Pantanal

The Pantanal is one of the world’s great natural wonders, an immense landlocked river delta in the heart of South America, encompassing vast areas of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. It looks like an African savannah in the peak of the dry season (May to October), or an immense lake during a large part of the year. But the Pantanal is also a paradise for bird and animal watching. In the dry season, the landscape is covered with beautiful yellow, lilac, and pink blossoming trees and the nights get cold.

The Pantanal affords the richest wildlife viewing in the Americas. It's much easier to see the animals here than it is in the Amazon because they are more out in the open, as opposed to being hidden amongst the trees. In the dry season, the region presents small lakes, many of which are perennial, which constitute the food source for a great variety of animals including migratory birds from various parts of the planet. Approximately 700 species of birds; 100 of mammals; 80 of reptiles; 240 of fish, as well as a great number of invertebrates still not classified, constitute the richest variety of fauna to be found in the Americas.

The region is an important migratory bird stopover point and wintering ground used by birds from three major migratory flyways. These bring ospreys from Arctic latitudes far to the north, wood storks from the pampas to the south, and flycatchers from the Andes to the west.  Migratory birds such as wood stork and spoonbill start nesting. The Pantanal is one of the planet’s most diverse avian communities, with 656 species of birds identified so far. 

We were in the northern Pantanal, sort of like being on the north side of the Grand Canyon.