A very early start

Tags

Amazon kingfisher, black vulture, caracara, Howler monkey, marsh deer, Pantanal, Porto Jofre, scarlet-headed blackbird, southern screamer, Southwild, Transpantaneira

After a 5.15 breakfast, it was time to load our safari truck with baggage and sleepy bodies, and set off on what was forecast to be a six-hour drive to Porto Jofre, at the end of the Transpantaneiro, where we would almost be at our next accommodation.

Cactus in flower. We did see a bird drinking the nectar at one point

Fortunately, road repairs had been such that the drive not as long as feared. Here one of the dicey bridges is being repaired. (In the dry season you can drive into and out of some of the gullies.)

 

Howler monkeys. The (black) male’s dawn roar may be heard three kilometres away

Marsh deer

Piling in again after a comfort stop

Amazon kingfisher

Scarlet-headed blackbird. In life it glowed even more than this.

Great egret

Southern screamers

Pleased that the drive had not been quite as tiring as we feared, we had to wait a little before our transfer boat was available at Porto Jofre. A few more photo-opportunities.

Porto Jofre

Is the Caracara’s permanent expression more that of puzzlement or of being affronted?

Black vulture

Our boatman helping us load up. Dig those boots!

25 minutes later we had first sight of our ‘flotel’, run by Southwild.

Because we had arrived earlier than expected it was after lunch before we had access to our splendid rooms. (You couldn’t possibly call this a cabin, and is that description appropriate on a boat that goes nowhere anyway?)

Two hours to settle in and rest before we set out for our afternoon boat ride.