Safari to Alta Floresta

an extremely critical area for conservation

The Alta Floresta area lies to the southeast of the main Amazon Basin, around 850 km (530 miles) from the Amazon River at Manaus.

This region lies very much on the frontier between rainforest and farmland and is therefore hugely important from a conservation perspective.

A high proportion of the land in this state has already been cleared for soya cultivation and cattle ranching.

Most areas of rainforest that do remain are contained within a patchwork of state and private reserves, which are attempting to stand in the way of the advance of agriculture.

The fact that the forests here are so far from the Amazon River does not mean that they are in any way inferior. In fact some of the trees are absolutely enormous, the rivers are as pretty as any on the continent and there is a very diverse range of animal and plant life.

In fact some of the reserves in this area offer far higher levels of protection to the larger conservation areas further north, since they do not contain indigenous people and hunting is not permitted. This means that the animals tend to be more relaxed and the wildlife viewing tends to be rather more productive.

The area is usually considered to be an add-on to Pantanal, enabling guests to get a feel for the Amazon without having to commit to the full river cruise experience.

The best time to visit Alta Flores is generally considered to be during the Jun-Oct dry season.

There is a common misconception that, because the Amazon is classified as having a tropical rainforest climate, conditions are constant year round. This is most definitely not the case, the seasons here are very strongly defined.

Getting there

The area is reached by scheduled flights into Alta Floresta Airport (AFL), with regular connections from Cuiaba Airport (CBG), which lies 650 km (405 miles) to the south and is the main point of access for the northern side of Pantanal (with which it is usually combined).

Cuiaba Airport (CBG) is generally accessed via Sao Paulo Airport (GRU) or Rio de Janeiro Airport (SDU).

Where to stay

The Alta Floresta area contains just two accommodation options…

Cristalino Lodge is a polished operation, which offers unusually elegant and comfortable accommodation on a private rainforest reserve.

SouthWild Rio Juruena Lodge is a much simpler property, which is definitely more focused on delivering serious wildlife experiences than polished hospitality. It is particularly renowned for its unusually reliable harpy eagle sightings.

connected by air to Pantanal via the airport at Cuiaba