Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Transpantaneira, this long-established
pousada
has an
atmospheric brick ranch building with a pool, as well as
boats and horses. You'll see animals up close and personal:
caimans lurk nearby, howler monkeys swing from the
pousada
's watch tower and the odd capybara waddles right
up to the pool area. Owner André and his wife are pioneers
in Brazilian ecotourism and huge efforts go into keeping
things sustainable, from the waste system and solar
panels, to providing drinking water free of charge to all
guests (the only lodge that does this). The home-cooked
food is wonderful too. Their nineteen rooms are likely to be
full in high season so book as far ahead as possible. If you're
into birds, a
sk abou
t their hyacinth macaw rehabilitation
programme.
R$617
Pousada Piuval
Rodovia Transpantaneira, Km 10
T
65 3345 1338,
W
pousadapiuval.com.br.
A comfortable
spread 110km from Cuiabá with a fine pool and small but
pleasant rooms. Well-equipped with horses, open truck and
boats for exploring deeper int
o the sw
amp. It's also possible
to come here just for the day.
R$440
Pousada Rio Claro
Rodovia Transpantaneira, Km 41
T
65 3345 1054,
W
pousadarioclaro.com.br.
Pousada
Rio Claro
has direct access to the river of the same name,
making canoe trips at dawn that much easier. Comfortable
rooms,
a pool and good food mean this one's a good choice.
R$385
Pousada Rio Clarinho
T
9998 8888,
W
pousada
rioclarinho.com.br.
Authentic and charming, this is a
great little rustic lodging based in an old family-run
fazenda
with a good restaurant, viewing tower, horse
riding and rowing boats available. The large fore
sted are
a
by the
pousada
makes for fantastic walking trails.
R$340
7
Cáceres
Although less frequented than the Porto Jofre route,
CÁCERES
is another good target
from Cuiabá, lying 233km west of the city. It's a very pleasant, laidback place, and,
given the prices of accommodation along the Transpantaneira, deserves consideration
as a base for visiting the Pantanal. On the upper reaches of the Rio Paraguai, which is
still quite broad even this far upstream, Cáceres is a relatively new town, made up
largely of wooden shacks, bars and pool rooms.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
CÁCERES
By bus
It's a three- to four-hour journey by bus to Cáceres,
several of which leave daily from the rodoviária in Cuiabá.
than Cáceres is the track that leads on to the Bolivian
border settlement of San Matias; from here you can fly to
Santa Cruz (best to sort out exit stamp and entry visas first
with the Brazilian Federal Police in Cáceres or Cuiabá and
the Bolivian Consul in Cuiabá).
TO BOLIVIA
By plane
The only road to go further into the Pantanal
ACCOMMODATION
Boats
There are several reasonably priced boats that
operate from here, including the
Babilonia
(
T
65 9989
1896,
W
barcobabilonia.com.br), which has six cabins and
usually goes out for seven day
s at a ti
me. The price depends
on the size of the group. From
R$400
/day/person
Hotel Baiazinha
T
65 3291 1036.
A lovely little hotel on the Rio
Paraguai in the middle of the wilderness, which mainly
focuses on fishing. The rooms are clean and there's tasty
home-cooked food, a pool and barbecue area. Popular
with
groups
of Brazilian fishermen, so can get a little
noisy.
R$500
Estrada do Barranco Km 60
Cuiabá and around
While
CUIABÁ
can't exactly claim to be a resort town, it is, nevertheless, a natural
stepping stone for exploring the Pantanal, the clear lakes of Bom Jardim or the
mountainous scenery of the Chapada dos Guimarães. The southern gateway into
the Amazon, Cuiabá has always been firmly on the edge of Brazil's wilderness. In the
town itself, modern skyscrapers long ago won the battle for attention, with the ornate
facades of crumbling, pastel-shaded colonial villas, churches and shops now hidden.
There is a handful of museums, but the real attractions in the city are the lively bars
and restaurants;
Cuiabanos
love to drink, eat and dance. The good facilities offered in
Cuiabá - in terms of hotels, restaurants and tour companies - mean that ecotourism
in the nearby Northern Pantanal is developing rapidly and is being increasingly seen
by younger
fazenda
owners as the way forward.
