Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 326

sweet staff and good old-fashioned ceiling fans offset the iIl-
fitting windows, doors and curtains at this frayed but decent-
value hotel. Ask for a rear-facing room. A/c and mini-b ar R$10
extra. Parking available and breakfast included. R$80
Hostel Campo Grande Rua Joaquim Nabuco 185 T 67
3321 0505, W pantanaltrekking.com. Located directly
opposite the old bus station, with vivid naïf murals on the
walls, a small pool and adjoining breakfast area. The clean,
comfy, mini-dorm rooms accommodate up to four people,
and there's free internet and wi-fi, and g ratis a irport and
rodoviária pick-up. English spoken. Dorms R$35
Cosmos Rua Dom Aquino 771 T 67 3384 4270. One of the
friendliest and best-value options among the myriad
budget hotels in the environs of the former bus station,
with clean, tiled rooms, modern en-suite bathrooms,
vintage phones and faux stained-glas s wind ows. Breakfast
included and there's also free parking. R$65

restaurant in this part of the world, there are even a couple of
vegetarian options, and imaginative ones at that. Tues-Thurs
11am-2pm & 7-11pm, Fri 11am-3pm & 7pm-midnight,
Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 11am-4pm.
Ì Sabor EnQuilo Av Afonso Pena 2223 T 67 3321
4726. An exceptionally hospitable, high-quality cross
between a Japanese restaurant and a typical por quilo
joint, with eat-as-much-as-you-like prices held, at the
time of writing, at an incredible R$15 for men and R$13 for
women. The spread features everything from freshly
prepared sushi to aubergine tempura and four-cheese
cannelloni, and they even throw in dessert; try the
excellent peach flan if it's on. Mon-Fri 10.45am-2.30pm,
Sat 10.45am-3pm, Sun 11am-3pm.

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are ATMs that accept foreign
cards at the airport and an HSBC ATM at Av Afonso Pena 2440.
Car rental Lider, Av Afonso Pena 954 ( T 67 3029 9009);
Renascença Rent A Car, Rua Joaquim Murtinho 4701 ( T 67
3348 3400); YES, Av Afonso Pena 829 ( T 67 3324 0055).
Consulates Paraguay, Rua 26 de Agosto 384 ( T 67 3384
6610).
Hospital Hospital Santa Casa, Rua Eduardo Santos Pereira
88 ( T 67 3322 4000).
Internet Cyber Shot, Rua Dom Aquina 1083 (R$2/hr;
Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-3pm).
Pharmacy Drogaria Rui Barbosa, Rua Rui Barbosa 2721
( T 67 3314 3710).
Police Rua Padre João Crippa 1581 T 67 3312 5700.
Post o ce Av Calógeras 2309, on the corner with Rua
Dom Aquino (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm, Sat 8am-noon).

3

EATING
Comitiva Pantaneira Rua Dom Aquino 2221 T 67 3383
8799. Buzzing, cavernous por quilo restaurant (R$35
weekdays, R$40 weekends) that “preserves the culture of
our Pantanal”, with waiters in cowboy outfits, seriously
good meat and fish-based grub sizzling away on an open
stove and the odd antique saddle to gee up your appetite.
Mon-Fri 11am-2pm, Sat & Sun 11am-3pm.
Ì Fogo Caipira Rua José Antônio 145 T 67 3324 1641,
W fogocaipira.com.br. Award-winning, modern-rustic shrine
to gourmet comida de fazenda , with prices that won't break
the bank. An inviting and intimate patio-cum-garden is
perfect for feasting on the likes of fried spaghetti with cubes
of carne do sol (R$31.90), and, incredibly for a traditional

PANTANAL WILDLIFE
First-time visitors to the Pantanal will be struck by the sheer quantity of animals that populate
the region, allowing for some great photo opportunities. Undoubtedly the most visible
inhabitants of the region are the waterbirds , vast flocks of egrets, cormorants and ibises that
flush in the wake of your boat as you cruise the channels - an unforgettable spectacle. The
most impressive of the region's waterbirds is the immense jabiru , a prehistoric-looking
snow-white stork as tall as a man and the symbol of the Pantanal.
Another species that will undoubtedly catch your eye is the spectacled caiman ( jacare ),
a South American alligator whose regional populations are estimated at more than ten million.
The mammal you'll see most of is the capybara , a rodent resembling a huge guinea pig that
feeds in herds on the lush plant life, but you will need a bit more luck to see the rare marsh
deer or the endangered giant armadillo . Listen out too for the squeaky calls of the giant
otter , a species that inhabits the more isolated parts of the Pantanal, but which is often
overcome by its own curiosity when approached by a boat-load of tourists.
Jaguar and puma are present in the area but are active mainly at night; you will need a
huge dose of luck to see either, and you shouldn't count on seeing maned wolf or bush dog
either. Lowland tapir , looking something like a cross between a horse and a short-nosed
elephant, are sometimes seen bathing in streams. You will likely be serenaded each morning
by the far-carrying song of the black howler monkey , often observed lying prone on thick
branches, while the gallery forests are the preserve of the black spider monkey , considerably
more svelte and active as they swing acrobatically through the trees.