Aymara Lodge

superb guiding on a small reserve

Aymara Lodge sits within its own 216-hectare reserve on the Transpantaneira, built into dry forest rather than the open or semi-open country that most lodges on this road occupy. It is a noticeably cooler area, with the forest keeping temperatures down through the middle of the day.

Unlike several Transpantaneira properties that began life as cattle ranches, Aymara was built from the ground up as a wildlife lodge. It is owned by Lisa Canavarros and Giuliano Bernardon, who took over the property in 2019. Giuliano has worked as a professional guide since 1998, specialising in birdwatching and photography, and is co-author of a Pantanal bird field guide. On our visit that background showed through: guiding is taken seriously here, and the layout keeps activity and comfort areas separate and considered.

Main areas are open-sided with mosquito netting and air conditioning, looking out over forest and a seasonal river, a pleasant place to sit out the heat of the day. The pool sits apart from the dining and lounge areas. Aymara is not fenced, unlike Araras further down the road.

Rooms

Rooms here are good and functional rather than luxurious: simple, clean, and well maintained, each with a private patio and hammock and good natural light.

• Suite : x18 : air-conditioned, with private bathroom, patio and hammock

Activities

The forest setting shapes the activity programme here more than at any other Transpantaneira lodge.

• Vehicle safari in the reserve, the Transpantaneira and a neighboring farm
• Night safari
• Motorboat safari
• Canoe safari on the property’s river, water levels permitting
• Walking safari

The reserve is modest in size which can affect the safari experiance, and its river narrows enough by the dry season to often limit motorboat safari to short, scenic stretches rather than a full activity and stop canoe outings altogether.