atravelynn

Carla,

YouŽll probably never fulfill those Africa travel dreams and just want to keep returning but you could slip Brazil in there somewhere.

In a few hours I board the plane to leave for home but it has been wonderful and the wildlife sightings I had hoped for materialized.

Over 200 birds, capybara (largest rodent), maned wolves at the seminary, numerous mammals spotted at night, and an amazing 8 jaguars--with 6 separate sightings in one afternoon. Wonder what my horoscope said for that day.

IŽll do a report because the places I went should be of great interest to any wildlife enthusiast once they know about them.

CarlaM

Hi Lynn,

We miss you on the Africa board and glad to hear your trip measured up to your expectations. Of course we cannot
wait to hear all about it and see your photos. Will keep an eye out for your report. What a great summer you have had!

atravelynn

I went. It was great. I am back. Here is a link to the report & photos.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35068062

Femi

Glad your trip turned out to be so amazingly wonderful. Great Pictures!
Definitely still high on my list of places to go, you just bumped it up a notch.

jgold

I know that atravelynn went to the Pantanal in August, but does anyone know whether it would be good to visit it, say, February/March, which is when I plan on being on South America? Thanks very much.

atravelynn

From what I learned, it is rainier then. More so in March than Feb. But I was told be our local guide that the rainy season is their favorite time because of everything being so green. It was so green in Aug, I can only imagine during the rains.

jgold

Thanks very much for the reply atravelynn. Unfortunately, my impression, having taken a little more time to research this issue, is that Feb./March is VERY rainy, and that the pros (more green, more birds) is probably (for me) outweighed by the con of having a harder time spotting mammals. And while I appreciate the guide's perspective you referenced below, it might be that someone who lives in that area year round is going to have a different set of preferences than someone (like me) who might only visit once, and would therefore want to optimize the timing for viewing mammals. But I appreciate your response.

I think at present, my thought is that either a Pantanal or an Amazon visit doesn't make sense for me given that my South America dates are January - March. Curious if anyone has a different view though... Thanks.

atravelynn

Jgold,

Your name rang a bell. Is the Pantanal a stop on your round the world trip? I would agree with you that Feb/Mar would not be when I'd plan a trip there if I had a choice. Some places the rainy months are best for birding, so that's a consolation. I was told that is NOT true in the Pantanal.

jgold

Thanks very much for the advice atravelynn. The Pantanal would be a stop on my rtw trip, so based on the advice I've received, it seems better to move it later in the year. Thanks very much for the feedback.