Introduction
The Southern Pantanal is an ideal tailor-made travel destination, with a wide choice of accommodation and wildlife-based activities for travellers. Some choose to camp on an organised tour, others decide to stay at a local fazenda, or ranch house - many of which can be accessed via the Estrada Parque dirt road. This ‘highway' through the Southern Pantanal connects Campo Grande, the state capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, and Corumbá, a pretty colonial town on the Rio Paraguai close to the Brazil-Bolivia border.
The tiny cattle ranching town of Miranda is an increasingly popular base for exploring the Southern Pantanal, with a good choice of fazenda accommodation close by. One of these, the Fazenda San Francisco, is known as a superb location for sighting Brazil's wild cats, in particular the jaguar, as well as plentiful birds. Staying on a fazenda is, for many, a major highlight of a Pantanal holiday - and jeep tours, boat trips, horse riding and other such activities are often included. The town is also noted for its Festa do Homen Pantaneiro, an annual celebration of the cowboy way of life, each November. There are rodeos and lasso competitions, plus live music, dancing and other revelry.
