If you're thinking about a Brazil vacation and you're hoping to see a lot of exotic animals, you might be planning on heading into the Amazon. And that is a great idea, because the Amazon is full of unique creatures. However, the Amazon is also full of lush vegetation and plant life, and sometimes it can be difficult to see all the animals that call the Amazon home. But you're in luck, because there is another place in Brazil that is renowned for its spectacular wildlife: The Pantanal.
The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, and most of it is in southwestern Brazil, although parts also fall in Bolivia and Paraguay. Basically, the Pantanal is located directly in the middle of the South American continent. It is home to the largest concentration of wildlife in all of South America-a simply remarkable feat. And visitors are usually lucky in seeing the animals that call the wetland home because there are not as many leafy plants for them to hide in and behind. Many of the animals you'd find in the Amazon you'd also find in the Pantanal, including tropical birds such as macaws and parakeets. Jaguars are also much more likely to be spotted in the wetlands than in the jungle. There are even stranger creatures, such as marsh deer, giant anteaters, and the Greater Rhea, which is a non-flying that bird that strongly resembles an ostrich. It can grow to be up to six feet tall!
The best time to visit this remarkable area is during the dry season, which lasts from April to September. During parts of the rainy season (November until March), up to eighty percent of the Pantanal floods, which means transportation is extremely limited. Even during the dry season traveling to and through this region can be a struggle. There are very few towns, extremely limited infrastructure, and distances are massive (in total, the wetland covers more than 60,000 square miles).
The best way to visit is through an accredited eco-lodge and with the help of expert travel advisors. Good lodges will offer interesting excursions out into the marshes and naturalists can help you spot the coveted wildlife. One animal you might not expect to see, but will indeed see a lot of, is cattle. That is because only two percent of the Pantanal is protected in parks and reserves, and the rest if privately owned and largely used for ranching.
This article about visiting the Pantanal on your Brazil vacation was written by a Brazil travel expert at Brazil For Less, specializing in Brazil vacation packages.
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