Located in the central – western part of Brazil, the Pantanal is one of the largest wetlands in the planet with a total area of 150,000 km ?.
The peaceful atmosphere and the sound of birds are the main attraction for those who want to come visit the Pantanal.
In addition, recent years have seen a massive investment in ecotourism and sustainable tourism emerged. There are several hotels in the Pantanal with this purpose, such as the inn Xaraes Hotel and Cabana whose main attraction is the safari to conservation areas that are located within the hotel’s location.
In the safari you will be able to see the most varied types of flora and fauna that inhabit this region, overall, there are 1,132 species of butterflies, 656 birds, 122 mammals, 263 fish and 93 reptiles. Night safaris are also conducted so that tourists can observe animals that have nocturnal habits.
In 2013 the city of Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul , was voted the best destination for ecotourism at an event held by the magazine publisher Abril. This shows how ecotourism support has increased in the region and how tourists are choosing this more often as a travel option.
Want to know more about the Pantanal? Some curious facts:
o The largest snake in the Pantanal is the yellow anaconda. It measures up to 4.5 meters and feeds on fish, birds and small mammals.
o Tuiui?, bird symbol of the Pantanal, has over 2 meters wide with open wings.
o The caiman measures up to 2.5 meters in length, feeding mainly on fish.
o The largest fish in the Pantanal is ja? a giant catfish that reaches 1.5 meters in length, weighing up to 120 pounds .
o The annual flooding of the rivers in the region amounts to about 80 % of the Pantanal and transform the region into a stunning water table, removing part of the rural population to migrate temporarily to the cities or towns.
o The Pantanal attracts about 700 thousand tourists per year, 65 % of whom are fishermen.
o The 210 square kilometers of the Pantanal are the sum of the areas of four European countries – Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal and Holland.
o The Pantanal jaguar can weigh 150 pounds, feeding approximately 85 species of animals that live in the region.
o The Brazilian Pantanal is 144 294 km2 of floodplain, of which 61.9 % (89,318 km?) in Mato Grosso do Sul, and 38.1 % (54,976 km?) in Mato Grosso.
o Every 24 hours, about 178 billion gallons of water enter the marsh plain.
o There are more species of birds in the Pantanal (656 species) than in North America (500) and more species of fish than in Europe (263 in the Pantanal versus about 200 in European rivers).