Although the Pantanal is one of the most sought after destinations here at Viare, I confess that until a few months ago, I had never heard about the Serra do Amolar, an imposing mountain range, which extends 80 kilometers in the middle of the largest flooded plain in the world.

I heard about this hidden spot in the Pantanal a few months ago, when our dear partner from Campo Grande, Impacto Ecoturismo, invited us to experience a new river cruise through the Paraguay River to the Serra do Amolar mountains, aboard the amazing Commodore boat hotel.

The experience was essentially a recipe for an incredible trip! Besides the incredible landscapes, add a very fun itinerary filled with learning, top notch service, and an excellent all inclusive system and there you have it – yet another one for the books! In this post, I’ll ll tell you all about my experience, and why you should consider it for your trip to Brazil!

First Stop: Corumbá

The river cruise starts in Corumbá, located in the interior of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, near the Bolivian border. You can get to the city by flying from Campinas with Azul airlines, on specific days of the week, or you can fly to Campo Grande, which has more daily flight options. From Campo Grande, you can hire a transfer, rent a car or catch the bus to Corumbá. In any case, the it is recommended you arrive to the city one day before the activities begin. 

For the majority of travelers, Corumbá is known only as an ecotourism destination in the Pantanal, and few people actually explore the city, which I learned  is quite a shame. Corumbá has such a rich history (did you know the city was the “stage” of the Paraguayan War?), and an amazing cuisine, with a lot of Bolivian influence.

I arrived in Corumbá on a Thursday afternoon and gathered with the other travel agents who were invited by Impacto Turismo at the airport. Luis, the excited local guide who accompanied us throughout the trip, was already waiting for us, and from there we went to the hotel. After a short break, we left at the end of the afternoon for our first activity in the city: Drinks at the Viva Bella restaurant, a restaurant that has an amazing view of the Paraguay river. There, as the sun was setting and the view became even more spectacular, we toasted to the start of our trip with a cold beer (that tasted even better than usual, because of the intense heat of the Pantanal!).

The next stop was one of the highlights of the trip: The tasting menu the the Dolce Café. 

A small site note: I went on this trip, expecting amazing views and lots of animal sightings, but I must confess, I did not have high expectations in regards to the food. Today,I can honestly tell  you this trip was one of the most pleasantly surprising trips food-wise. I was even impressed with the all inclusive board, which I am usually opposed to, because everything we ate during the cruise was delicious (I’ll talk more about that soon!).

Anyway, back to the Dolce Café: There we had the opportunity to prove ten traditional dishes from the Pantaneira region. The most interesting part was, before each dish served, the owner of the restaurant told us a story about, or the history of the dish, which made the meal even more special.

The most anticipated dishes of the night were the ones prepared with alligator meat, a novelty to most at the table. We had alligator ceviche with passion fruit and alligator “loin”, with a crispy farofa (a roasted manioc side dish), and as some had already mentioned to me, although considered exotic, I found the alligator meat to be very similar to chicken – I really enjoyed it!

But, for me, the highlight of the night was the Bolivian inspired dishes, especially the Pique a Lo Macho, which is beef cut into small cubes, and chips, mixed with bell peppers, hard boiled eggs, onion, pepper, mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup. It is a mix that first looks a bit random and odd, but actually makes for a very tasty dish (After this meal, my desire to visit Bolivia grew even more).

On the following day, we woke up early to prepare for a very different tour in Corumbá. Accompanied by an actor and a violinist, we visited some of the main spots of the city in a mixture of city tour and theater, which made the day all the more compelling. After a few hours, we had gotten to see all the main attractions in the city, like the Museum/House of Dr. Gabi, which rescues the memory of the glory days of Corumbá, and the Republican Square, the stage of the Resumption of Corumbá, an important battle of the Paraguayan War.

The final stop on the city tour was one of the places that most captivated me on the entire trip: The Instituto Moinho Cultural There, at risk youth from the region(including Bolivian youth from right across the border), have the opportunity to practice ballet and take classical music classes, learn computer science, have support for their schoolwork – all at no cost to them or their families, and with highly qualified instructors.

We had the chance to watch some of these classes for a couple of minutes and I found the work they do with children and young adults amazing. Many of the students even leave the school to then perform and participate in contests throughout Brazil and all over the world. It’s a place that is full of art and culture, and transforms the lives of several children from the region beautifully . Certainly, a mandatory stop on a trip to Corumbá.

After visiting the Moinho Project, we made our way to the city’s port, to start the most anticipated part of the journey: boarding the ship to cruise to the Serra do Amolar.

The Comodoro Boat Hotel

When we think about a cruise, we imagine those huge ships with hundreds of cabins, thousands of people, casinos and huge parties, right?

I confess this idea of this sort of cruise is not my cup of tea at all (and against what I believe in regards to sustainable tourism!). That being said, I was charmed to see this boat was far from the cruise image that I had in my mind.

With only 15 cabins and a capacity for up to 30 passengers, the Comodoro is one of the main boats owned by Joicetur, the company that operated this excursion. The boat is beautiful, comfortable and spotless. The cabins are not big, but are far from being one of those claustrophobic rooms I expected from a cruise. 

On the contrary, when you are here you even forget that you are cruising. The common areas are really spacious as well: there is a main restaurant, TV area, game room, gym, bar and a pool on deck.

Since few people work on the boat, the service becomes much more personal and exclusive. What hospitality! The crew (about 20 people between guides, chefs, assistants and captains) was extremely attentive, helpful and professional, doing everything in their reach to make the trip amazing for everyone. I would consider this a luxury experience, but with no frills,and all the modesty and affection you will find amongst the pantaneiro people. In summary, this crew could certainly teach a thing or two to some others on hospitality.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, the food was certainly what elated me the most on this trip. The abundance, variety and high quality of all the meals was really impressive – the opposite of what I expected of “cruise food”. In terms of cuisine, I can’t remember another trip that compares with this delicious experience in the Pantanal!

Sailing on the Paraguay River to the Serra do Amolar mountains

Joicetur’s boats have 2 itineraries: The “Land” tour, which is more focused on the wildlife in the Pantanal more traditional activities in the region, such as safaris and horseback riding tours; and the “River”experience, a 3 night cruise that explores the region of Serra do Amolar. 

And even though this itinerary was not focused on animal observation, we still had the opportunity to spot several species. Capivaras (a giant rodent native to South America), and alligators are probably the most popular residents of the Pantanal, and you can easily see them during the tours. Some other fauna are not so easy to spot, such as the anaconda (that I really wanted to see, despite being terrified of snakes!) and ariranhas, who are actually a bit scary  (Look at the teeth on her!).

I wished I could have seen a jaguar, the star of the Pantanal, and one of the most incredible mammals in the world -But alas we weren’t lucky enough. It wasn’t even the right time or region to see them. We did, however, have the opportunity to listen to really cool stories the tour guides told us about their encounters with these fascinating animals.

For all activities, we would leave the Comodoro and embark on smaller motorized boats, which fit up to 4 passengers, plus a  pilot. This way, we could spot the animals from very close, and get to areas that the ship couldn’t. 

The part of the itinerary we most looked forward to was, to reach the Serra do Amolar. On the second day of cruising, when we woke up early to watch the sunrise, we could already  see from afar, a part of the mountain range. Later, after breakfast, we embarked on our smaller boats to get closer and the feeling is indescribable. It really is a magical place, and the landscape is breathtaking!  

Another spectacular part of the trip was when we  swam in crystal clear water in the middle of nowhere: The only humans in sight, were those in our group! The most incredible part is that even away from the Comodoro, the perks didn’t stop. We were in the middle of nowhere, but the boats were fully equipped with cold beer and snacks! (It’s important to note all the rubbish is collected’, and taken to the Comodoro). 

On the penultimate day, we had lunch at a riverine community in the region, which welcomed our group, and together with the boat crew, prepared a traditional Pantanal barbecue for us. It was a great moment to interact with the local community members, an excellent opportunity to get to know a little bit more of the culture in the Pantanal, and, once again, eat a wonderful meal! 

What else do we need for a successful trip?

I’m not going to go into (even more) detail in this post and describe all the activities in the itinerary, because I believe we should leave some of it for you to experience on your own – a certain element of surprise. What I will do is recommend this trip to all who wish to have a different experience in nature, and explore a little bit of this yet to be fully adventured region of Brazil – all whilst feeling like you’re on a comfortable and safe excursion.

It’s an indescribable feeling to cruise through these rivers in the Pantanal, see all these amazing landscapes, observe the beautiful starry nights,and have the opportunity of meeting other travelers from Brazil and all over the world, sharing with them, all these special memories! 

Important things to note:

This itinerary is only done from November to February and spaces are limited. So it’s important to plan ahead.

– Even though the boat offers comfort and excellent services by Joicetur, it’s important to remember this is an ecotourism itinerary, and is recommended for those who really enjoy being in nature.

– Depending on your budget  and availability, it’s possible to match this itinerary with other Pantanal lodges, and make your experience even more complete!

Would you like to know more about this or other Pantanal excursions? Feel free to contact us! We will be happy to help 🙂