Natural Brazil wildlife holiday, tailor made

Planet

As an in depth specialist tour operator to Brazil, we take a considered approach to the social, environmental and economic impacts of the holidays we design. Our approach goes beyond charitable donations and is based on developing long-term working relationships with local guides, wildlife lodges, hotels and other suppliers. Where possible, we work with locally based hoteliers, guesthouse owners, guides, drivers and other tourism professionals with experience and training in their respective fields. In this itinerary, we have selected several hotels and lodges whose documented practices align with this approach:

Pousada do Parque, Chapada dos Guimarães, was constructed using salvaged wood and pre-cut logs. The property operates an effluent treatment plant and uses solar-heated water for guest showers. It is located within a 500-hectare private reserve with trails through the surrounding natural area, providing access to the reserve for nature and birdwatching activities.

Cristalino Lodge is located within the Cristalino Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN), an area of approximately 11,399 hectares of protected forest. The reserve provides habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species. The lodge has introduced a number of measures relating to energy and resource use. During daylight hours, the lodge uses electricity generated by photovoltaic solar panels, with battery storage providing electricity at night. Wastewater from sinks and showers is treated through an organic treatment system, while the buildings use large screened windows to make use of natural light. Bed linen and towels are changed according to the lodge's housekeeping policy rather than automatically every day, helping to reduce associated water and energy use. The lodge separates inorganic waste such as plastic, metal, glass and paper for recycling. Guests are provided with reusable aluminium bottles, reducing the need for single-use plastic bottles. The restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients where available, including Brazil nuts, açaí, cocoa, cupuaçu, honey, peach palm and locally sourced fish. Organic food waste is composted.

Aymara Lodge, in the Pantanal, is located within a private nature reserve that provides habitat for a variety of native wildlife. Species recorded in the area include marsh deer, tapir, giant anteater, ocelot, monkeys and capybara, as well as more than 300 species of birds, including jabiru storks, roseate spoonbills, herons, toucans and hyacinth macaws.

People

In Brazil we work with local ground handlers, helping to retain a significant proportion of our operational expenditure within the Brazilian economy and supporting employment, including in more remote regions. By incorporating locally owned hotels, restaurants and the services of local guides and drivers into our itineraries, we aim to keep as much tourism expenditure as possible within the local economy, allowing local businesses and communities to benefit from tourism.

We use local guides in all of our destinations. It is our experience that, with the right approach, local guides' detailed knowledge of their destinations makes them particularly well placed to guide our tours, while their local connections enable them to share their knowledge of the communities and places we visit. We also see employing local guides as a way of creating opportunities for people to build careers in their own communities rather than having to move elsewhere to find work.

Since 1999, the Cristalino Ecological Foundation (CEF) has undertaken projects in the Cristalino region covering environmental education, human development, local economic opportunities, environmental impact reduction and scientific research. Based in Alta Floresta in northern Mato Grosso, the foundation focuses many of its projects on municipalities in and around Cristalino State Park.