Pantanal (by Laura)

Our trip to the Pantanal didn't start well. After delays to our flight, we touched down in Campo Grande, one of the gateways to this huge wetland in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, at 2.30am. Our tour company didn't show up to meet us and we eventually slumped into bed at 4am.

So we were far from relishing the thought of 4 days camping, with 6am starts promised every morning.

Of course, there was a happy ending.

The Pantanal covers a vast area of 230,000 sq km between Cuiabá and Campo Grande in Brazil, stretching over the borders into Bolivia and Paraguay. It boasts an incredible array of wildlife, but is perhaps most popularly visited for its birdlife, whose numbers and extraordinary colours become evident as soon as you get close to the region.

Our tour took us into the southern Pantanal, where we spent four days exploring on foot, by boat and on horseback, led by our guide, Sandro (see left, navigating us on a jaguar-spotting trip along the river at sunset).

We also had an eventful morning fishing for piranha, assured that they only attack in wet season or if you have an open cut. Apparently the only thing we needed to worry about were the giant otters (aggressive and considered to be the most dangerous animal in the Pantanal); so you can imagine our delight when, thigh deep in piranha-infested water, and with juicy bits of bloody beef hanging from our fishing rods, a family baying otters appeared a few yards away.

Looking alarmingly wide-eyed himself, Sandro told us to move ´Quickly, quietly and without panicking´ to the side of the swamp - fat chance, I was already heading for home.

In the evenings, since there was no electricity in the camp, we would either sit round the campfire, gaze at the truly incredible stars or snooze in hammocks. All pretty idyllic.

It's easy to get complacent about the animals and birds all around you. As soon as we arrived in the camp, we were informed by one old-timer (who was 2 days in) that 'Caimans are like pigeons around here!'

Anyhow, some of the photos speak for themselves. Dusty, dirty and flea-infested, we emerged after our 4 days, smiling and all fingers and toes in tact. So a happy ending.

Laura