Pantanal, Brazil

The world's largest wetland covers 81,081 square miles and is located in the heart of South America (210,000 sq km). The majority of the population lives in Brazil, specifically in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. These open marshes are home to an incredible variety of life; if you want to see animals in their natural habitat, the Pantanal is a must-see.

There are few people and no towns in the Pantanal. Because the distances are so great and ground transportation is so limited, people travel by small planes and motorboats; car travel is limited by the seasons.

The Pantanal can be entered from either the north, where the Transpantaneira runs deep into the region or the south, where Estrada Parque cuts through the wetlands. The long-planned road across the Pantanal has long been postponed due to concerns about the general absurdity of having a road that is underwater for half the year.