Brazil

I usually travel with Elderhostel, which emphasizes learning while traveling. Lectures are invariably informative. When I saw the Pantanal description in a magazine, I decided to join the adventure through International Expedition in Helena, Alabama. This company provided all sorts of necessary information to ease the process of the travel. Unfortunately, there was no map of the area.

I began to look for information about the Pantanal on the Internet. Descriptions were brief but fascinating. This helped me formulate a mental picture of the vast area. In none of these websites did I find a map, which disappointed me. I finally found a paper map which appears at the bottom of this page. I know that the Pantanal is in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul located in the southwest of Brazil and northwest of Bolivia and Paraguay.

The Pantanal:

The Portuguese discovered the swampy basin and they thought that it was a permanent inland sea. They later named it: "O Pantanal.” The locals pronounce it Pantanow , which means "The Swamp Land." The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland and with its 140,000 sq. km (50,000 sq. mi) area it is the size of Colorado. The annual floodwaters of the Rio Paraguay provide a fresh water reservoir for the neighboring countries.

The expansive Pantanal plain is surrounded by mountains. The rainwater runoff brings down sandy soil, which over time covers the whole plain with a layer of red soil. This land however is not very fertile because beneath the sand is red clay, which does not sustain crops. The land therefore is simply used for grazing of livestock, mainly cows.

Although the Pantanal is commonly referred to as a swamp, it's actually a flood plain. During the rainy season from November to April, the whole area gets inundated by the waters of the Paraguay River and its tributaries. The annual rainfall from October to March in the Pantanal is between 1,000 – 1,400 mm, which is low with respect to the Amazon basin. But the slope of the Pantanal plain is only 10 cm/ km, and the river system cannot handle the rainwater, which overflows the banks and the area transforms into a sea. Life is then invigorated; trees, fish, birds, animals, crawlers and mosquitoes all come alive. The area is rich. The Pantanal becomes a life of plenty.

Jabiru Caiman (by Kristin)

When the wet season ends, the flood plain drains into the Paraguay River, the second longest river in South America, and life begins to wither. The wetland basin turns into dry grasslands. The Pantanal becomes arid and paradoxically the parched land becomes susceptible to fires. Fish retreat to lagoons and ponds. They become easy prey for the Paraguayan caimans and other predators, which thrive even more until these ponds dry up, and then only those that can find deeper waterholes survive. The life cycle begins anew with the next wet period. The Pantanal is a heaven for extensive biodiversity. Its abundance of wildlife makes it "the world's biggest ecological sanctuary."

The most prominent feature of wildlife here is the more than 650 species of birds including 26 species of parrots, the largest of which is the stately blue hyacinth macaw, of more than one meter long. Birds are very abundant and beyond imagination. One can see flocks of different species like the heron, stork, ibis, pink spoonbill and the Jabiru with its red neck and black head; a big stork that is the symbol of the Pantanal. The rhea, the South American version of the emu, roams the land freely.

Herds of unusual animals are also seen throughout the area. Species such as jaguar, puma, ocelot, manned wolf, giant anteater, giant armadillo, large marsh deer, peccary (the South American wild pig) and tapir. The anteater has a bad odor, weak hearing and poor eyesight. It navigates by its good sense of smell. Its sticky tongue is half a meter long. The most famous mammal of the area is the capybara (looks like a guinea pig), which is the largest rodent weighing 200 pounds. It feeds on grass and swims underwater to avoid danger. There are many species of reptiles like the Paraguayan caiman, which is still quite prolific despite heavy poaching, and the world's largest snake, the anaconda. The abundance of robust life in the Pantanal indicates a well-balanced ecosystem. Brazilians say: "o Pantanal é vida" – "the Pantanal is life."

The Pantanal is almost entirely privately owned land with many large cattle ranches feeding millions of head of cattle. The owners are becoming more environmentally aware and good stewards of the land. No cities are found in the swampy savannah.

The Group:

Seven individuals with diversified backgrounds and experiences formed a congenial group with a common goal of exploring the Pantanal. They are:

Susan Erickson, Parkton, MD, pathology (blood banking) nurse at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

Susan Patricia

Patricia Sellers, Baltimore, MD, pathology (hematology) nurse, at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Pat and Susan
are friends and travel frequently together.

Grant Reed, Newark, DE, plastic surgeon.

Grant, wife Connie, and Kristin Connie and Guide Bruno

Connie Schappell, Newark, DE, she married Grant two years ago after their spouses passed away. They knew each other at young age.

Priscilla (Pat) Long, Mercer Island, WA, lawyer, and a judge, well traveled.

Kristin Tow, San Diego, CA, public relations at San Diego Community College.

Ned Audeh, Huntsville, Alabama, Professor.

The Travel:

Three of us, Susan, Pat and I, were traveling through Miami. Two days before our departure, we received a message that our flight on Varig, the Brazilian airline, had been cancelled but we were put on United Air Lines (partner of Varig) to our first destination of Sao Paulo. I called Pat and introduced myself and suggested that we meet for a dinner at Miami since we would have plenty of time. Pat was enthused about the idea.

I flew from Huntsville on Saturday morning to Charlotte, NC, where I happen to meet a jeweler acquaintance from Huntsville. We had lunch first and then walked over to Starbucks for coffee. I recognized a TV personality who hosts the Insomniac show in which he visits places that are open in the small hours of the night. I asked him if he was Dave of the show and he affirmed my observation. We chatted a little and he paid for my coffee.

In the Miami airport, Pat called me on my mobile to tell me where she and Susan were located. It was easy to meet them and we got along very well from that moment. After dinner, we took off. Eight hours later, we landed in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We were met by a representative from our expedition operator. He drove us to the domestic airport, which was impressively large and lively. We flew on TAM airlines to Campo Grande. The plane was very clean and the service, excellent, better than we received in the US. We were met again by another representative who drove us 240 KM in three hours in a good van, to the 600 square kilometer Caiman Ecological Refuge. We transferred to a safari truck for the last stretch of 30 kilometer to the lodge. We met the other four members of the group, had our first dinner and all went to bed. Our schedule was designed to be busy and full.

The Caiman Ecological Refuge:

This refuge is a 20 by 30 kilometer area and is in the southeast part of the Pantanal. We spent our time in this privately owned and well-cared-for preserve. The refuge has five lodges, each of which can accommodate a dozen or fewer visitors. Good meals and other necessities for living, including swimming pools, were adequately provided. There were no newspapers, television, telephone or radio available. It was away from cities and busy lives; it was for those who want to enjoy harmony with nature. The preserve looked very full of healthy wild life, and I hope it will stay in this pristine state. The lodge was our headquarters.

(by Grant)

The preserve had its own private workers living in a small village community. They took care of the 26,000 head of Brahma cattle there. The cattle were divided by age and gender and placed in very large fenced areas for the cows to graze. Well-kept fencing parceled out the expansive preserve into pastures.

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