1 independent reviews for Tailor made vacation in Brazil
Reviews for Tailor made vacation in Brazil
Harvey Bromley review 13 Mar 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The most memorable part of our vacation was the two and a half days we spent at Rio Mutum in the Pantanal. We arrived at approximately 1400 hrs after a 4.5 hour car journey, the last hour of which was on a very bumpy dirt road; on arrival we were asked if we would be fit enough for a boat trip down the Mutum river starting at 1600 hrs. Of course we were and really enjoyed seeing so many beautiful birds and the fantastic sunset as we arrived back. The next day we had a morning horse riding down a flooded area at the start, with our feet touching the water, and then across more open country; the wild flowers and birds were amazing. Again about 1400 hrs that afternoon we had a boat trip down the river and across one of the lakes and had a time fishing for Parana and I managed to catch two; by the time we had finished it was starting to get dark so the boatman decided to take a shortcut which involved crossing a patch of water lilies between two open pieces of water so he took a run at it but got stuck less than half way through. The propeller was completely wound up with weed and by this time it was really dark but fortunately the boatman had a floodlight on an extension lead which enabled him and the Guide to cut the propeller free and they reversed a short way and charged forward again only gaining a few more feet; after repeating this procedure several more times they eventually got through but it must have taken at least half an hour to get clear during which time copious amounts of mosquito repellent was used. The 5 tourists in the boat gave a loud cheer as we broke through but this was not the end of our adventure because we hadn't been going long when a loud warning sound came from the motor indicating the motor was overheating because the water cooling system was partially blocked with weed; we had to go quite slowly and even then the warning sound repeated itself several times before we eventually got back to a belated dinner, the starter being Parana soup! The next morning we were up early for a 5.30 am canoe trip which was magical, so quiet and peaceful, seeing the beauty of the sun rising and hearing the early morning bird song; the canoe being so quiet we were able to get very close to birds before they flew. Later that afternoon we visited a fishing village down the river and were invited into their one room house and asked to share their evening meal; we were told they would be offended we didn't, so hospitable. The Rio Mutum was a place to remember, wonderful food, lovely people, beautifully situated alongside the river, an orphan deer feeding from a bottle, very tame birds and Capybara wandering around keeping the grass down!2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Don't go on a group transfer in a minibus from Paraty to Rio airport; we were picked up at 12.30 for a flight leaving at 22.55 which meant we were in th airport for over 5 hours; it's worth paying a bit more to get a private transfer.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
This type of vacation must help with local employment. Most of the people working at Rio Mutum were locals.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent, very enjoyable.Holiday Reviews
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