Pouso Alegre Lodge lies in the heart of the Pantanal, an enormous tropical wetland and South America’s biodiversity hotspot. Part working farm, part ecolodge, Pouso Alegre is famed for being the best place in Brazil to see the elusive South American tapir.
It is also a great place to see an incredible variety of Pantanal birds. Hyacinth macaws nest in the trees around the lodge, and in the mornings, Toco toucans and Chestnut-eared aracaris fly in for the daily offering of sliced papayas left by the staff at the bird feeder. This is your best opportunity to see these wonderfully flamboyant birds up close.
We stayed at Pouso Alegre Lodge for two nights in September as part of our week-long adventure in the Brazilian Pantanal with Julinho of Pantanal Trackers as our guide. Here is what to expect from your stay at Pouso Alegre.
Into the Pantanal
We met Julinho at Cuiaba airport, and as we left the city of about a million people heading southwest, the landscape gradually changed from urban sprawl to open farmland, which eventually gave way to the dry savannah that dominates the northern Pantanal.
Often overshadowed by the popularity of the mighty Amazon in the north, the Pantanal is the true wild heart of Brazil. At 210,000 square kilometres, it is the biggest tropical wetland in the world.
There are 159 species of mammals, 656 species of birds, 53 species of amphibians and 98 species of reptiles living in the Pantanal. This is the highest concentration of wildlife in South America.
The wetland is home to several threatened species, including the jaguar, the giant anteater, the giant armadillo, the giant otter, and the world’s largest flying parrot – the Hyacinth macaw. It is truly the land of giants.
Geologically, the Pantanal is the remnant of an ancient inland sea. It is essentially a giant basin surrounded by highlands on all sides. Each year, after the torrential rains of the wet season (December to March), the Pantanal floods and becomes largely inaccessible.
The Transpantaneira Highway
The lodge is located 39 km from Poconé, and a visit to Pouso Alegre starts with a drive along the Transpantaneira highway.
No more than a raised dirt road with 122 rickety wooden bridges with missing planks, the Transpantaneira is the only road that cuts through the northern Pantanal, connecting the town of Pocone (103 km from Cuiaba) and the small community of Porto Jofre lying on the bank of the Cuiaba River, known as the jaguar watching mecca of the Pantanal.
The Transpantaneira is more than just a road; it is a wildlife-watching destination in itself. Driving along, we were stunned by the sheer number of caimans and waterbirds congregating in the roadside marshes.
Hundreds of storks, herons and egrets were feasting on the ‘all-you-can-eat’ aquatic buffet exposed by the retreating floodwaters.
Kingfishers darted for fish like bright-coloured arrows, and hawks and kites perched precariously on the skinny branches of roadside bushes. A keen birdwatcher would never make it to the end of this road. The number and diversity of birds along this road are almost overwhelming.
As wild as it is, most of the Pantanal is privately owned by cattle ranchers and small-scale farmers. But the good news is that some of the farms along the Transpantaneira have been converted to eco-lodges. There are at least 14 lodges spread along the 147-kilometre-long highway.
Pouso Alegre Lodge
Unlike the upmarket Pousada Piuval (where we stayed on our last night in the Pantanal), Pouso Allegre Lodge is all about rustic charm. The property is set on 8,000 hectares of savanna grassland with patches of woodland, about 6 km from the Transpantaneira. Part of the land is set aside for a few hundred cattle and horses. The rest is wild Pantanal.
The farm has been owned by the Silva Campos family since the 1920s, and in the 90s, it was converted to an ecolodge. Since then, the family has been planting native trees throughout the property, including the manduvi, a tree with hollows favoured by the Hyacinth macaws for nesting.
The farm is also part of a research project investigating reptiles and amphibians of the Pantanal. We didn’t see any frogs but spotted a couple of reptiles (not counting a few zillion caimans), including a formidable-looking Tegu – a distant relative of Asian and Australian monitor lizards.
Accommodation
The facilities at Pouso Alegre are simple but comfortable with an inviting Pantaneiro ambience. The lodge has 24 rooms (called apartments) with fans, air conditioning, and electric showers. The rooms come with two, three, or four beds. It’s pretty basic living but cozy and comfortable. You can check the availability of different room types for your dates here.
Food
The restaurant is a lovely farmhouse space with yellow and orange-painted walls, blue tablecloths and polished wood ceilings.
The food at Pouso Alegre was the highlight of our entire Brazil trip. The buffet was always brimming with home-cooked traditional pantaneiro dishes like Arroz Boiadeiro or Pantaneiro cowboy rice, pasta, salads, meat, fish, fruit and desserts. Food is incredibly varied and plentiful in Pantanal lodges, but at Pouso Alegre, it is the yummiest.
Our Experience at Pouso Alegre Lodge
We arrived at the lodge in the late afternoon and, after a quick rest, headed out to explore the property and its wild inhabitants. Driving through the woods, we spotted our first Hyacinth macaws, Black howler monkeys, cheeky Tufted capuchins, and Toco toucans.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, we arrived at a small pond and watched a South American (or Brazilian) tapir cautiously step out of the woods and wade into the pond for a long, unhurried drink.
Waking up With Birds of the Pantanal
The following morning, we woke up before dawn to the deafening chorus of Chachalacas’ squawking calls. By 5.30 am, we were making our way along one of the walking trails into what appeared to be a bird heaven.
Minutes away from the lodge, we found ourselves in the company of the colourful Toco toucans and Chestnut-eared aracaris, long-legged Rheas and tiny hummingbirds.
I personally have a soft spot for parrots, and in just one morning, we saw six different species, including Hyacinth macaws, Blue-fronted parrots, Monk parakeets, Scally-headed parrots, Peach-headed parakeets, and Yellow-chevroned parakeets. It was incredible to witness just how many ways of being a parrot Nature has up her sleeve.
As the sun inched its way above the horizon, we walked to a patch of wetland and watched the mist rise off the water, bathed in the warm glow of the morning light. The forest around us was a hive of activity with parrots’ squeaks and screeches punctuated by Pygmy owls’ hoots.
In the marshes, Black-capped herons, Green Ibis, and Rufescent tiger-herons were feasting on fish and other aquatic vertebrates. A lone Muscovy duck perched on a branch that seemed entirely too high for a plump bird with webbed feet. While a Yellow-headed vulture soared watchfully above it all.
To our utmost respect, Julinho spotted a Great potoo half a time zone away. These birds make a living of pretending to be tree branches, so spotting them is a worthy test of skill and determination.
Wildlife Dramas at the Tapir Pond
In the afternoon, we found a film crew from Terra la Gente – South America’s news channel, set up by the tapir pond. Together, we watched the animals emerge from the surrounding forest for an evening drink.
First, a Red brocket deer cautiously stepped out into the open. Then, a couple of Aracaris swooped in from the treetops.
A loud racket in the trees announced the arrival of the Brown capuchins, and soon, one of them wandered over to the water’s edge, walking upright on its back legs like a furry mini-human.
On the other side of the pond, a very shy Azara’s agouti browsed in the reeds while a giant Jabiru stalk strutted about collecting material for its nest and carrying it in its oversized beak.
A pair of Crab-eating foxes came trotting in across the open savanna and caused a sudden commotion at the pond. Birds squawked and screeched, suddenly taking off, the deer darted for cover. But the foxes barely stayed long enough to get a quick drink and continued on their way.
More birds arrived as the last rays of the sun were drifting away: a Ringed kingfisher, an Undulated tinamou, and a Crested Oropendola.
Once the darkness fell, the tapir came out for his evening drink, and it wasn’t our only tapir of the night. On the drive back, we came across a mum and her young browsing in the roadside bushes. They were so close that we didn’t dare shine the light directly on them, not wanting to disturb the family.
The last mammal we encountered on the drive was a Crab-eating raccoon who gave us a quick cursory glance before scurrying off into the undergrowth.
Back at the lodge, we spent some time stargazing. I knew the night sky in the Pantanal was going to be magnificent, so I packed a tripod. Through the camera mounted at eye level, the Milky Way twinkled at us with billions of stars.
Breakfast with Pantanal Birds
On our second morning at Pouso Alegre Lodge, instead of going for a walk, we stayed at the lodge for the bird-feeding extravaganza. Each morning, the staff at Pouso Alegre cut up a couple of papayas for the birds and leave them in a patch of twisting vines that make for very attractive perches.
Within minutes, several Toco toucans and Chestnut-eared aracaris swooped in to partake in the offering, delicately picking soft papaya flesh with their enormous, hard beaks.
Watching the birds struggle to push clumps of seeds stuck to the tips of their enormous beaks down into their throats was like attending the finals of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
Below the toucans, a pair of huge Bare-faced Curassows were helping themselves to the bits of fruit that fell to the ground. With the addition of Hyacinth macaws nesting in the trees above us, we were surrounded by some of the largest and most colourful birds in the Pantanal.
Final Thoughts on Pouso Alegre Lodge
Pouso Alegre Lodge is a perfect example of a sustainable ecotourism business. It is locally owned and operated, providing employment opportunities to the local community.
Being an active cattle ranch means that Pouso Alegre does not rely solely on the ecolodge for income. This enables the family to run a small-scale, sustainable business. In all our time at Pouso Alegre, we only saw other people at meal times and around the accommodation area. On the trails and safari drives, we were blissfully alone. Great for us and game-changing for the animals.
The lodge is also actively involved in conservation and protects a large swath of wildlife habitat from development.
Ultimately, the incredible wildlife-watching opportunities presented in Pouso Alegre Lodge proved to be some of the most memorable experiences of our Pantanal trip.
For the true twitchers, here’s the list of bird species we observed at Pouso Alegre Lodge without spending too much time actually “twitching”.
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