Fazenda Santa Cruz

working cattle dude ranch and cattle drives in pristine preserved region (50% preserved forest) near Bonito an the Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Charming wood house built high above the ground, using wood from the region. The front of it being all wood and glass panels providing great views and lots of close bird watching (macaws, tucanos). The whole house will be reserved to your group during your stay, even if you are by yourself. If you are coming in a couple or by yourself, you will be acomodated in the East Room that has a queen size bed and private bath with tub. If your group is from three to four people you will be also using the North room and your group will share the bathroom. Although currently there is electricity in the ranch, we have decided to preserve the main house running on candles and kerosene lamps, as has always being enhancing the star gazing nights. Hot water from LPG and wood stove; satellite internet connection 24 hours. Beautiful deck provide the comfortable atmosphere desired to relax on your hammock after a long day but not before cooling yourself down in the adjoining small running water tank.

At Santa Cruz you will enjoy great typical Brazilian home cooking served family style and made fresh each day. Our local cook, Cleonice, has extensive training in regional hotels and in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. In the mornings fresh coffee, tropical fruits, orange juice, local milk and cottage cheese, free-range farm eggs, home-baked bread and jams. Meals include fresh veggies from the garden, home-raised beef, lamb and chicken. Evenings begin with caipirinhas and mohitos made with fresh limes and during dinner, Chilean or Argentinean wine is served. We are happy to cater to any special dietary needs. Just give us some time to plan. There is always a corner set with coffee, tea, milk, juices, cakes, cookies and granola.

Santa Cruz is an economically sustainable, ecologically and socially concerned working cattle ranch with seasonal variable capacity from 900 to 1.200 heads. Quarter horses on brazilian saddles are available for the guests to accompany Santa Cruz’s daily work (milking cows, cattle round-ups, checking the cattle, doctoring livestock, mending fences, checking the water and the salt, corral work and cattle drives) or range by themselves on an unlimited basis. We offer open riding instead of nose to tail. You can either catch, groom, and outfit your own horse or have it brought ready to the house. Bird and mammal watching including deer, capybara, tapir and lots of birds from tucanos, blue macaws, red macaws to dozens of smaller species. Visit to native south American Indians reserve to a close experience with their culture. Non-riding activities include hiking, wildlife photography, 4WD trails through fields and forest, cave exploration or just relaxing on a hammock sipping a caipirinha or a mohitos. Your Santa Cruz stay will also be a fantastic opportunity to learn or improve your roping capabilities knowledge, as Alberto Lopes, the ranch manager, and his wife Clara, are renowned regional champions. Guided hikes on the fields or in the forest are available, where you might expect to see even more wildlife as there will not be the sound and smell of the horses approaching. Some of them can be self-guided if preferred. Despite having a quite large cave that can be visited at Santa Cruz, our plans include taking our guests to Bonito/Bodoquena (please, see details bellow at Region Section).

Children are welcome and if above 7 may participate in all activities depending on her/his ability and length of ride. Baby sitting available.

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