Brazil's Pantanal 'mind-bogglingly superb for wildlife'
Expert recommends Brazilian wetlands for first-time wildlife adventurers
The Pantanal tropical wetland in Brazil has been recommended as an ideal destination for first-time adventure travellers looking for an amazing wildlife experience.
Mark Carwardine, a wildlife expert and author of Ultimate Wildlife Experiences, has been travelling the world for years in search of the best places to see all sorts of flora and fauna.
In an interview with Wanderlust magazine, he was asked to pick one destination that he would advise anyone going on their first wildlife trip to visit.
"It depends what you want to see, of course, and how you want to see it. These days, travel is so easy and there are so many outstanding opportunities for wildlife watching that almost anything is possible," he commented.
"[But] one place that does immediately come to mind, though, is one that tends to get overlooked - the Pantanal, in Brazil, which is mind-bogglingly superb for wildlife watching."
Pantanal is a vast area of wetlands the majority of which is found in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay.
It is a perfect place to see some rare and wonderful wildlife during adventure holidays in South America
The region is thought to be home to thousands of bird, reptile fish and mammalian species, including crowned solitary eagle, the maned wolf, the South American tapir, the giant anteater and numerous jaguars.
Meanwhile, Mr Carwardine revealed that although he has spent about six to eight months every year over the past 30 years travelling to different wildlife spots, there were still many trips he hasn't yet had time to make.
"Despite spending most of my adult life travelling the world in search of wildlife and wild places, I can't claim to have been everywhere. Nowhere near," he told the magazine.
"There are still vast swathes of the planet I have yet to visit and umpteen different animals I have yet to see."
