Our drive along the Transpantaneira, an endless stretch of dirt road with suspicious wooden bridges, brings us to Porto Joffre North Pantanal. This beautiful lodge with pristine cottages sits between a river, a tributary of the Amazon, and a vast water lily pond that would impress Monet. The grounds are popping with colorful birds: hyacinth macaws feeding on palm nuts, tiny yellow birds, hopping in the grass. I go to cool off in the pool and a Jabiru stork stands at the edge as though gazing at his elegant reflection. This will be the first time I’ve shared a pool with a stork! The hotel manager directs us to a tree where a porcupine is sleeping nestled in a branch, not a common sight even here in the Pantanal. At the pond, a pair of capybaras bathe with a brood of five youngsters resembling guinea pigs.

Victoria amazonica giant water lilies

Victoria amazonica giant water lily                             Brazilian porcupine