If you are a fan of African safaris and spotted cats, you may want to visit Brazil
Sep 16th, 2007, 08:02 AM
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If you are a fan of African safaris and spotted cats, you may want to visit Brazil
I have just started a report on the Latin America forum at this link. It will be completed in a few weeks.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35068062
These are the photo albums.
Paraguay River portion of Northern Pantanal trip. This album has the 31 jaguar pictures.
98 photos total, the first 89 are scenery and wildlife sightings, the last 9 are of the hotel.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-gds1ze
Land portion of Northern Pantanal trip, flying into Cuiaba. Even though it was land based, there were 2 morning trips on the Pixiam River.
118 photos total, the first 95 are scenery and wildlife sightings, the next 18 are of 4 different accommodations, the last 5 are of our vehicle and some others we encountered.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=uo6uvo
Seminary where maned wolves are fed by the resident priests, located in Caraca in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Minas Gerais.
48 photos total, the first 21 are of scenery and wildlife sightings, the next 9 are of the Seminary and grounds, and the last 8 are the facililites/accommodations.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-qd4gtc
Caratinga Research Station, which focuses on primates, located in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Minas Gerais.
18 photos total, all of the scenery and wildlife around Caratinga. No hotel photos.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=ffep8n
Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park.
18 photos total, the first half are of scenery and wildlife and the last half are of the inn
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=ddzgo3
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35068062
These are the photo albums.
Paraguay River portion of Northern Pantanal trip. This album has the 31 jaguar pictures.
98 photos total, the first 89 are scenery and wildlife sightings, the last 9 are of the hotel.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-gds1ze
Land portion of Northern Pantanal trip, flying into Cuiaba. Even though it was land based, there were 2 morning trips on the Pixiam River.
118 photos total, the first 95 are scenery and wildlife sightings, the next 18 are of 4 different accommodations, the last 5 are of our vehicle and some others we encountered.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=uo6uvo
Seminary where maned wolves are fed by the resident priests, located in Caraca in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Minas Gerais.
48 photos total, the first 21 are of scenery and wildlife sightings, the next 9 are of the Seminary and grounds, and the last 8 are the facililites/accommodations.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-qd4gtc
Caratinga Research Station, which focuses on primates, located in the Atlantic Forest of the state of Minas Gerais.
18 photos total, all of the scenery and wildlife around Caratinga. No hotel photos.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=ffep8n
Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park.
18 photos total, the first half are of scenery and wildlife and the last half are of the inn
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=ddzgo3
Sep 16th, 2007, 08:51 AM
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Even with my slow connection I had to look at a couple of the galleries: Paraguay River and the Seminary. Both fantastic! Do the caiman ever attack jaguars?
Loved the capybara bookends, the hyacinths, the stork rookery, the roseate spoonbills flying at dusk (?), all the jaguar photos (even the "poor quality" ones), the fisherman with piranha, the maned wolves, you frying an egg, and the pretty seminary photos.
Can't wait to read the report.
Loved the capybara bookends, the hyacinths, the stork rookery, the roseate spoonbills flying at dusk (?), all the jaguar photos (even the "poor quality" ones), the fisherman with piranha, the maned wolves, you frying an egg, and the pretty seminary photos.
Can't wait to read the report.
Sep 16th, 2007, 08:54 AM
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Wow Lynn,
Just started the photos and they are spectacular. The Capybaras are adorable and the jaguar shots are fantastic-the guide could call the jaguars? Was it unusual to see a jaguar swimming and you seemed quite close to all the wildlife? Who did you book this trip thru? The birds alone would be worth a trip. How was the insect situation-something that has always deterred me from that area?
Just started the photos and they are spectacular. The Capybaras are adorable and the jaguar shots are fantastic-the guide could call the jaguars? Was it unusual to see a jaguar swimming and you seemed quite close to all the wildlife? Who did you book this trip thru? The birds alone would be worth a trip. How was the insect situation-something that has always deterred me from that area?
Sep 16th, 2007, 12:56 PM
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Leely,
I am glad you were able to see the rarest sighting of all in the photo galleries, and that is me frying an egg!
Moremiles,
The guide made jaguar-like sounds on his carved device. They sounded like gorilla grunts. The noise never produced an actual jaguar emerging from the forest, but the guide believed it might keep some in the area if they were present to begin with. I think it is more effective during October, which is the mating season. The boat driver had a hollowed out gourd that he would blow into to simulate the jaguar sounds. We were almost a marching band in a boat.
Swimming jaguars are less common than nonswimming ones, but they do take to the water when needed. We had two swimmers and I think they see a swimming jaguar every few weeks.
The spoonbills were flying at dusk. They are one of my favorites.
You are right. The birds alone are worth the trip. They are extremely under-represented in my photos. I've never seen so many birds in flocks. They were all over. I will print my bird list at the end of the report.
We got close to the jaguars, maybe 12 feet at the closest. Always with us in the boat and the jaguar on shore, unless they were swimming. We could float right up to the capybara, within 2 feet, on the Paraguay River, but they were skittish elsewhere. The caiman would tolerate a boat about 12 feet away before going in the water. On land we would walk on the raised dirt road and the caiman would be about a 3 foot vertical drop, just inches from the road. The other animals were generally shy and fleeting.
Bugs were very minimal in the Pantanal. I may have gotten a bite or two. It is not a malaria area. At the Caratinga Research Station, I walked through an area of former ranchland to get a better view of some monkeys and got infested with tiny black (disease free) tick-like bugs called muquin. I had about 250 itching bites between my ankles and belly button for several days. I treated them with tobacco leaves and juice, given to me by a female guide after I showed her my bites.
On the night drives from about 5 pm to 6 pm there were lots of flying bugs so you needed sunglasses. Then they went away.
The agent was Focus Tours. There are still some remaining transactions that need to take place, so when all loose ends are tied up, I'll write in more detail about the company, but the trip was fabulous.
Dennis,
Aren't you supposed to be on a plane about now? Seven jaguars on the Paraguay River in 5 nights seems to be above average, but not unheard of. The record is 13 in a 4-5 day stay and 11 in one day. More often 1-3 are seen over 4-5 days. The trip prior to mine saw 1. I was hoping for a couple of sightings and a photo or two.
Thanks!
I am glad you were able to see the rarest sighting of all in the photo galleries, and that is me frying an egg!
Moremiles,
The guide made jaguar-like sounds on his carved device. They sounded like gorilla grunts. The noise never produced an actual jaguar emerging from the forest, but the guide believed it might keep some in the area if they were present to begin with. I think it is more effective during October, which is the mating season. The boat driver had a hollowed out gourd that he would blow into to simulate the jaguar sounds. We were almost a marching band in a boat.
Swimming jaguars are less common than nonswimming ones, but they do take to the water when needed. We had two swimmers and I think they see a swimming jaguar every few weeks.
The spoonbills were flying at dusk. They are one of my favorites.
You are right. The birds alone are worth the trip. They are extremely under-represented in my photos. I've never seen so many birds in flocks. They were all over. I will print my bird list at the end of the report.
We got close to the jaguars, maybe 12 feet at the closest. Always with us in the boat and the jaguar on shore, unless they were swimming. We could float right up to the capybara, within 2 feet, on the Paraguay River, but they were skittish elsewhere. The caiman would tolerate a boat about 12 feet away before going in the water. On land we would walk on the raised dirt road and the caiman would be about a 3 foot vertical drop, just inches from the road. The other animals were generally shy and fleeting.
Bugs were very minimal in the Pantanal. I may have gotten a bite or two. It is not a malaria area. At the Caratinga Research Station, I walked through an area of former ranchland to get a better view of some monkeys and got infested with tiny black (disease free) tick-like bugs called muquin. I had about 250 itching bites between my ankles and belly button for several days. I treated them with tobacco leaves and juice, given to me by a female guide after I showed her my bites.
On the night drives from about 5 pm to 6 pm there were lots of flying bugs so you needed sunglasses. Then they went away.
The agent was Focus Tours. There are still some remaining transactions that need to take place, so when all loose ends are tied up, I'll write in more detail about the company, but the trip was fabulous.
Dennis,
Aren't you supposed to be on a plane about now? Seven jaguars on the Paraguay River in 5 nights seems to be above average, but not unheard of. The record is 13 in a 4-5 day stay and 11 in one day. More often 1-3 are seen over 4-5 days. The trip prior to mine saw 1. I was hoping for a couple of sightings and a photo or two.
Thanks!
Sep 16th, 2007, 01:07 PM
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Lynn, I'm absolutely dieing to open all your photos but I'm having some major difficulties with my dial -up -I keep losing the connection 
.
Is it just the Paraguay area that's non-malarial?? Were any other places you visited malaria-free??? What other vaccinations etc did you need to do the trip?
Can't wait to read your trip report ANd see those amazing photos!
Imelda
.Is it just the Paraguay area that's non-malarial?? Were any other places you visited malaria-free??? What other vaccinations etc did you need to do the trip?
Can't wait to read your trip report ANd see those amazing photos!
Imelda
Sep 16th, 2007, 02:04 PM
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Lynn, I'm speechless -- your pictures (and I looked at all five galleries) are stunning. The only problem is that you've now, inadvertantly, thrown a wrench into my travel plans, which I had scheduled until 2009 -- I now need to figure out how to visit the Pantanal, and I've just pencilled it in for August 2009 (although there's a small chance that I'll advance it to next Summer).
Are you going to post your itinerary, or can you send it to me by email (if you can, I'll email you separately). I would also love to get lodge information, especially details on your lodge on the Paraguay River.
Thanks, Michael
Are you going to post your itinerary, or can you send it to me by email (if you can, I'll email you separately). I would also love to get lodge information, especially details on your lodge on the Paraguay River.
Thanks, Michael
Sep 16th, 2007, 03:16 PM
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Thank goodness for Lynn and Wikipedia. I now know what a marmoset is - who knew. In case any of you are in the dark, as I was, it's a new world monkey who does not have wisdom teeth.
As usual, Lynn, your photos are well done and filled with such intriguing creatures, scenery and locations - all fascinating.
Thank you for scouting ahead for us. Now I'm off to read your report.
As usual, Lynn, your photos are well done and filled with such intriguing creatures, scenery and locations - all fascinating.
Thank you for scouting ahead for us. Now I'm off to read your report.
Sep 16th, 2007, 06:43 PM
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There will be a whole report with itinerary, etc. At least the itinerary will be up in a few days and I’ll put that on both the Africa and Latin America forums.
August is a good month to go. While you are penciling (and I’ll include this in bold in the report) try to avoid the full moon. This is especially true for mammals at night in the Pantanal. Bird watching is unaffected. I was told by one source over there that he thought it would be a good policy to not offer trips during the full moon. I had no moon or just a sliver so cannot comment personally.
August was a good time to go. From what I learned, from a jaguar viewing perspective only, I think July would be ideal because it is cold and the jaguars seek the sun on the riverbanks in the cold. October is mating season and the jaguars are more active and can be seen together. But the biggest factor in viewing them is a 4-letter word.: LUCK.
A new world monkey without wisdom teeth! Had I known that before leaving, I would have viewed those creatures in a whole new light. Sorry, Cybor, there is not yet a report.
Thanks for all the very nice comments everyone.
August is a good month to go. While you are penciling (and I’ll include this in bold in the report) try to avoid the full moon. This is especially true for mammals at night in the Pantanal. Bird watching is unaffected. I was told by one source over there that he thought it would be a good policy to not offer trips during the full moon. I had no moon or just a sliver so cannot comment personally.
August was a good time to go. From what I learned, from a jaguar viewing perspective only, I think July would be ideal because it is cold and the jaguars seek the sun on the riverbanks in the cold. October is mating season and the jaguars are more active and can be seen together. But the biggest factor in viewing them is a 4-letter word.: LUCK.
A new world monkey without wisdom teeth! Had I known that before leaving, I would have viewed those creatures in a whole new light. Sorry, Cybor, there is not yet a report.
Thanks for all the very nice comments everyone.
Sep 16th, 2007, 10:28 PM
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Incredible Lynn!! Wow, I have bookmarked the report on the SA forum, and have also let Jim know that will be our destination in 2010!
Your travels are really the best - wow I am amazed at all that I DIDN'T know - for example I had no idea that some jaguars were spotted! I thought they were all black!
Your travels are really the best - wow I am amazed at all that I DIDN'T know - for example I had no idea that some jaguars were spotted! I thought they were all black!
Sep 16th, 2007, 10:37 PM
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Actually, I have a 'silly' question to ask after re-looking at your first set of pictures (other than WHEN can I sign up?)
What are the differing features of the leopard to the jaguar? If I would have seen those pictures without knowing what you saw, I would have thought leopard - if I were to meet them side by side, what differences would I see? This is all SO fascinating!!! And definitely after Alaska, and after Kenya one more time....
What are the differing features of the leopard to the jaguar? If I would have seen those pictures without knowing what you saw, I would have thought leopard - if I were to meet them side by side, what differences would I see? This is all SO fascinating!!! And definitely after Alaska, and after Kenya one more time....
Sep 16th, 2007, 10:45 PM
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Lynn, I'm amazed at the beauty and the variety of birds/mammals. Definitely want to go, maybe with Lynda and Jim in 2010.
Questions: the frog in the photo on the wall. is that a coqui? Do they "sing" at night? Hawaii is overrun with them and it's not a pleasant sound when you have 2000+ serenading at once.
How close to the maned wolf were you? Another cool animal i've never heard of.
What's next for you? You've done the pandas, the jaguars and Africa, curious to see what you still want to see...
Questions: the frog in the photo on the wall. is that a coqui? Do they "sing" at night? Hawaii is overrun with them and it's not a pleasant sound when you have 2000+ serenading at once.
How close to the maned wolf were you? Another cool animal i've never heard of.
What's next for you? You've done the pandas, the jaguars and Africa, curious to see what you still want to see...
Sep 17th, 2007, 02:48 AM
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UNBELIEVABLE Lynn!!!!!!!
I just got to see those awesome photographs and all I can say is ..<u><b>WOW!!!!</b></u>
Hope you don't mind me asking again what the situation on Maiaria is in the areas you visited??? Like others here, my brain is ticking overtime and we still haven't anything set for May / June / July 2008
Imelda
I just got to see those awesome photographs and all I can say is ..<u><b>WOW!!!!</b></u>
Hope you don't mind me asking again what the situation on Maiaria is in the areas you visited??? Like others here, my brain is ticking overtime and we still haven't anything set for May / June / July 2008
Imelda
