Our summer vacation to the Patanal, Bonito, and Paraty
If you've been following me for a while, you know that at the heart of my husband's and my connection is travel. Well before we met, we were venturing abroad, seeking some piece of ourselves that didn't yet feel whole. Now that we have a family, we work to inspire this sense of adventure and wonderment in them, and we've been blessed with some amazing adventures over the last few years, including travels to the Olympic Peninsula, Morocco and Greece.
This summer we set our gaze towards colorful Brazil, where exotic wildlife, glistening beaches, and crystalline springs felt provide a variety of family-friendly activities. Plus, I'm studying Portuguese, so this was a perfect opportunity to put it into practice.
Part 1 | The Patanal
Our adventures started in the Patanal, a vast region of grasslands, forests, and rivers, where macaws, jaguars, and capybaras roam freely amongst the cattle farmers who reside here. Many of the fazendas of the region, including our lodging at Pousada Pequi, maintain an authentic experience to preserve the history of the region. After evening safaris and fishing for piranha, we enjoyed food grown and caught right at the farm.
A highlight was spotting the Tamanduá Bandeira (giant anteater) on our jeep safari at dusk.
Parte 2 | Bonito
From the Pantanal, we made our way to another beautiful region of Mato Grosso do Sul, Bonito and were greeted by ethereal waterfalls, aquamarine rivers, and subterranean caves. Many of my images and videos from this part of the trip, I took with my iPhone with a waterproof satchel, but this one below takes the cake from our hike at Estancia Mimosa.
Part 3 | Paraty
I had no intentions of traveling all the way to Brazil and missing the beach. Twenty years ago, I visited a little colonial town, Paraty, and vowed to one day return. We found an amazing AirBnb complete with a housekeeper-cook and a boat captain, who took us on several tours to nearby islands and beaches. Our favorites: Praia Vermelha and Saco de Mamanguá. If you venture to Paraty and the surrounding areas, do not miss a meal at Banana da Terra and an afternoon shopping and strolling the streets of this beautiful little city.
