Horseback Riding in the Pantanal

As one of Yampu Tours’ Travel Consultants inspects the beauty and culture of Brazil, she found a must-have for our tailor-made itineraries to the area: Horseback Riding in the Pantanal

How does Yampu Tours decide where to send their valued clients? They make sure to personally inspect every detail of their destinations. Yampu provides not only a high quality service, but they pride themselves in the product they supply. This is because within each of Yampu’s destinations, almost every hotel, excursion, transfer, etc. has been inspected by one of the Yampu travel gurus. From these experiences, we can be confident about each itinerary we design for our esteemed clients.

Andrea, one of our specialty Travel Consultants of South America, is currently on inspection in Brazil. From Rio de Janeiro to Salvador, the Yampu expert is visiting dozens of our preferred hotels, and performing site inspections across the region. While trekking through the Brazilian culture and beauty, she’s found one spot that she can’t wait to start designing tours around. At the Araras Ranch Eco Lodge, Andrea has fallen in love with horseback riding within the Pantanal.

The Pantanal is the largest contiguous wetland on the planet, and arguably the best place to see wildlife in Brazil. There are close to 700 bird species, making it a paradise for ornithologists and bird watchers. The fauna is completed by caimans, deer, capybara (the world’s largest rodents), anteaters, porcupines, cranes, jaguars and monkeys. Andrea was blown away by the diversity she saw, and better yet, was in awe while on horse back. During her stay at the Araras Ranch Eco Lodge, Andrea was able to take advantage of the various horseback riding excursions they have available. Her second day on the ranch, she was able to wade through the flooded savannah.

“The savannah is flooded for part of the year, so our ride took us through some river like water. That was the best part. The lodge had options to hike, canoe, or horseback ride through the marshy areas.”

Trotting through the water, Andrea was able to take in the melting pot of ecosystems, as the Pantanal is directly in the middle of the continent. The Wetlands resemble characteristics of the Amazon Forest, the Caatinga, the Brazilian Savannah, the Atlantic Rainforest and the Paraguayan Chaco. The flora and fauna were endless, come down from the tree line, and up from the submerged forest floor. As Andrea explored the wetlands, she found an abundance of biodiversity. Her most exciting encounter however, was with a friendly gang that was tussling in the trees.

“On the second day after our ride, another guest and I could see monkeys down a path. As we were returning to the lodge we followed them. We waited and waited, as they were totally hidden in the trees at first. Finally a group came into the clear, and we found ourselves amazingly close; about 6-8 feet away. We watched as 5 monkeys, including a dad carrying his baby on his back, played around in the trees right above us.”

With such an exciting encounter, it was difficult for Andrea to end the excursion. After fantastic food, accommodations, and company, she left to continue her inspection trip through Brazil, but would look forward to helping future clients have the same experiences!