I catch such a fleeting glimpse of Steve Backshall at Campo Grande airport that I doubt it is really him. But a check of his Instagram confirms that the TV naturalist has just been filming Deadly 60 in the Pantanal and so it must have been him I spotted at the region’s gateway airport.
Well, if that’s not a good omen for wildlife viewing, I don’t know what is.
The Pantanal is the largest seasonal floodplain in the world, and the ecosystem with the highest concentration of flora and fauna in all the Americas. Wedged inland, close to Brazil’s borders with Bolivia and Paraguay, it’s not the easiest region to access, but this cattle ranching country delivers an ecotourism experience that is well worth the journey, with each well-defined season offering something different.
The luxury lodge where I am staying – Casa Caiman – has partnered with multiple conservation initiatives, and guests are able to go out on safari with their scientists.
For a deeper understanding of jaguars, guests can join Oncafari, an NGO focused on conservation-based tourism, habituation of the cats, and rehabilitation of orphaned cubs. Our guide Bruno Sartori beams with pride when he tells us he grew up watching wildlife documentaries and now he lives in one.
The project has approximately seven jaguars collared for radio tracking, which makes them easier to find. Bruno narrows down a jaguar’s location, and then it’s up to our eagle eyes to spot it. A clue is the limp body of a calf, drawing its final breaths, after being dragged into bushy undergrowth.
Jaguars camouflage well, but just behind the calf, we spot some yellowy fur. And then a hushed squeal: “There’s a cub.” And so there is. An adorable over-sized kitten, who tugs playfully on the carcass, eager to start its meal. But mum is visibly panting from the adrenaline of the kill and not ready for dinner yet.
Once our jeep has been manoeuvred into position, we sit transfixed by this majestic cat, who we learn is called Surya. Stretched out, she licks herself clean and nuzzles her cub, Dakari. Bruno is pleased we are witnessing this maternal bond: “Jaguars are misunderstood creatures – they rarely pose a threat to humans and mothers defend their cubs fiercely.”
Brazil’s wild heart
The Pantanal safari experience is similar to that we associate with Africa: there’s all the anticipation of coming across wildlife in its natural habitat; the feeling of being at one with nature as we trundle along in an open jeep, and I hang off every word spoken by our guides. They are all experts in their fields and passionate about every species, from the tiniest caterpillars to the apex predators.
Caiman’s owner, Brazilian businessman Roberto Klabin, inherited a share of his family’s land in 1986. It had always exclusively been a cattle ranch until – inspired by African safaris – Roberto introduced ecotourism to the Pantanal, defying his disapproving family in the process.
“The adults always talked about cattle raising but no one talked about the beauty of the Pantanal,” he says.
Just like Africa, Caiman Ecological Reserve has a big five. Alongside the jaguar, the all-star-cast includes the tapir, the largest terrestrial mammal in South America; the capybara, the largest rodent in the world; the marsh deer; and the elusive giant anteater.
On our first evening, we head out with Caiman guide Rafael Andrade. Capybaras are conveniently stationed outside the lodge gates. Tick. We drive by a tapir taking it easy in a leafy pond. Tick. And as the biggest of the Pantanal’s four species of deer, the antlered Marsh deer stands out from afar. Tick.
By our final morning, there’s just one on the list we’ve yet to see. The giant anteater. No pressure, Rafael, we joke. The giant anteater is only found in Central and South America and has a unique look, with its long snout, stocky body and bushy tail. They carry their babies on their backs for up to a year after birth.
We drive to an area we’ve not explored yet, where the fields are more open. In the early mornings giant anteaters like to roam as they snuffle along the ground, searching for the 30,000 ants and termites they will munch in a day.
We may be in their territory but they camouflage well. I’m beginning to lose hope when Rafael trains his binoculars on a patch of grass, which turns out to be hiding a shaggy mound that’s moving. There are gasps of delight, and then hushed silence as we get out of the vehicle and track our giant anteater on foot. These solitary creatures are non-threatening to humans and almost blind so cannot see us – it’s thrilling to be so close to one.
Even when we’re not caught up in the magic of these sightings, the verdant Pantanal is an incredible place to be, with its vociferous birdlife, wildflower-covered meadows, brilliantly starry skies and frog choruses at night.
The hotel experience is akin to African safari lodges too. Caiman has homely furnishings, local artwork and sculptures and plenty of chairs and sofas for relaxing in. Aside from the peaceful ambiance, the freshly-prepared food is a highlight – guests can never go hungry.
The heat is on
The lodge, however, is lucky to still be standing. In June and August this year, Caiman suffered successive wildfires, that burned 82% of its land between them. Although the greenery has returned, the vast area of scorched trunks reveals the catastrophic nature of the fires.
They have a devastating effect on the wildlife too, with habitats and food sources burned. Our sighting of both howler and capuchin monkeys swinging through the treetops is particularly gratifying for Bruno, because he hasn’t seen them since the fires. Depressingly, Roberto is fully expecting wildfires to become normal in the Pantanal: “In the last 30 years, the Pantanal is losing its water surface. It’s getting dryer and dryer and the prognostics are not good. It’ll lose its capability to become a delta.”
This is one of the world’s frontlines in the climate crisis. More people need to hear its story and the team are convinced that ecotourism can help spread the word. The jaguars and the giant anteater will stay with me forever, but there’s another close encounter with Brazil’s wildlife that leaves a huge impression on me. The largest population of hyacinth macaws is found in the Pantanal, where it is protected through conservation projects. In addition to losing its habitat through deforestation, this distinctive blue bird is traded illegally, which took it to the brink of extinction.
The heroes in this conservation story are the scientists and volunteers at the Hyacinth Macaw Institute, which registers and monitors natural nests, as well as installing hundreds of artificial nests, to encourage reproduction. We watch the team scale a tree to check a nest. We are warned that eggs and chicks don’t always survive and so we hold our breath until there’s a triumphant call: “There’s a beautiful chick.” The 69-day-old chick is lowered to the ground in a bucket for a medical check; its goofy expression giving no hint of fear at leaving its cosy nest.
Hyacinth macaws like to make their nests in the manduvi tree – their beaks can easily hollow its soft trunk. A longer-term project for the institute is planting more manduvi trees, and we help dig holes for a couple of saplings. I am lucky enough to choose a name for one of the trees, which I name after my children. A little part of them now grows in the Pantanal, but that’s not the only reason I left a bit of my heart and soul there.
Book it: Journey Latin America offers an 11-day luxury holiday to Brazil staying five nights at the Fairmont Copacabana in Rio and four nights Caiman from £4,545pp. The price includes accommodation on a B&B basis in Rio, full board in the Pantanal, domestic flights, transfers and guided excursions including visits to the Oncafari and Hyacinth Macaws projects. International flights are extra; journeylatinamerica.com, and for more information on Brazil, see visitbrasil.com/en
