Our Destinys
Here, you will know a little about all the destinys that we can provide for you.
Located mainly in south-central Brazil, but also extending into northeast Paraguay and southeast Bolivia; contained within the Upper Paraguay River Basin, this immense, seasonally flooded plain can cover as much as 81,000 square miles , or 210,000 square km. (Apparently the whole United Kingdom could fit inside Pantanal !...) Approximately 62% of its areas is located in Brazil – in the States of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul – 20% in Bolivia, and 18% in Paraguay.
The landscape found here has a wide variety of vegetation types that form mosaics of different habitats. Here we can find over 600 species of birds! And the sheer concentration of waterbirds it`s mind blowing! The Pantanal provides sanctuary for a rich assortment of wildlife, offering the best wildlife spectacle on the American continent! It`s no wonder that Pantanal , apart from harbouring three Ramsar sites (of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention), the Pantanal was designated a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
The region is also the most important stronghold to a number of endangered animals, like the Giant anteater, the Marsh Deer, the Hyacinth Macaw (the world’s largest parrot), the Chestnut-bellied Guan, the Tapir and, of course the Jaguar and the Giant River Otter. Oh, yes, there`s no other place on Earth, not by a long shot, where you can get so close to these top two predators: the Jaguar and the Giant otter. They are incredibly habituated to ecotourists in some areas of Northern Pantanal; and that`s where we want to take you... Join our amazing tour!
The Transpantaneira
Built during the 1970s, this very popular destination – a bonanza for wildlife viewing !– is a 145 Km raised dirt road that cuts across Northern Pantanal, through a vast floodplain with a rich mosaic of vegetation ; heading South almost on a straight line. It begins near the city of Poconé and ends when it meets the Cuiabá river, at Porto Jofre; on the border with the southern State (Mato Grosso do Sul).
It has 126 small bridges!
Even Sir Sir David Attenborough recently considered the Transpantaneira as one of the best roads to
Cerrado
The Cerrado is considered one of the world's biological "hotspots". Located between the Amazon, Atlantic Forests and Pantanal, the Cerrado is the largest savanna region in South America.
Is also the most biological rich savannah in the world, represents 30% of Brazil`s biodiversity; which means that it holds about 5% of the world`s biodiversity. There are also over 10,000 species of plants, almost half of which are found nowhere else in the world; 44% of the vascular plants are endemic.
The Cerrado has a high diversity of vertebrates; 150 amphibian species, 120 reptile species, 837 bird species, and 161 mammal species have been recorded.
In the vast Cerrado, some of the target species for ecotourists are Giant Anteaters; the Manned Wolfs ; Pumas; Red-legged Seriemas; Greater Rheas; Blue-winged Macaws; Red-and-green Macaws; Helmeted Manakins; Horned Sungems; Blue Finchs and Brazilian Merganers, amongst others.
Besides been the main link between the other 4 of Brazil`s biomes, Cerrado is also the cradle of Brazil`s fresh water resources.
6 of the 8 largest watersheds in Brazil depend on the Cerrado – including the waters that feed the Pantanal; also supplies 3 gigantic aquifers (one of which, the Guarani aquifer is the second largest [aquifer system] in the world!)
This unique biome is the second largest in South America. Once these wooded grasslands covered an area half the size of Europe. It still covers a quarter of Brazil`s national territory on an area of over two million square kilometers (roughly 10 times the size of Great Britain), across 11 States. Unfortunately, more than half of its original vegetation has been destroyed…
The Cerrado is one of the most threatened and over-exploited regions in Brazil, second only to the Atlantic Forests in vegetation loss and deforestation. The media coverage of the highlights and threats of the neighbouring Amazon Rainforest, overshadows the sad fact that native habitats and rich biodiversity of Cerrado are being destroyed much faster by non sustainable agribusiness… Only 20% of Cerrado still stands in good shape… One of every four species threatened in Brazil belong to Cerrado...
Despite its environmental importance, it is one of the least protected bioregions in Brazil, with less than 3% under legal protection. (Unlike the other biomes, the Cerrado was intentionally left out of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution, not recognized as a National Heritage Site…) Also it remains virtually unknown for the majority of the foreign ecotourists. We want to show you the Cerrado`s natural treasures.
Our tours explore several amazing bioregions of the Cerrado, but mainly we take our guests to enjoy the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park (located only 60 Km from our headquarters, in Cuiabá), an astonishing plateau with an abundance of gorges and waterfalls. Despite the proximity of the Pantanal, here we also can find many different species of birds.
We also frequently take our guests to snorkel in the crystal clear waters found around the quiet town of Bom Jardim, where you can also appreciate the Macaw`s Lagoon (mainly Blue-and-yellow Macaws and Red-bellied macaws roost there) ; swim in a bluish pool at the base of a beautiful waterfall (Serra Azul) and float on the river tubes through a cave ( Quebó Cave) .
Amazon Rainforest
The sheer size of the bioregion and the beauty of this biome is overwhelming!
The Amazon is the world`s biggest rainforest; larger than the next two largest rainforests – the Congo Basin and Indonesia – combined!
Undeniably, is our planet`s champion of biodiversity. Just a few mind-blowing examples of its natural treasures: 1,600 species of birds and 600 different mammals; at least 3,000 fish species; more than 16,000 tree species. Although the canopy of Amazonia is less studied than the ocean floor, scientists believe that the canopy may contain half of the world's species.
Covering about 6.8 million square kilometers, the Amazon Basin is roughly the size of the 48 contiguous United States and covers some 40 percent of the South American continent.
This amazing rainforest spreads across 9 countries, but nearly two-thirds is found in Brazil.
More than half of the Amazon forest that`s still standing (25% of its original area has been destroyed since World War II) is protect by parks, biological and Indian reserves.
Having over 1,100 tributaries (17 of which are longer than 1,500 kilometers), the Amazon River contributes with almost one-fifth of the total annual amount of fresh-water discharges into the oceans of the world! (In 24 hours, it discharges into the Atlantic as much water as the river Thames carries past London in a year!) The presence of fresh water from the Amazon can be detected well over 100 Km into the Atlantic Ocean.
We have several exhilarating Amazonian tours – all starting in Manaus. One of them you can see about 12 species of monkeys! In another we`ll take you very close to Wire-tailed manikins, Guianan Cock-of-the-rocks, Crimson Topaz, Scarlet Macaws,…
In all our tours there you`ll get the chance to swim with the Pink River Dolphins (completely wild and free) from a beautiful beach on the Rio Negro. Unforgettable!
Atlantic Rainforest
The beauty of Brazil`s Atlantic Rainforest finds no match in other biodiversity hotspots…
We`ll help you find a lot of its numerous endemic species, while enjoying breathtaking waterfalls – including the most beautiful in the world: the Iguazu Falls! -, paradisiacal beaches, mountains covered with luxurious forest, overlooking the Ocean… Mesmerizing!
(By the way, most of the movies, not documentaries, allegedly made in the Amazon Rainforest were, actually, shot in the Atlantic Rainforest…)
Despite the sad fact that the Atlantic Forest of South America is among the world’s most threatened biodiversity hotspots, the 8 percent that is left of its original extent still accounts as one of the most biodiverse forests in the world and exhibits a high number of species that can be found nowhere else on Earth.
Home to around 20,000 species of plants, in a single hectare of forest in southern Bahia, researchers from the New York Botanical Garden counted 458 tree species! That`s a world record for woody plant diversity. The forest structure of the Atlantic Forest contains multiple canopies that support an extremely rich vegetation mix. This includes an astonishing diversity of ferns, mosses and epiphytes (“air plants” or plants that attach to other plants), including lianas, orchids and bromeliads.
The Atlantic Forest harbors around 2,200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians – 5% of the vertebrates on Earth. This includes nearly 200 bird species found nowhere else, and 60% of all of Brazil’s threatened animal species call this forest home.
Brazil as a whole is the world’s leader in primate diversity, with 77 species and subspecies identified to date. Of these, 26 are found in the Atlantic forest, of which 21 are found nowhere else in the world.
Some of the Atlantic Forest’s most charismatic species include the golden lion tamarin, wooly spider monkey, red-tailed parrot, and maned three-toed sloth.
New species of flora and fauna continue to be discovered.
The Atlantic Forest still ranks as a global conservation priority.