Pousada Araras Pantanal Eco Lodge

OMG!!! This beautiful, tranquil ecolodge is not 5 star luxurious, but what it offers is far, far better than that. Truly one of the best travel experiences of my life. First of all - the lodge itself: simple, clean, great food, charming and helpful staff, a quiet, beautiful pool surrounded by wildlife some of which join you for a bath (the birds). The lodge itself has been arranged in such a way that it attracts all the nature that surrounds it. And there is an astounding amount of that. The many nature experiences that are offered by the lodge just keep adding to the astounding things that you will see here. If you choose to further your stay with them to include a trip to Porto Joffrey and the river, and the jaguars - this was truly an experience of a lifetime. Don't come this far and miss it. I must say something about the wonderful guide that accompanied us for 5 days through the Pantanal - Bruno. We were blessed to have him as our guide. Bruno, who comes from a local town, was one of the best guides we've ever had. His love and knowledge of this area was amazing and made our adventure even more special.

We came here after spending 3 nights at Porto da Capivara, where we had seen countless jaguars, river otters and birdlife. So we were a bit spoilt. We were well looked-after at Araras Lodge, but saw little except caiman and capybaras. The viewing activities seem to be predicated on the animals coming to visit the lodge, and the animals didn't keep their end of the bargain. Come here for the ambience, relaxation and activities, if you like, but if you want wildlife then keep travelling a few more hours.

Araras Lodge was lovely. The staff and guides were wonderful, informative, knowledgeable and extremely well organised. My guide Juan was so passionate and enthusiastic about the wildlife and natural habitat it was infectious. The surroundings are very natural, lots of Capybras nestled among the Caiman for safety by the waters an abundance of birdlife and other natural beauties. Carlos on reception was also extremely helpful and friendly. All in all a wonderful place to spend time amongst nature.

We weren't due to stay at this lodge but wild fires in The Pantanal meant that this is where we were sent. Lucky us! This lodge was amazing! Simple clean rooms, a good bathroom with large shower and the aircon worked well. The lodge is visited by 1000s of birds. The bird songs and colours were astounding. We saw capuchin monkeys, a tapir, caiman, coati and capybara. We also went on the boat trip to spot "the elusive jaguar". Elusive?? We saw 6 !!! The food at the lodge is very good. After 7 nights in hotels, we were a bit fed up with restaurant food so home cooked buffet with plenty of choice was very welcome indeed. Well done, Chef. The guides were all very knowledgable and friendly.

We saw so many animals that I don’t know which pictures to choose. I recommend getting up early and getting out there before sunrise- the smaller viewing platform is easily accessible without a guide. Take a nap in the afternoon, just like the wildlife does, so you can do both the night drive and an early morning walk.

We (2 couples) stayed at Araras Ecolodge for 4 days and 3 nights as part of an Eco Adventures Travel tour. Araras Ecolodge is amazing! The rooms are comfortable and showers are hot with good water pressure. The food is awesome. There is a nice sized swimming pool with chairs and even a swim-up bar. The meals we had were buffet style with multiple choices of meat and fish and many different vegetables and fruits. Compliments to the chef cook! There are capybara's and caimans on the property as well as horses and cows. "Mimi" is the 12 year old cat who met us on the first night and who likes to visit throughout the day. A highlight for us as well as other guests were 2 puppies who were from a neighboring farm but stayed during our stay. The staff is professional, polite and kind. Our guide was Jhimy who was excellent. He is very knowledgeable about the wildlife and the birds. This trip is a must for any animal lover or birdwatcher. Some reviews mention the price but we certainly got our money worth. If we ever have the opportunity to come back to this area we will stay at Araras Ecolodge again.