Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
COLONEL P.H. FAWCETT
Colonel P.H. Fawcett
, the famous British explorer, vanished somewhere in this region in 1925,
on what turned out to be his last attempt to locate a lost jungle city and civilization. He'd been
searching for it on and off for twenty years, as entertainingly told in his edited diaries and letters,
Exploration Fawcett
(see p.671). This last expedition was made in the company of his eldest son,
Jack, and a school friend of Jack's, and following their disappearance various theories were put
forward as to their fate, including being kept as prisoners of a remote tribe or, more fancifully,
adopted chiefs. Possibly, they were murdered out in the wilds, as were dozens of other explorers,
although Fawcett had travelled for years among indigenous tribes without coming to any harm.
More likely, they merely succumbed to one of the dozens of
tropical diseases
that were by far
the biggest killer at the time. But the fate of the colonel still remains a mystery: in 1985, the same
team who had identified the body of the Nazi Josef Mengele announced that they had identified
bones found in a shallow grave as those of the colonel; but in 1996 another expedition,
Expedição Autan, dissatisfied with the Mengele team's evidence, set off to try to make a DNA
match, but found no trace of either the colonel or his companions.
7
DIRECTORY
Money and exchange
You can change money at the
Banco do Brasil on Praça Tiradentes, or nearby at HSBC,
Av Min. João Alberto 528.
Post o
ce
The central post o
ce is at Rua 1 de Maio 19.
Alta Floresta
West off the BR-163 some 150km before the Serra do Cachimbo, a dirt road leads to
ALTA
FLORESTA
, a rapidly growing frontier town of around 43,000 people, which is increasingly
tourist-friendly. Located almost 800km north of Cuiabá, it's a remote but thriving
agricultural settlement with regular bus and plane connections to Cuiabá and elsewhere.
The town is of little immediate interest, but has in recent years opened its doors to
ecotourism in the form of a four-star hotel, the
Floresta Amazonica,
as well as the fantastic
luxury lodge
Cristalino Jungle Lodge
. The real reason for visiting this area lies close to the
lodge, deeper in the forest on a tributary of the Rio Teles Pires, which ultimately flows into
the Amazon. The forest around here is particularly rich in
birdlife
, and there are several set
birding trails where you can also see alligators and capuchin, spider and howler monkeys.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ALTA FLORESTA
By plane
Flying is the only easy and sure option travelling
northwards from Alta Floresta. The airport, 2km northwest
of Alta Floresta on Av Ariosto da Riva (
T
66 3521 3360;
R$25 by taxi), has daily flights north to Itaituba, Santarém
and Belém, and south to Cuiabá and São Paulo.
By bus
Buses leave from Cuiabá to Alta Floresta six times a
day (14hr).
ACCOMMODATION
Cristalino Jungle Lodge
39km north of Alta Floresta
W
cristalinolodge.com.br or book through Floresta
Tour Viagens e Turismo
T
66 3521 1396.
Set in the
midst of the forest, this fantastic ecolodge is geared
towards serious nature-lovers who want to learn about
the surrounding environment, without roughing it.
Accommodation is made up of luxury bungalows, but it's
environmental sustainability that's the focus here. Guides
are extremely knowledgeable about the region and will
take you on wond
erful t
rails and to the lodge's two
observation towers.
R$660
Floresta Amazonica
Av Perimetral Oeste 2001
T
66
3512 7100,
W
fah.com.br.
A tastefully developed place
with over 100 acres of expansive jungle grounds that serves
as a base for the associated Cristalino Jungle Lodge. There is
a great restaurant, lovely room
s with v
erandas, as well as a
pool, sauna and football pitch.
R$235
Lisboa Palace Hotel
Av Jaime Verissimo 251
T
66
3521 2876,
W
hotellisboa.com.br.
Decent hotel in the
town with big, bright clean rooms but no pool. Centrally
located and
easily
accessible from the airport for those just
passing by.
R$130
