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Pantanal on own boat (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter opisska
- Start date
Leave the insults at home and allow adults to make decisions free from judgement.
You obviously care a lot about both the original poster and the thread content since you've had so many strong opinions to post about his query. If you genuinely have no more to say then there shouldn't be anything else said, especially when it's nothing more than an inappropriate and poorly thought out childish insult.
I hope that Opisska is eventually able to make this trip that he's thinking of taking and that there'll be some good pictures to view for those of us who'll never go, or for those considering the same type of adventure.
opisska
rabid twitcher
Well that's why I have (unlike most of my typical trips
) put in some actual research and it turns out that the caimans are far less dangerous than most crocodiles. I would indeed not be very inclined to canoeing on the Congo or indeed most places in Africa, considering not only the crocodiles, but also hippos. In Pantanal, it seems that the main danger from nature is by far Jaguars - which can attack during the day, but statistically it's safer than driving a car to get there - in the night, the risk should be significantly lowered by choice of campsite far from water's edge and carefully looking for signs of jaguar presence in the area. What I do not completely understand yet is how much danger comes from piranhas - they seem to be not an issue in small numbers but I have read conflicting opinions about them in dry season when they may dangerously congregate in some ponds. Again probably avoidable by having enough information. As for people, that's one thing I am not sure how to judge, but the area is quite empty and I haven't found any record of violent attacks on tourists (unlike in the Brazilian Amazon). All things considered, I can't wait to go, but as I mentioned I we will do it only next year so that we can come in 3 people. The friend that will come with us will to some extent alleviate the risk of violent crime as they are (seriously) skilled in self-defense martial arts.
Regarding water treatment: Don‘t rely on any filter bottle gimmick! They work well if your are traveling somewhere in the mountains or basically anywhere where the water is clear. If you are somewhere where the water is visible colored (which is caused by sediments) the filter will stop working quite soon because sediments will get stuck in it. You will need a system with a pre-filter (or a separate one). Also I would recommend some research on chemical contamination in the area as you would need a different filter for this.
In general I would not want to drink the filtered water from the same container which is used to store the untreated water. In practical outdoor use it’s difficult to keep the „clean“ part from getting in touch with untreated water.
Regarding navigation: Taking a GPS-device is something you probably plan to do as it‘s the only way to find your way back to the main river in an ever changing river system where maps are outdated as soon as they are finished. Even as you can use smartphone I would take one as a backup.
If you don‘t own anything like it I would also think about getting somekind of satellite rescue tool. Ether a Personal Locator Beacon or something like the Garmin Inreach Mini. I know some might consider this tools as dangerous as it can give a false sense of security but if you know their limitations there are places where (in my opinion) they are worth their money.
Can‘t help with the human safety part. I remember reading the usual horror story about a killed tourist (I think a experienced female solo kayaker who had already paddled all over the world) but from the little knowledge I have of the area I don‘t think it’s more dangerous than other rural parts of Latin America. But as the last years has seen a dramatic rise in slash and burn habitat destruction in Brazil this might have changed as illegal land grabbing usually comes with an influx of criminal activity. Don‘t know how much this affects the Pantanal region.
By the way: awhile back I read the long trip report on the 900km kayak trip along the Pantanal on the German outdoorseiten Forum. Interesting read.
In general I would not want to drink the filtered water from the same container which is used to store the untreated water. In practical outdoor use it’s difficult to keep the „clean“ part from getting in touch with untreated water.
Regarding navigation: Taking a GPS-device is something you probably plan to do as it‘s the only way to find your way back to the main river in an ever changing river system where maps are outdated as soon as they are finished. Even as you can use smartphone I would take one as a backup.
If you don‘t own anything like it I would also think about getting somekind of satellite rescue tool. Ether a Personal Locator Beacon or something like the Garmin Inreach Mini. I know some might consider this tools as dangerous as it can give a false sense of security but if you know their limitations there are places where (in my opinion) they are worth their money.
Can‘t help with the human safety part. I remember reading the usual horror story about a killed tourist (I think a experienced female solo kayaker who had already paddled all over the world) but from the little knowledge I have of the area I don‘t think it’s more dangerous than other rural parts of Latin America. But as the last years has seen a dramatic rise in slash and burn habitat destruction in Brazil this might have changed as illegal land grabbing usually comes with an influx of criminal activity. Don‘t know how much this affects the Pantanal region.
By the way: awhile back I read the long trip report on the 900km kayak trip along the Pantanal on the German outdoorseiten Forum. Interesting read.
opisska
rabid twitcher
Yeah, the water problem, I have no experience with, I have always been to places where I either could drink water outright or it was clear and I only did chemical treatment to kill bacteria and parasites. Good intel that the filter bottles are problematic!
I do have a satellite thingy (inReach), I got it back in the day when we were climbing a 6000er. Never had to use it, but it's really good for peace of mind.
I do have a satellite thingy (inReach), I got it back in the day when we were climbing a 6000er. Never had to use it, but it's really good for peace of mind.
Keith/Portland
Well-known member
Jan. Reading even the start of this thread reminds me how incredibly naive I once was as a young man, re. birding 'adventures'. Your biggest danger is your own determination here. The second will most often be human. 'Everyone' kayaks in Costa Rica. It is NOT the Panatel.Well that's why I have (unlike most of my typical trips
Attachments
pbjosh
missing the neotropics
I can’t speak with any authority but still feel that safety from humans is not likely to be an issue. Perhaps getting ahold of Vitor Piacenti or Marcelo Padua (Vitor an ornithologist, Marcelo a guide, both living in Cuiabá as far as I know) would be worthwhile to ask them for more local local contacts that can be trusted to give good advice / info.
On water filtration: filters do indeed clog, this is an issue. Exchangeable cartridges, pre filtration, letting water settle before filtering, etc - there are ways to deal with it but I would view getting palatable / clean water as one of the biggest issues still and would want to have a good bit of security in terms of options/backups. The other issue would be navigating / being able to return to where you put in in case of non-passable obstructions as the most important things to plan for.
On water filtration: filters do indeed clog, this is an issue. Exchangeable cartridges, pre filtration, letting water settle before filtering, etc - there are ways to deal with it but I would view getting palatable / clean water as one of the biggest issues still and would want to have a good bit of security in terms of options/backups. The other issue would be navigating / being able to return to where you put in in case of non-passable obstructions as the most important things to plan for.
Steve Babbs
Well-known member
Well I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes. Not for me but the dangers have been exaggerated IMO.
Good luck
Good luck
opisska
rabid twitcher
We did a dress rehearsal in our appartment because the fact that we ended up three (because Eliska was not able to fing her a partner in two years!) makes the logistics a bit inconvenient. We concluded that we can put three people into the boat relatively fine, but we need a small cargo trailer if we want to go somewhere for a longer trip. But that seems manageable.
Another interesting problem is car rental. We haven't found any 4x4 rentals in Cuiaba, so we take some lame SUV - let's see how far we get
Another interesting problem is car rental. We haven't found any 4x4 rentals in Cuiaba, so we take some lame SUV - let's see how far we get
I'm not sure which other SUV models offer it, but if you have to go that route, there is a lockable low range 4x4 mode in the Ford Explorer, which can make a big difference. I'm sure there must be others as well.We haven't found any 4x4 rentals in Cuiaba, so we take some lame SUV - let's see how far we get
In Alaska it’s not difficult to find rentals with more than 2wd and I’d hope that the same would apply where he’s planning to go, places with predictably problematic traction issues.
Steve Babbs
Well-known member
A 2WD SUV should be fine.We did a dress rehearsal in our appartment because the fact that we ended up three (because Eliska was not able to fing her a partner in two years!) makes the logistics a bit inconvenient. We concluded that we can put three people into the boat relatively fine, but we need a small cargo trailer if we want to go somewhere for a longer trip. But that seems manageable.
Another interesting problem is car rental. We haven't found any 4x4 rentals in Cuiaba, so we take some lame SUV - let's see how far we get
opisska
rabid twitcher
First impressions: it's not easy. Transpantaneira has over a hundred bridges on it but under the vast majority of those there isn't any open water. Almost everything that looks boatable on the satellite images is completely overgrown with vegetation. Also it's really hot and it feels much worse than expected from the forecast. Also I am suffering from a combination of digestive issues, jetlag and god knows what else so currently I am trying to recover in a hotel in Pocone.
The initial half of Transpantaneira is now really overrun with tourist development, expensive lodges everywhere, not sure how much access could be arranged without actually staying in those lodges. The second half seems wilder but we haven't gotten too deep yet.
However one thing that is really unbelievable here is the birding. This is literally the greatest birding place I have ever seen. It gets a bit diminished by the fact that we have seen most of the species already elsewhere, but even with that, it's an absolute onslaught of birds like nowhere else, just from driving Transpantaneira.
The initial half of Transpantaneira is now really overrun with tourist development, expensive lodges everywhere, not sure how much access could be arranged without actually staying in those lodges. The second half seems wilder but we haven't gotten too deep yet.
However one thing that is really unbelievable here is the birding. This is literally the greatest birding place I have ever seen. It gets a bit diminished by the fact that we have seen most of the species already elsewhere, but even with that, it's an absolute onslaught of birds like nowhere else, just from driving Transpantaneira.
opisska
rabid twitcher
The funniest thing of all of this is that a bridge about 20 kms before Porto Jofre collapsed just before we reached it. Well in principle we have the boat But the logistics are impractical, so no Porto Joffre for us. But along the 120 kms of the road that we could access, there are exactly two significant bodies of water, everything else totally overgrown.
But the logistics are impractical, so no Porto Joffre for us. But along the 120 kms of the road that we could access, there are exactly two significant bodies of water, everything else totally overgrown.
opisska
rabid twitcher
Rio Claro was a great suggestion from this thread. It's a large piece of open water with no current whatsoever. The staff in Rio Claro Lodge was surprisingly accepting of our ideas, even if a bit worried about the plan to camp on the way due to risk of jaguars. We will see if we can find a place that would look acceptable or if we return to the lodge.
It’s been a few years since I made this comment, I am glad to see you are still safe and are enjoying your outings.
