REFÚGIO ECOLÓGICO CAIMAN

Probably the most celebrated of the Pantanal nature lodges, the Refúgio Ecológico Caiman (tel. 65/242-1450, in São Paulo: tel. 11/3079-6622, www.caiman.com.br, caiman@caiman.com.br, around R$600 d) is a cross between a nature lodge, nature preserve/research center, and working cattle ranch. Actually, many of the lodges in the area have this same makeup, but Caiman offers the best in all three arenas.

As a place to stay, Caiman offers four separate lodges, each with cozy rooms and breakfast areas. The main lodge is located in the nucleus of the ranch, where the pool, barbecue area, restaurant, and bar are all located. In fact, the nucleus is almost a small village, since there are also separate houses occupied by the workers and executives of the ranch (some 300 people), an exhibit hall, and the main office of the Blue Macaw Project. The facilities here (11 rooms) are located in the main house and are extremely comfortable. Around the house are trees filled with blue macaws and toucans, which are some of the most up-close encounters you’ll have here. There is a second lodge with six rooms located in the village area just a few hundred meters away on the bank of one of the area’s small lakes. This is probably the coziest of the lodges and it’s close to everything that’s going on at the ranch. A satellite lodge, known as the Baiazinha has six rooms and is right up against a marshy lake riddled with caimans so close you could touch them. In the wet season, the lake comes right up to the edges of the lodge and guides will take you out on boat excursions from there. The pool at this lodge will satisfy that urge to jump in the water. The fourth lodge, called Corilheira, is built on stilts because during the wet season, it sits on top of the water. It has six rooms and an observation tower. Blue macaws sit in the trees that surround it and the waters are full of caimans—not for swimming!

As a nature preserve, Caiman is home to the Projeto Arara Azul (Blue Macaw Project), which is designed to study and assist the development of the endangered species. The Caiman land is one of the favorite breeding grounds of the colorful bird, with as much as 36 percent of the species’ active nests. Besides the blue macaw, the majority of the Pantanal species are represented on the vast lands of the Caiman Ecological Preserve, and safaris will take you out to see the giant stork, pink flamingo, tiger heron, and numerous types of land animals. Their night safari reveals another world of animals, including the elusive onça pintada jaguars, foxes, and wolves. Besides offering night and morning jeep safaris, they also organize walking safaris to see the many caimans on the ranch and horseback excursions.

Caiman is also a working ranch and you’ll get the proof of that in the many excellent meals provided for the guests. Every Friday, a couple of steer are slaughtered for consumption by the employees and guests. Many of the fruits and vegetables used are also cultivated right on the ranch, which consists of 53 square kilometers of space, while the ecological preserve area is a mere 5 square kilometers. That’s about how the division of land goes here in the Pantanal.