After the Maratona de Cuiabá: The Pantanal

The Route: Cuiabá → Pantanal lodge → Cuiabá → Cuiabá Marechal Rondon Airport (CGB) Logistics: Lodge or operator transfer. Journey time and access depend on the season. Marathon Month: December Duration: 3 nights

Cuiabá ──(lodge or operator transfer)──> Pantanal lodge (3 nights) ──(same route back)──> Cuiabá ──(transfer)──> Cuiabá Marechal Rondon Airport (CGB)

The Pantanal is the great wetland south-west of Cuiabá, and the obvious extension for anyone who has flown to Mato Grosso for a marathon. December is a poor month for it. The national park authority, ICMBio, identifies May to September as the period of lower rainfall for visiting, warns of intense heat and mosquitoes from December, and notes that access along the Transpantaneira toward Porto Jofre can become very difficult in the wet season. Do not book a Pantanal stay in December on the strength of a photograph.

December in the Pantanal: hot, humid and wet. Cuiabá itself receives about 193 mm of rain in the month. Roads can deteriorate, some boat and vehicle outings do not run and wildlife viewing differs from the dry months.

A Note on the National Park

The Pantanal Matogrossense National Park is a different place from the private lodges and tour areas that most visitors use. ICMBio says the park has visiting by exceptional authorisation only and no ordinary tourist accommodation inside. A lodge advertising a Pantanal stay is not inside that park.

Questions to Ask Before Paying

Ask the lodge or operator for a written answer to each of these:

Which road or river route will you use in December, and is it open now?
How long does the transfer from Cuiabá take, and where does it start?
What is the luggage limit?
Which activities run in the wet season, and which are cancelled?
What is the cancellation and refund policy if the road is closed?
What emergency arrangements and medical access exist?

If the answers are vague, or the lodge cannot say which road is usable, do not book. A flexible plan is better than a guaranteed disappointment.

Recovery

A three-night stay in a remote lodge can be restful if the transfer is short and the beds are good, and a long, bumpy road the day after a marathon is hard on a stiff back. Ask for a transfer on a later day, not the Monday, if you can. Insect repellent, light long sleeves and a hat matter more than usual.

If the Plan Does Not Work

If you cannot get a convincing wet-season plan, extend your stay around Cuiabá and Chapada dos Guimarães instead. The Chapada dos Guimarães itineraries for this race cover one and two nights, and the park there is about 56 km and an hour from the city.

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