点评:My husband and I were incredibly lucky to spend time in the Pantanal on a tour with Henrique, and it was an experience we will never forget.
From the moment we booked, we were impressed by the excellent communication. It can sometimes feel a little daunting arranging an expensive trip with a company based outside the UK, but we really didn’t need to worry. Everything was straightforward, including transferring the money for the trip, and we were kept informed throughout.
Henrique’s knowledge of the jaguars of the Pantanal is second to none. What really sets him apart is that we weren’t simply following the other boats from one jaguar sighting to the next. His understanding of the individual animals and their behaviour meant that he was often able to anticipate what a jaguar might do next, giving us some incredibly special and unique encounters.
Even when we did arrive at a busy sighting, Henrique somehow managed to get us into an excellent position for photography, helped enormously by our boat driver, Cezar, whose boat-handling skills were superb. Of course, wildlife sightings always involve an element of luck, but knowing where to be, when to move and being able to anticipate behaviour makes such a difference — and this is something Henrique does exceptionally well.
Many of our jaguar sightings were either completely on our own or with only one or two other boats, which made them feel particularly special. In total, we were incredibly lucky to see 25 different individual jaguars, as well as witnessing some fascinating behaviour at very close range.
And it certainly wasn’t all about jaguars. Henrique was constantly looking for the other incredible wildlife the Pantanal has to offer, and we saw an amazing variety of birds, including Toco Toucans, Hyacinth Macaws and Aracaris. We also saw Giant Otters, Capybara, Caiman, Tapir and snakes, including a Yellow Anaconda. We were even incredibly fortunate to see a rare Jaguarundi just minutes into our trip.
Henrique is hugely passionate about the jaguars and the Pantanal, and that passion is infectious. I honestly don’t think I was prepared for just how much we would see and experience — or how many fantastic photographs I would come home with.
The trip is based at a flotel, which is fairly basic, but it is clean and comfortable, with Wi-Fi, air conditioning and very good food. For us, the real advantage was its location. Being already out on the river meant that our wildlife experience started immediately, without having to spend time travelling from a lodge outside the area. It also meant we could get out on the river before many of the other boats arrived and stay out after they had left, giving us much more time with the wildlife.
Henrique also arranged a couple of days at a lodge at either end of the trip, which I would definitely recommend. This gave us the opportunity to experience a different side of the Pantanal and see some species we wouldn’t have encountered from the river. We stayed at Pousada Puival and Aymara Lodge and were fortunate enough to see an incredible number bird species, Giant Anteaters, Capuchin Monkeys, Howler Monkeys, Coatis, Armadillos, Crab-eating Foxes and even the very elusive Tayra.
If you are considering a trip to the Pantanal, I would definitely recommend Henrique and his team. Their knowledge, passion and ability to find and anticipate wildlife made our trip truly special. We came home with incredible memories, some very special wildlife encounters and photographs that we will treasure for years to come.
翻译:我和丈夫非常幸运,能在亨里克带领下游览潘塔纳尔湿地。这段经历我们终生难忘。
从预订之初,我们就对他们出色的沟通服务印象深刻。与一家总部不在英国的旅行社安排一次价格不菲的旅行,有时会让人有些忐忑不安,但我们完全不必担心。整个流程十分顺畅,包括旅费支付在内,而且全程都有专人向我们及时通报进展。亨里克对潘塔纳尔地区美洲豹的了解无人能及。真正让他脱颖而出的地方在于:我们并非只是跟着其他船只,从一个看到美洲豹的地点赶到另一个地点。他对每只美洲豹及其行为习性的深入了解,使他常常能够预判出这些美洲豹接下来的行动,从而让我们获得了许多极为特别且独一无二的观察体验。
即便当我们确实抵达了一个有不少人围观的观测点……亨利克设法让我们处于极佳的摄影位置,这离不开我们的船夫塞萨尔的鼎力协助——他的驾船技术堪称一流。当然,要见到野生动物始终需要一点运气,但清楚该去哪里、何时行动,并且能够预判动物的行为,这些都能起到决定性作用——而这一点正是亨利克做得极为出色的地方。
我们多次观察到美洲豹的踪迹,那些时候要么只有我们一艘船,要么也就只有一两艘其他船只相伴而已。这让他们感觉自己格外特别。总的来说,我们极其幸运地见到了25只不同的美洲豹,还近距离观察到了它们的一些有趣行为。
当然,此行并不仅仅是为了看美洲豹。亨里克一直在寻觅潘塔纳尔湿地中其他珍稀的野生动物,我们也见识到了种类繁多的鸟类,比如巨嘴鸟、蓝紫金刚鹦鹉以及各种啄木鸟。此外,我们还看到了巨水獭、水豚、凯门鳄、貘以及各种蛇类。我们甚至有幸在行程开始仅几分钟后就看到了稀有的 Jaguarundi。
Henrique对美洲豹和潘塔纳尔沼泽区充满热情,这种热情极具感染力。说实话,我完全没料到我们会看到和体验到这么多事物——也没想到能拍下这么多精彩的照片带回家。
这次旅行的住宿地点是一艘浮动旅馆船,设施相当简易,但干净舒适,配有无线网络、空调,食物也相当美味。对我们来说,真正的优势在于它的地理位置。由于直接位于河上,我们立刻就能欣赏到野生动物,而无需从河外的旅馆出发再花费时间赶路。这也意味着我们能在其他船只抵达之前就上船,并在它们离开后继续留在河上,从而拥有更多与野生动物亲密接触的时间。
亨里克还安排了在行程首尾各入住一晚旅馆的事宜,我绝对推荐这一安排。这让我们有机会领略潘塔纳尔湿地的另一面,也看到了一些从河上无法见到的物种。我们下榻于普伊瓦尔旅舍和艾马拉小屋,很幸运地目睹了众多鸟类、大食蚁兽、卷尾猴、吼猴、coatis、犰狳、食蟹狐,甚至还有极为罕见的泰拉兽。
如果您正考虑前往潘塔纳尔湿地旅行,我绝对推荐恩里克和他的团队。他们知识渊博、这份对野生动物的热情以及敏锐的观察力,让我们的旅程变得无比特别。我们带着难忘的回忆回家,还有那些难得一遇的与野生动物的邂逅,以及今后多年都会珍藏的珍贵照片。