THE PANTANAL

Nature speaks louder

Land of Great Adventures
and exceptional beauty

The Pantanal stands proudly as one of the Earth’s most important natural reserves, as
acknowledged by UNESCO. It has been a National Heritage Site in the Brazilian
Constitution since 1988. Situated in the heart of South America, spanning a vast
140,000 km2, it is the world’s most extensive floodable wetland. Encompassing 80% of
its territory in Brazil, it extends into Paraguay and Bolivia (the Chacos).

Unique ecosystem on the planet.

In the Pantanal mosaic, you find diverse vegetative species from the Atlantic Forest (Southern Pantanal and Salobra River), Cerrado, Caatinga, Paraguayan Chaco, and the Amazon (Northern Pantanal). This rich tapestry hosts over 486 bird species, 263 fish types, 90 mammals, 177 reptiles, and 50+ amphibians.

Preserved Nature
in the Salobra Delta.

Because of its climate, topography, and vegetation variations, the Pantanal can be divided into 11 sub-regions, known as “Pantanais.” In Mato Grosso, contributing to 30% of Brazil’s Pantanal, you’ll find the Pantanais of Poconé, Barão de Melgaço, and Cáceres. In Mato Grosso do Sul, covering 70% of Brazil’s Pantanal, are the Pantanais of Paiaguás, Nhecolândia, Paraguai, Aquidauana, and Abobral.

Preserved Nature
in the Salobra Delta.

Our lodge’s private reserve serves as a vital ecological sanctuary, dedicated to the permanent preservation of the SALOBRA PANTANAL. The low environmental impact of our operations, combined with ongoing conservation efforts in the area, embodies the SUSTAINABILITY of our ecotourism project. Our guests actively contribute to this cause by choosing to stay with us.

The Salobra River

Situated in central-southern Mato Grosso do Sul, bordering the Nabileque Pantanal. The Bodoquena Plateau spans 200 km, with widths from 10 to 70 km. Cities like Bonito and Bodoquena thrive in this region, alongside Jardim, Guia Lopes da Laguna, Porto Murtinho, and Miranda municipalities—altitudes in this elongated plateau range 300 to 750 m. The plateau’s main rivers include Formoso and Prata, along with the two primary rivers of the Serra da Bodoquena National Park: SALOBRA in the north and Perdido in the south.

Climate

The Pantanal climate can be classified as savannah. It is hot and humid in the summer
(November – February) and cold and dry in the winter (May–August). Cold fronts from
the south of South America are mostly common from April to September, bringing
temperatures below 10ºC that can last 2 to 4 days.

Hydrography

The Pantanal area is part of the Paraguay River Basin, constituting an immense plain of floodable lands, 1,400 km long in Brazilian territory. The slope of the Pantanal is almost zero, 6 to 12 cm/Km in the east-west direction and 1 to 2 cm/Km in the north- south direction. This enables floods to spread from north to south, and from east to west along the Paraguay River, the sole outlet for the Pantanal. Further south, in the Joaquim Murtinho Pantanal, a natural dam, the massif called Fecho-dos-Morros, controls the large volume of water from the plain.

The Salobra River

A tributary of the Miranda River, this 150 km long river originates in the northern fragment of the Serra da Bodoquena National Park, It traverses a long stretch through tortuous canyons before entering the Pantanal plain, dividing into several river branches and wetlands to form the Salobra Delta. The river boasts clear, bicarbonate-rich waters similar to the rivers of Bonito, due to the action of rainwater on the limestone rocks in the region. The Refúgio da Ilha ecolodge is situated between two river branches of the Salobra River within the Pantanal plain, serving as the foundation of the region’s ecosystem.