overnight at S.Roque farm.

Day 8: 
Departure to Campo Grande. We enjoy a Rodizio barbecue lunch  in Campo Grande (where our hosts will offer you meat till you beg them to stop!). We will then visit the Indian Museum and parks in C.Grande, before being finally transferred to the airport for your departure.

The annual average temperature is around 25°C. The highest temperatures occur usually early in the summer and may reach 40°C.

Wet summer weather is common, due to the penetration of the equatorial continental air mass of Amazonian origin. The climate in the winter is dominated by the tropical-atlantic air mass coming from the Brazilian highland. Since the amphitheater of the Pantanal is open to the south, sometimes polar-antarctic atmospheric fronts advance into the area and winter temperature extremes of around 0°C may occur. These are the so called “friagens” which can provoke frost-bite etiolation of the plants over large swamp areas.

Humidity is usually around 70%, and sometimes reaches a maxima of 80% in the late summer.

The rainy season occurs between October and March, when there is commonly rainfall of 1000-1400 mm. Rainfall is slightly less than in the cerrado of central Brazil, but the Paraguay River and its tributaries swell to such an extent that the waters flood the low plain, covering it with a sheet of water 2-3m (sometimes even 4m) deep. The Pantanal is a unique climatic enclave in which the run-off from the surrounding wet highlands, carried by a series of large rivers, maintain an allochthonous wetland environment within a semi-arid climate.

The Pantanal is probably also the most important window of evaporative freshwater loss in the world.

Flood and Dry Seasons
Farther inland, away from the rivers, you  will find large lakes known as baías. These may be circular, and often even have an island in the center. These lakes measure from hundreds of meters to more than 10km in diameter.

The lakes are separated from each other by strips of higher terrain, know as cordilheiras. Sometimes, the lakes contain salt water, in which case they are called salinas. During the dry season, these bodies of water dry up and are called barreiros. They are visited by wild animals and cattle hungry for salt. A water course that connects one baía to another is called a corixo.

Since the soil is very permeable, even the larger rivers diminish in volume if the dry season is prolonged.

During the flood season from December to May, the land is fertilized by the suspended sediments (clay, silt, organic matter) in the waters, which are deposit on the plains, making one think of the Nile in Egypt. The waters begin to lower in April, but only in the month of July does the soil become dry enough to support a car. From the beginning of July to the end of December, one can drive over the Pantanal without great difficulty. The dry season begins between May and October, and then, gradually, the rain begins again. This rhythm is essential for the life in the area.

The trail luggage to be carried on packhorses should include essential belongings while the main baggage remains at the Pousada Caiman.

Rooms feature private bathrooms, hot water shower, hair driers for each bathroom, spring mattresses, 2 pillows per person, 2 beds per room or king size bed for couples at both farms.

São Roque farm has a swimming pool, and São João farm has an external Jacuzzi, and restaurant with air conditioning and mirante.

All meals are highlighted by local cuisine, some of the most delicious meat you have ever tasted, home made breads, beignets and rolls, exotic fruits and vegetables, home made cheeses, compotes, and cane fudge and caramel sauces. During your trip you will be treated to fresh piranha, caiman, suckling wild monteiro pig, a BBQ of typical local cuts of cow, and many other delicacies local to the country and the Pantanal. To be even closer to nature we offer barbecues and picnics under Cambará, Piuva and Mandovi tree groves. After a hammock rest we continue our outings. 

The faziendas:

São Roque
São Roque fazenda (6000ha) is at the foothill of the Maracajú range next to the Highway MS 419 that goes from Aquidauana to the town of Rio Negro. 13 km from the farm stead you will find Babaçú outstation cut through by two vazantes and with exotic babaçú palm groves.

There are 4 apartments with 2 beds each, private bathroom, hot showers and air conditioning. São Roque also has a swimming pool.

São João
São João fazenda (14000ha) is 36 km from São Roque fazenda and its boundary is the Negro river. There are the Santo Amaro and Cumbaru outstations, some vazantes and the Correntoso river that divides the swampland.

There are 4  apartments with 2 beds each,  private bathroom, hot showers and air conditioning.

São João features electricity, air conditioning, telephone, lounges for meals,  and a TV room. You will dine on typical local food, and can enjoy recreation on the rivers with boating/kayak programs. Photographic safari and night focusing are also available.  We use good horses with Pantaneiro saddles (including sheep skin). Other features of the farm include galpões where the peões work leather, wild animals and birds, beautiful and different landscapes. One farm is very different from the other making this trip very unique.

This trip includes and can accommodate special dietary requests.

The groups are guided by two experienced Pantaneiro horsemen and one translator guide (English, German, Spanish, French, Italian) familiar with the Pantanals wildlife.

Tack:		South American
Horses:		Pantaneiro breed - mixed wirth Quarter and Brazilian Mangalarga
Pace:		4-8 hours Moderate with trots and canters | Walk | Trot | Canter | Gallop |
Level:		(2 to 4 out of 5)    Good novice to intermediate+
Age:		Min 14
Weight:		Max 220lb
Riders:		Min 2 riders	Max 10 riders

The groups are guided by two experienced Pantaneiro horsemen and one translator guide (English, German, Spanish, French, Italian) familiar with the Pantanals wildlife.

Passports
Passports valid for at least six months from date of entry required by all nationals referred to in the chart.
Passport Note
All non-Brazillian nationals under 18 years of age, when not accompanied by both parents, must have a birth certificate (an original or authenticated photocopy). This must be in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish, otherwise an official translation must be presented as well. When travelling alone or with one parent, a declaration from the absent parent(s) must be presented authorising the journey and giving the name and address of the person in Brazil who will be responsible for the minor. In the case of divorced or deceased parents, papers attesting to full custody must be presented.
All travellers must be in possession of onward or return tickets and sufficient funds to cover their stay.

Visas
Required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except the following:
(a) 1. nationals of EU countries (except nationals of Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta who do require a visa) for touristic and business stays of up to 90 days;
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey to a third country by the same or first connecting flight, provided holding onward documentation and not leaving the airport.

Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).
Types of Visa and Cost
Tourist: cost varies according to nationality. Generally, it is around £30. Other prices, based on reciprocity, are £28 (for nationals of Australia); £52 (for nationals of Canada); free, but £104 processing fee (for nationals of the USA). British citizens requiring visas with a validity over 180 days will be subject to a processing fee of £124. Business and Transit: cost varies according to nationality; contact the consulate for details.
Validity
Normally 90 days from date of issue, although this is at the discretion of Brazilian immigration officials. Tourist visas can be used for multiple entry within the period of validity. Tourist visas can be extended up to a further 90 days, provided the application is made at least two weeks before the expiration of the visa. Nationals should apply in Brazil to the federal police; this must be done before the visa expires or nationals risk deportation.

Note: Some Brazilian immigration officials have been restricting single male tourists aged 25-50 to stays of up to 30 days, particularly in the north east region, in an effort to combat sex tourism.
Applications to:
Consulate (or consular section at the embassy); see Contact Addresses. Applications made through travel agents or by post are subject to a fee of £8.
Working Days Required
Depends on nationality. Up to three days for applications made in person and 10 days for applications made by a third party. Additional time is required to process applications made by post.