Pantanal Travel Forum

Hello,
Does anyone know of a reliable travel agency which i can contact for making a pantanal tour for 5 days?
i'll be in brasil on July,and would love to make the tour by the 28th.
but haven't been able to contact any good travel agency yet.
My other question is if there are buses from Iguazu to Cuiaba??
Thanks a lot!
Norkka

Hi Norkka.
I've been in your shoes once, so I am sure I can give you a good advice.
There are buses from Foz do Iguassu to Cuiaba (I think the company is called Uniao Cascavel or Sulamericana) but the trip is long and not very pleasant.
Cuiaba wouldn't be the best destination for the Pantanal.
I would suggest taking a bus to Campo Grande and then to Bonito If you can take a bus from Fiz do Iguassu to Bonito it'd be even better (but I am not sure if there are direct buses). Bonito is one of the most beautiful places on earth andit's also the gate to the Pantanal. There are a lot of B&Bs and hotels and they all have their own rides to the Pantanal (it's really worthwhile)... you'll want to do all the river rides (they call it "passeios").
Another option to the Pantanal is Corumba (which is West of Cuiaba). You really don't need to go to Cuiaba (which by the way, is sultry, dirty and ugly).
I am sure that Bonito is the way to go. If you need more information, please let me know, OK>

Have a wonderful trip.
Joey

Hello Joey:
Thanks a lot for your answer !!!. Well i had no idea going to this city Bonito could be an option.It's first time i hear of this city.
So then i could get to Bonito and pay for a river ride at the same hotel.ohh that's great! Well do you think it's possible to get to Brasil,and once there contact a hotel in Bonito and book the tour? i just have no idea if everything will be crowded then(by july 28th) , and i'm afraid of not finding a place.
And do you know how should a 5 day-tour cost?
Thank you very much for all your help ,i appreciate it very much:)
Norkka

Wow Joey!
Except for Norkka's q you answered something I was also toying with. I did not really know the best gatweway into the Pantanal and in the Lonely Planet they do not really give Bonito as an option. (They say it's beautiful though) but now i know i just go to Bonito.

Lo0tsa thanx!

Annie

Corumba can be reached by bus from Foz do Iguazu (company Nova Integracao to Campo Grande, from there other buses from the same Rodoviaria to Corumba. In Corumba many agencies offering various Pantanal tours. I was there in 1998.

Bonito is the place and now is the time. I say that because the place is a natural shrine that won't last long.
The Enchanted Lagoon is a must and I promise you'll love it. You just have to avoid the rainy season (I think it's from November to March. Bonito is one of those places that only the locals know and go; it's the best kept secret of Pantanal.

Have fun in your trip and keep in touch!

Joey

I've read about Bonita and espacially about the swimming along with the fish and the small waterfalls. But does it offer the same trips into the pantanal (seeing the Animals) as Campo Grande does? If it does it would be the perfect place for me to go bec I will be there in octobre (just before the rain :)) Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge!

Annie

Hi Annie,
As I had mentioned, Bonito is on eof the "must see" Brazilian natural wonders. I got there flying a small airplane and I don't think the twon is served by any airline. You will have to go to Campo Grande and then take a bus or van to Bonito. I'll see if I can gather more information and forward to you.
The gate of Pantanal is Corumba and I am sure you can take a bus to Corumba either from Bonito or Campo Grande; it's only from Corumba that one has the nice boat tour and can really see the Pantanal. Bonito border the South edge of the Pantanal and Campo Grande borders the Southeast part.
bear in mind that it's gonna be very sultry so, always have water close to you (bottled water), it's not safe to drink tap water.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have further questions and need more advices.

Cheers,

Joey

Hello everybody,
Well i just wanted to send a few lines to thanks Joey(worldtraveller) for his good advise. Well now my boyfriend and I will visit Bonito,and have already booked a place to stay there. Thanks a lot Joey, with this info our tour plan is complete! :)
thanks for sharing,
Norkka

You are welcome Norkka. I am glad I could help.
Hope that you and your boyfriend have the time of your lives. I am sure you'll enjoy every moment of it.
Take tons of pictures and I look forward to reading the great stories when you come back.

Have fun :)

Joey

Hey Joey,
I like to thank you too for your info! Bonito was already on my list, but I decided to stay there longer and skip another part of the Pantanal from my list.

Thanx!
Annie

Hi Annie,
It's a pleasure!
I wish I could provide more useful information.
I wish you a wonderful trip. Enjoy the Natural Aquarium (sure you'll love it!) and have a lot of fun.
Hope to hear from you on your way back!
Best wishes,

Joey

Joey,

I will look up some more info about Bonito myself. No problem, i still have 4 months to go!

I'm sure I will enjoy it and I will post stuff on my travellog and notify you so you can see how the trip was.

Thanx for all the info again

Annie

Hi Annie,
Four months to go... ahhhh, that'll give me that to look for more info and contact some buddies that may give you some help. I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if anything new comes up.

Cheers,
Joey

Ah, that's very cool of you!
I'd be happy to receive some info!

Thanx again!

Hi Anita!

I am going to Pantanal in October too. Bonita seems attractive. May be we meet each other. I am from Montreal. Thanks for info

hi,
Well i', back from Brasil now,and i can tell you that it's worth to visit Bonito, it's a nice place,and there's no need to book the tours in there before going to bonito, it's quite easy to find a hotel there and the hotels arrange tours for the people. Food is good and not expensive,and weather is good.
the town itself is very small so ther's no problem in wlaking form the bus terminal to downtown,and therefore you can easily find many places to stay on the way.
Well have a nice trip,
Norkka

Hi Norrka,

Thanx to tell me how it was! Only 1 1/2 month to go for me! How was your furthr trip to Brasil? Will you post a travellog so we can ee your experienes?

Lov,

Annie

Hi there, I just followed this thread about Pantanal. I'm going to visit Brazil in December and Pantanal is currently not on my route. After some reading, I'm thinking about to stop there by. I'm just worried about the weather at this time. Will it be worth to go there in December? Thanks, Felix.

Not really, Felix.
That part of Brazil is divided in two seasons (dry, "warm" winter) and (wet, wet, wet summer). I'd avoid Pantal from November throughout March. The beautiful lagoons (natural aquariums) will be all muddy.

Joey

Hello Annie,
I'm sorry i haven't answered before,but t's just now i'm reading the site again! i'm just a bit busy with exams at uni now. but sure i will take some time later to tell about my experiences and give some tips that can be helful too :) yeah i'll do this opnce i get rid of exams !! :)
i can see you soon you will go to Brasil, well i'm sure you will love it,and i can give you the names of the places where i stayed in Brasil if you are interested, just write me,
have a nice day
norkka