In the savannah of the huge Nhecolandia region, comprising 21.609 km², or 19% of the whole Pantanal , most Fazendas, which is the equivalent of the Spanish Haciendas, have settled here at the end of the 19th century to breed Nelore cattle, a cross breed of Asian Zebu / Ongole cattle. Our 20ts ha large Fazenda, basis of our Pantanal Wildlife Safari, is located in a savannah and bush land region marked by so-called Vazantes. These are rivers, lakes and ponds formed by the floods of the rainy season reducing its size in the dry season. They give the landscape the characteristic image that is generally associated with the Pantanal.
During the stay on our Fazenda, wildlife observations and photographic safaris are carried out twice a day on the wide lands of the property and neighboring properties. All-terrain vehicles and horses are available as means of locomotion. Also photo safaris on foot, near the Fazenda, often produce excellent results. All three large macaw species, Hyacinth, Red winged and Blue-and yellow, are easy to photograph right in the back yard of the Fazenda - a rare opportunity!
Since the Vazantes are both the last refuge for animals living on or in the water they also serve as a watering place for most other animals in the Pantanal, one encounters particularly rich wild life there. Large numbers of Cayman and herds of Capivara use to gather at the edges of the Vazantes.
In addition, our guests have the chance while staying at the Fazenda Nhecolândia to accompany species protection projects for Tapir Tapirus terrestris and/or Giant armadillo Priodontes maximus.
Accommodations are super comfortable and the cuisine is excellent. The "open bar" where drinks such as caipirinha, beer and delicious wines from Chile and Argentina are included, makes the stay extremely pleasant.
An ideal connection with the Wildlife Safari is a visit to Bonito. The small town and its surroundings live up to its name. Waterfalls, streams, rivers and caves form a landscape that is one of the most beautiful in Brazil.
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How to get there by air to Campo Grande airport (CGR)
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Best time to travel May - October
Get more details from Peter Rohmer, e-mail: request@scte-brazil.com
| Private Tour | Duration | Price (PP) |
|---|---|---|
| Wildlife Safari in Nhecolandia | 5 days | from US$ 2,990 p. person |
| Wildlife Safari in Nhecolandia + Bonito | 8 days | from US$ 3,750 p. person |
We spent our long-awaited vacation in Brazil in September 2022. We decided to book this trip with Southern Cross Tours & Expeditions, because of their attractive Internet presentation and the following very professional consulting service. We landed in Rio, and flew on to the waterfalls in Iguacu the next day. The trip included other destinations like North Pantanal, Bom Jardin, South Pantanal with Rio de Janeiro being the last stage. It was a beautiful and exciting journey. In the Pantanal we saw an enormous variety of wild animals, many species of birds, reptiles, armadillos, anteaters, jaguars, caimans, monkeys, a tapir, various species of parrots and much more.
Snorkeling in the crystal clear river in Bom Jardin was a particularly beautiful experience. The accommodations were very good and comfortable. We spent a few days on a Fazenda in the South Pantanal. There you could still experience the authentic life on a large cattle ranch, with cowboys, horses, cattle and many wild animals up close. We would like to thank Peter Rohmer who planned and organized our trip. We would like to emphasize particularly that he always provided friendly, reliable and professional guides for us, who always tried to fulfil our wishes. Peter was also available at all times and always gave us advice and support over the phone during the trip.
Dear Peter, thank you very much for the beautiful Journey!
Hans und Nadja Dester
Berlin, September 2022
the Fazenda in the Pantanal was equally fascinating. We were excellently accommodated and felt among friends. But the attraction there was the wide array of wild animals. We were invited to witness the field work of the Tapir Protection project, have seen Giant and lesser ant eaters, Cayman, Capibaras, the largest rodent on earth and a great many varieties of birds, including Jabiru Giant stork, several kinds of egrets, herons and all the 3 big macaws which are the yellow blue, the red and green wing and the biggest of them the Hyacinth macaw, in the palms right at the doorstep of the main building. We even saw tracks of the elusive Jaguar….
Peter, our thanks go to your team at Southern Cross & Expeditions and all who hosted us so well in Brazil.
Our best wishes,
Now we wanted to get to know the savannah landscape of the Southern Pantanal. As Peter Rohmer assured us, it should be particularly easy in the relatively open area there to observe and photograph the diverse fauna of Brazil.
With a small, twin-engine private plane, we flew to another highlight of our trip to Brazils natural wonders. This flight over the Pantanal at low altitudes is a great experience in itself. We visited an 18,000 hectare fazenda in the Nhecolânida region.The charming, typical landscape of the southern Pantanal awaited us. Meadows, ponds, swamps, woods alternate, pure landscape. There are no streets, buildings, power lines! Nothing, just nature! We went on Photo Safari twice a day with the 4x4 Land Rover. In addition to the many mammals and reptiles, particularly were we impressed by the incredible biodiversity of the birds. There are around 600 species. Herons, ibises, railings, pink spoonbills, ducks, geese, storks, birds of prey, owls, parrots, amazons, toucans and all three great macaw species, i.e. the yellow and blue, red-winged and hyacinth macaws, were super easy to observe and photograph. A paradise not only for bird lovers who get their money's worth here. In addition, we were able to monitor the work of 2 NGO´s working on two species protection projects, namely for the giant armadillo Priodontes maximus and the tapir Tapirus terrestris. That was extremely interesting for us.
If you want to experience the cowboys of South America, you have to come here! They take care of the approximately 12,000 cattle and 240 horses of the fazenda. We rode with them to the herds and watched them at work. The cowboys skillfully roped cattle in full gallop. Invited to join in driving the herd reminded us of our teenage days when we dreamed of riding with the cowboys of the Wild West.
In conclusion, we can say that this very special journey, justifiably offered as “The Journey of Your Life”, will occupy our minds for a long time to come.
The entire organization of the trip was perfect! The boat with two cabins on the Rio Negro in the Amazon, the vehicles (cars, small aircraft) as well as the driver and guide surpassed our expectations.
Next year or the year after we want more of the same. I will get in touch with you in due time.
Our sincere thanks go to Peter Rohmer from Southern Cross Tours & Expeditions and his strong team, whose perfect planning made our individual trip so successful and which gave us a lot of pleasure.