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Dra.
Vania da Silva Nunes-Halldorson, Ph.D.
NOTE:
Vania is presently in Manitoba, Canada ... and has been promoting
our Club as representatrive in Canada.
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Vania
Nunes-Halldorson - Club Representative |
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Corumba
(MS, Brazil) - Manitoba (Canada) |
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An article
written by Vania in November, 1998 - RETURNING TO THE PANTANAL
After
living in the northern hemisphere for a couple of years, I returned
to my native country, Brazil. I always enjoyed those returns when
one can see its own country with foreigner eyes. My desire to visit
tropical nature sites was on top of my priorities. To start, since
I was living in the industrial Sao Paulo City, I
made short visits to the Atlantic rainforest, the ecosystem which
inspired me to become a biologist, and of course swan on the Atlantic
ocean. As soon I had an opportunity to take a vacation, my destination
was clear on my mind, Bonito and the Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul
State. These destinations were in almost any Brazilian adventure travel
magazine and of course, the pictures were really attractive.
Despite
the pictures, many years ago, I had briefly visited the Pantanal,
by train, when ecotourism was not so popular in Brazil. I always kept
on my mind the unforgettable scenarios of what seemed , millions of
caimans sun bathing by the lagoons and millions of white birds roosting
on leafless trees. Once in a while, I also saw lonely deer fleeing
away from the train track as the train passed. I taught to myself
"despite the train noise, we still can see all of this wildlife".
It was clear to me in those days that the region had an incredible
fauna abundance. Nowadays, that train still exists, but unfortunately
passengers are not allowed on them any longer. What a loss for ecotourism!!!!
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What
did I find in the region after 20 years? First, Bonito is
famous for its clear waters and many underground caves due
to its calcareous formation. I was surprised on how well organized
the town is for ecotourism activities, according to Brazilian
standards. Most of the field trips are made on private properties,
so you just go inside of it with a trained Bonito field guide.
During one's visit to the site the guide will not only provide
useful information about the region, but also let you know
how to behave while visiting the site to maximize the site's
preservation.
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It
is clear that the local people are benefiting from ecotourism through
an active participation on it, but I also hear that, because of tourists,
everything now is more expensive in Bonito and locals also have to
pay these high prices. Another problem is that the town is growing
very fast and there is no sewage treatment there, thus this will eventually
affect Bonito's crystal clear waters.
After
a brief visit to Bonito, I drove up north through a dirt road (70
Km) and arrived in Miranda, a town on the border of South Pantanal.
There I was also surprised how locals and farmers are participating
actively into ecotourism activities. I visited the nearby Sao Francisco
farm, where I spent the morning doing a photographic safari on the
rice fields and the afternoon fishing piranha to feed caimans on the
river. I also drove on the Miranda surroundings, where there are several
native Indian tribes, and bought beautiful potteries. Continuing the
trip, I went west on highway BR-262 crossing the southern portion
of the Pantanal and arrived in Corumba, a town located on the margin
of the Paraguay River and on the border with Bolivia. This town was
founded in 1778 and, played in those days, an important role as a
commerce center by receiving vapor boats from all over the world.
In
Corumba, I hired a local guide for a photographic safari trip through
the "Estrada Parque do Pantanal da Nhecolandia", a dirt
road which was opened by Marshal Rondon, at the end of the last century,
to bring a telegraphic cable to the extreme Brazilian western region.
This road today is a Special Conservation Unit of Tourism Interest
that has 120 Km, with 6 interpretative observation points and 87 wood
bridges where one can easily stop and observe wildlife. I really enjoyed
driving along this road and stopping once in a while at the observation
points to take pictures and learn more about the Pantanal.
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Two
tourists holding a big anaconda. |
FISHING
TOURS IN THE PANTANAL
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What
did I learn about the Pantanal? The Pantanal also known as
the Xaraies Sea, is a sedimentary floodplain and the largest
wetland ecosystem in central South America. Geologically speaking
the region is new and unstable. It is believed that, in past
geological eras, there was a sea where the Pantanal is today.
The theory says that with the Andean mountains uplift, the
Amazonian and Parana valleys also went up and the sea water
leaked out. This theory at least tries to explain why, nowadays,
there are salt water lagoons, marine shells and the spotted
ray (Potamotrygon sp.), a fish related to marine organisms,
inside the Pantanal.
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The
Paraguay River and its tributaries feed the Pantanal and forms a north-south
gradient in degrees of inundation creating a range of major habitats.
In total there are 12 different sub-regions ("Pocone", "Caceres",
"Paraguai", "Barao de Melgaco", "Paiaguas",
"Nhecolandia", "Taquari", "Abobral-Negro",
"Aquidauana", "Miranda", "Nabileque",
"Porto Murtinho"), mainly based on topographic relief, vegetation
characteristics and degree of inundation. The flooding regime creates
an ideal environment for a variety of fish and wildlife species to
live and reproduce, making the Pantanal the breeding ground of a variety
of waterfowl species and the refuge of many Brazilian endangered species.
The
Pantanal once considered a pristine region, today is threatened by
a variety of environmental impacts (i.e., mining, agriculture, etc)
most of them originating on the upper land surrounding the Pantanal.
Thus, the Brazilian society has as challenge ahead: the conservation
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The
author, was based in Corumba (MS, Brazil), and was a Ph.D. biologist working for CPAP/EMBRAPA (Pantanal Center for Agricultural Research/Brazilian
Agency for Agricultural Research). She is in Canada at the moment
with her new husband
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| Pantanal
Center for Agricultural Research/Brazilian Agency for Agricultural Research |
Related Pages
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Because
of Vania's dedication and love for the Pantanal and the preservation
of the local eco-system, we asked her to work while she was in the Pantanal to with ABTC
as our local representative. She was our 'Control' in order
to make sure that the tour operators and guides that we use
maintain that certain standard that our members expect.
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She
was very conscientious of 'less than honest', 'unscrupulous', or 'unsafe'
operators. Vania loved to get away from her job when she could
and take an occasional 'tour' herself as guide ('guia'). We
have often discussed the possibilty of doing some 'women only' tours which
are becoming very popular around the world.
PLANNING A TRIP TO THE PANTAN AL - DISCUSS IT FIRST WITH US!!!!
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VARIOUS TOURS WE REPRESENT
FOR THE PANTANAL |
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Caiman
"Ecologic Refuge" - Campo Grande, Mato Grosso
do Sul
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The
wildlife of the Pantanal is spectacular and our stay there is
in a comfortable lodge with a very well thought through natural
history program. An extraordinary place that everyone interested
in nature must sometime in their lifetime visit.
While
at the lodge we spend our days exploring the small rivers and
streams that drain this vast wetlands. There are excursions
across the broad savanna by four wheel drive vehicle. A number
of our passengers have been able to walk through the knee high
grass to closely observe Giant Anteaters with their three foot
long snouts that have a tiny mouth at the end.
Refugio
Ecologico Caiman is located 236 km west of Campo Grande , State
Capital of Mate Grosso do Sul. It comprises 4 different lodges
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CAIMAN
LODGE : Ibero - American style building with 11 rooms,private
baths , air conditioning , swimming pool , homestyle restaurant
, living room , TV and video.
PIUVA LODGE : 1 km away from Caiman lodge . it has 6 rooms with
private baths , air conditioning , swimming pool , living room
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BAIAZINHA LODGE : this rustic lodge has 6 rooms with privates
bath and terraces , air conditioning , ample living room , homestyle
restaurant , swimming pool and an observation tower 9 km from
Caiman lodge .
CORDILHEIRA LODGE : it has 6 apartments with private bath and
terrace , ample living room, air conditioning , swimming pool
and an observation tower 17 km from Caiman lodge.
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Green
Track was a cooperative union of local guides. All of their guides
grew up in the region, and have highly specialised knowledge of
the area. Each of their tours was constructed on an individual basis,
and could contain hiking, horseback riding and boat expeditions.
Accommodations could also be arranged according to the group’s
wishes, ranging from camping in tents to comfortable indoor lodging.
The more you tell us about your group’s wishes, the more
we can do to construct an ideal tour.
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Welcome
to Vânia's Tours to the Pantanal
Hello!
I am Brazilian Ph.D. biologist who was working as a researcher and also
as a field guide in South Pantanal.
There I worked with Taiamã
Viagens e Turismo LTDA., a local travel agency that gives all
the logistical support to your trip and with other native field
guides.
They are the real "Pantaneiros", descendents
of the original inhabitants of the Pantanal and have an incredible
knowledge about the region. |
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Vania
(black hair) with two American tourists horse back riding
in the Nhecolandia region of the Pantanal.
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We
customize your visit, according to what you want.
You
tell us how you want your trip and we will develop a tour for you.
Pantanal
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The
Brazilian Pantanal floodplain is the largest (140,000 km2
) continuous wetland ecosystem in central South America.
This pristine wetland is periodically flooded, mainly by the
Paraguay River, creating a mosaic of habitat types where several
fish and wildlife species live and reproduce. It is the ideal
place to observe birds and wildlife species, such as the hyacinth
macaw, jabiru stork, roseate spoonbill, capybaras, jaguars,
swamp deer, caimans, anacondas, etc.
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It
is really fun to see all of these creatures in their native
habitat, it is a zoo without fences and without zookeepers !
There are several ways to observe and photograph the Pantanal
wildlife: just walking along a trail, riding a horse, by boat,
on the back of a truck or even a tractor.
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It
is also a great place for fishing "Dourado", "Pacu",
"Pintado", etc. We also offer 6 day fishing trips
on board of the "Três Lagunas" Boat-Hotel and other
similiar houseboats. The boat has 5 rooms that can accommodate
4 persons per room. The rooms have air conditioning, TV, and
frigobar. There is also a restaurant and a deck with air conditioning.
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Vania diving
at Sucuri River in Bonito |
| Bonito:
Located
in the Bodoquena Mountains and nearby the Pantanal floodplains,
Bonito is a pristine region of crystalline waters and multicolored
fishes. It has several rivers, waterfalls, and lagoons with an
incredible water transparency. Some of the places you can visit
there are: the blue lagoon cave, the natural aquarium and the
Sucuri River.
Blue
Lagoon Cave: Located inside
a 100m wide and 30 m high cave, the blue lagoon is 20 m deep
of blue transparent water. It is an important archaeological
site where a rare giant sloth fossil was found.
Natural
Aquarium: It is a calm
bay of no more than 3 m deep where you can snorkel and easily
observe several types of fish.
Sucuri
River: It is a small river
of no more than 4 m deep, where you can practice drift dive.
That is, you let your body go on the water current while observing
multicolored fishes. |
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Founded
in 1895, this famous ranch is now open for eco-logical tours.
Check it out!
Fazenda
Rio Negro |
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