Last drive to the Lodge before road access is closed

We left on the 26th of January under a dark grey sky from Aquidauana and as a precautionary measure requested that Luciano our tractor driver meet us with the Massey Ferguson tractor at the entrance gate of the Retirinho Farm so we would have backup on the last 40 km off road section that goes through a number of private farms and where we feel the that the heart of the Pantanal truly starts. The first stretch of road from Aquidauana consists of a compacted raised dirt road which when it is in good condition you can easily drive 80KM/h but after a few rain storms and a number of cattle trucks it deteriorates substantially and you are lucky to average 20 km/h if not less. On this trip the road was in terrible condition with a number of sections being covered with rain water that had accumulated in the adjacent fields and was trying to find its natural draining course but being held up by the man made raised road at least for the time being.

The fields along the road were mostly flooded and one could see a a great variety of birds and marsh deer celebrating the arrival of the rains which were quite late this season. On the way down we were able to get through most critical points on our own power but there were a few critical points where the tyres of our car had no grip as there were deep tracks left by the 4 x4 heavy tractors and therefore had to be towed by our tractor. It was an unforgettable trip and although it can take between 6-8 hours as one has to keep checking on foot how deep the water is and how solid the soil is, you do not get tired as you witness the re-birth of the Pantanal, in its full glory, which was so well defined in the television program recorded for the New Zealand television Broadcasting Company "a field of water and sea of green". I was surprised with the volume of birds and mammals we saw basking in the rain.

We are practically there when we cross the Rio Negro bridge. It was amazing how the river had taken water towards the end of the month especially when compared with the dry season (July 2008) when the cattle men ("comitiva") prefer to cross the cattle through the shallow water rather than going over the bridge where cattle can get hurt or scared if there is a a hornet nest under the bridge. Usually when one is on the boat going under the bridge you can see many swallows' nests. Any way, I will go more into that when I mention our experiences in that time of the year.

Arriving at the Lodge we saw how the pastures had grown and all is so lush. I also saw a lot of tree frogs around the lodge buildings and as water started to form in front of the lodge buildings more and more birds arrived and one hears the beautiful frog symphony as they announce their arrival and try to impress their mating partners. Amazing how not long ago there was only dirt and grass and now there is a beautiful lake covered with water plants and a variety of water fowl have taken on residence. The mammals such as peccaries and marsh deer find this new haven without much of a delay and soon are enjoying the new shoots of the aquatic plants.It is not long before the fish find their way into the lake and the caymans and the herons are there to greet them.

The day we returned to Aquidauana 29th January the weather was beautiful and it had not rained since we arrived. But wow there was so much more water probably coming from the river. Again we had the tractor accompany us primarily to see how deep it was before we went through with our 4x4 Toyota . We were lucky because a son of the manager at Fazenda Costa Rica had to go back to Aquidauana to go to school and probably we were the last vehicle to cross that way before the road closes for 3 months due to the waters. He had come with another vehicle a day before and knew the area very well even though there was so much water. he led us beautifully and it felt we were in a boat rather than a car.


We drove for 10 km on the compacted dirt road after the Retirinho last gate and found that where the road was holding back the water on the way down the road had been completely washed away and we had to make use of our air intake snorkel again. Fortunately our friend had left some markings the day before so we could see where to cross safely.

Hope you enjoyed it as I will definitely do this trip many times again.