Feedback Charlie & Peg Chace

Itinerary: Brasilia - Manaus - Amazon River Cruise on MY Tucano

Peg and I were totally satisfied with our recent tour.  We were well cared for at every location and all plans went smoothly. 

Our driver in Brazilia was very proud of the fact that he served as interpreter for President Obama just one week before we arrived.  He did a fine job of escorting us, although at first he took us to the Royal Tulip, which was quickly corrected.  By the dress of the people in the lobby, we knew that we didn't belong there.  The city tour was generally good.  We visited one chapel and one cathedral that were both beautiful.  We could have done without the long drive past endless entrances to various embassies. 

The rooms at the Tropical Manaus were very good.  We quickly realized that there one pays for the overall features; pools, activities, zoo, security, resturants and shops.  We never looked at any rooms other then the luxury rooms you booked for us, but based on our experience, I would recomment that you use the lu\xury rooms for anyone staying more then one night. 

The cruise was a complete thrill.  We had 13 passangers.  Guides told us that over 15 gets crowded, and we believe that, due to the size of the dining room and competition for hot water during the 1/2 hour/day that it is offered.  We did several trips/day either hiking in the forest or in canoes.  Each trip had new experiences.  I shot over 600 pictures. 

Thank you for recommending this tour.  It will be a cherished memory. 

We would be pleased to recommend this excursion to anyone. 

Charlie and Peg Chace

Feedback Lincoln & Patricia Widmer

Itinerary: 5 days/4 nights Bonito with overnights at the Wetiga Hotel

Just a short note to follow-up our delightful trip to Brazil.
For all of us, the Bonito visit turned out well beyond our "wildest"
expectations when it comes to natural diversity and beauty.
Our guide, Mr. Ulli Brauer make us feel at home in Bonito with his
personal attention to details and his in-depth knowledge and love of
nature.
We would highly recommend his guiding service to anyone serious in
understanding the regional ecology of this region.
Although the rooms at Wetiga Hotel were comfortable, it was our
impression that most outdoor facilities were not functioning during our
visit and that staff were unhappy with their work. Overall, the hotel
stay was not good value for the money and we cannot recommend the place.

Thanks you for attention and support in organizing this enjoyable
holiday for us.
Best regards,
Lincoln Widmer

Where jaguars still roam......

Last week BNT went on an expedition trip to the remote Taiama Ecological Station to investigate the sustainable eco tourism potential of this remote area in the North Pantanal. The Taiama Ecological Station covers a protected area of 14.300 of untouched wilderness and mainly contains the Taiama island, located in the middle of the Paraguay river. The nearest town is Caceres at about 110 km and can be reached by speed boat in about 3,5 hrs (full speed). Taiama is a region where man still respects and fears the mighty jaguar, encountered in high concentration. The best time to observe these felines is during the dry season (May – October), though it was the wet season during our visit and the water level was really high, it was still quiet ‘easy’ to observe them in their natural habitat. During our (short) 02 night stay we were able to encounter 02 jaguars on the Paraguay river bank. At about 1 hour (by boat) before entering the reserve Fazenda Desvalvados is located, an 18^th century jerky beef industry/community, that is being transformed into tastefull eco tourism retreat, maintaining the historical buildings, directly located at the Paraguay river. With the Fazenda Descalvados operating in the near future, and the known increasing eco tourism interest for jaguar (and bird) observation, we are certain that this amazing region will be soon on the top of each eco tourist’ wish list.

Amazon's teeming wildlife

Amateur photographer and wildlife addict, Zoltan Palmai, has once again been on a trip with us. This time he went to the southern edge of the mighty Amazon rain forest and stayed at the Cristalino Jungle Lodge, offering one the best wildlife viewing in the Brazilian Amazon.
Please click on below spider monkey image to go to his online photo album to check out some of the pictures taken throughout his trip last January.

The fortunate clients......

Our clients Dennis Schroeder & Gerry Ashnley went with us on a trip to the North Pantanal (Jaguar Ecological Reserve & Pouso Alegre) in combination with southern Amazon (Cristalino Jungle Lodge) last July/August. Throughout their trip they were able to get some great images and were fortunate to observe a jaguar sitting on the Cuiaba river bank during one of the outings.
Below you will find a selection of their pics:

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)

Chestnut Eared Aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis) 

Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)

Pantanal sceneries

Breathtaking Pantanal sceneries at Fazenda Barranco Alto:

Puma encounter at the Embiara Lodge

A few weeks ago our friend and colleague, Stefan Grol of the Embiara Lodge was very fortunate, when during a stroll in the lodge's surroundings, he witnessed the elusive puma. The area around Embiara Lodge is bursting with wildlife, such as giant anteaters, giant otters, tapirs, macaws and even jaguars. While there are pumas, they are difficult to see as they are very shy of humans. They are more active at night, so Stefan could not believe his eyes and ears whenhe witnessed this adult female puma chase down and kill an adult male capybara in the lake beside the lodge.