Indian Chief Travel Guides

The Pantanal: An Overview

The Pantanal is one of Brazil’s, if not the world’s, most spectacular regions. This long flood plain covers about 140,000 square miles, extending between two rivers in the Paraguay River Basin.

Formed by the remains of an ancient in-land sea called Xaraes, the Pantanal is the bottom of a bowl with mountains on all sides. When it rains, the water runs down the mountains onto the Pantanal and forms the Paraguay River.

The Pantanal has been declared a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.