OCTOBER 1 2007
AMERICANWAY 17
It’sanadventuremost simplydescribedasover theriver
and through the woods— only in reverse. It begins at
Fazenda Santa Sophia, an elegant working cattle farm
and internationally renowned horse ranch in the heart
of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Beatriz
Rondon, a fourth-generation Pantaneira (as the cow-
girls from this region are known) and the grandniece
of legendary Brazilian general Marechal Rondon, is
leadingme onhorseback across the land she has called
home her entire life. Overhead, hyacinth and scarlet
macaws are doing flybys with the regularity of World
War II reconnaissance. Below, the waters that flood
this region yearly have receded, exposing the swampy
ground and, along with it, numerous anacondas that
now spend their days traversing the land to the river’s
edge, a two-hourhorseback rideaway.
We reach the Rio Negro, and from there, another
guide, Ariane Janial, takesme by boat to Fazenda Rio
Negro, a historic farm and luxe guesthouse that sits in
themiddleof oneof themost remarkablepiecesof land
in the entire region, surrounded by stunning brack-
ish lakes —which are a curious oddity in these parts,
considering that thenearest bodyof saltwater is 750or
somiles away. Along the route, there are caimans, tou-
cans,massive jabirustorks (endangeredbirds that serve
as themascot of the region), kingfishersout thewazoo,
and hundreds of other colorful and fascinating bird
species of which the names are still foreign tome. It’s
impossibly green, thoroughly wild, endlessly gorgeous,
and continuouslyunder threat. This is thePantanal.
That many have never heard of it is no surprise,
Preserving
South
America’s
Wetland
It’s one of themost fragile ecosys-
tems on theplanet. It’s home to at
least 15 endangered species.Water
lilies six and ahalf feetwide flo t
on its lakes.No, this is not the
Amazon— it’s thePantanal. And
it’s under threat. ByKevinRaub
