We visited this lodge during trip to Brasil in 2007 and still it is one of most memorable spots in world I've ever been and cerainly will go back there some day. Location of place is unbeatable if you are seeking for pure nature, far away from civilisation and still having good comfort level. Owners and guides/workers are wonderful and knowledgable, wildlife like macaws, otters, caymans, lots of birds, etc, are guaranteed to see. And all time you've feeling that you are in natural ranch, not something specially built for tourists. Food is home made and very tasty (even if made from ingrediants that I usually dont like) and atmosphere is awesome...we were lucky to be there at Easter and experience celebrations...it is almost not explainable and you just have to be there! Highly recommended to go there, you will not regret!

I went there with my husband last year, in September for only 3 nights and I am already planning to return. We took the 4x4 to get there and it was a nice ride, even though it was long. The place is stunning. We went fishing, canoeing and horse riding and - the highlight of our stay - had a bbq in the middle of nowhere at night! The guide, Carol, was a super helpful and friendly. It was just a few of us there, some were scientists, researchers which made the stay and the conversations during the fabulous meals even better...plenty, plenty of wildlife...in a nutshell...you can't miss it! I wouldn't consider going anywhere else at Pantanal.

We stayed 5 nights with our sons aged 8 and 9 years old. It was a wonderful experience. The farm is huge (15000 hectares) and the owners keep it as naturally as possible. Because of its location next to the Rio Negro, the biodiversity is stunning; we saw giant otters almost daily(with cubs taking their first swimming lessons), giant anteaters (they have a good population), neotropical otters, 4 species of macaws, howler monkeys, burrowing owls next to the farm, loads of the common capybara and caiman. The host are exceptionally kind people and they have young children themselves. Most of the time they also guide guests around the farm on whatever you like: canoe, boat, walks, horses, car safaris....The food is excellent and the accomodation very comfortable. By far the best Pantanal lodge we experienced (and we spent almost 2 months during 3 different trips in the Pantanal). We will be back for sure. If your kids are into wildlife it is the place to visit.

We stayed here as part of our 2 month round-the-world honeymoon, and this was one of our absolute highlights. When we are asked by friends to name just one experience out of the many we had over the course of those 9 weeks, we both say 'Barranco Alto'. We chose to arrive by land (a 6 hour drive in a 4x4 on a pot-holed road - so quite an experience, but giving you an absolute sense of how remote the Pantanal is, whilst learning a lot about the wildlife you will be exposed to over the coming days along the way from the driver and guide) (we would highly recommend driving one way and flying the other, to get the full experience both on and above the ground).

The Fazenda Barranco Alto (translates to High Riverbank) is just so alive! It's like an orchestra of wonderful sounds both day and night, each bird and animal so distinctive. It's so difficult to put into words all that we observed and absorbed over the 3 days we were there, and learned from our fantastically cool guide, Carol, and super-interesting, chilled-yet-highly-hospitable owners Lucas and Marina. Each morning and afternoon the 2 of us were taken on various adventures around their 11,000 hectare farmland to witness the wonders of the Pantanal up close, on and off the water. It is these guys who bring so much energy to the Pantanal that make it so special for us. As one of the other guests (only ever 8 in total, split into 4 different groups for activities for the day) said, life can be divided into two: Before Barranco Alto (BBA) and After Barranco Alto (ABA).

Just to give you an idea of what Marina and Luis offer: we experience a 5-hour canoe trip, starting at dawn on the Rio Negro on our last morning before flying out. We shared this with a couple of giant otters who briefly made their way onto the beach, followed by a cayman who took a liking the canoe and its paddle. Macaws and parakeets of all colours, shapes and sizes flying overhead, including the endangered hyacinth macaws; giant otters barking at us in the water as we paddled by, while their family members made sounds like Chewbacca in one of their riverside homes; capybara surveying the river and giving the odd bark (like a dog with a sore throat!) when they felt our presence; cayman quietly chilling next to our canoe as we ate our breakfast, picnic-style (and wrapped up in fleeces!) on the beach.

The Pantanal is full to bursting with beautiful bird life too, with Amazonian Kingfishers in abundance; shy Spoonbills the colour of Flamingoes fishing in the lakes; giant Storks with 3m wing spans; Toucans flying high overhead, whilst Rias (flightless, like Ostriches) wandering about around the farmland below.

We were given the opportunity to try our hand at fishing... for piranahs, which we then fed to the cayman, giving plenty of chances to take some fantastic up-close photos. Luis is an accomplished wildlife photographer and knows exactly how to approach a bird or an animal on land or water to ensure you are able to take excellent shots. It is a paradise for wildlife photographers - and with a host who is as interested in photography as they are in the wildlife around them.

We think our absolute highlight was on our last evening, driving along through the jungle-like forestation, when suddenly in a clearing we saw not one, but two Giant Anteater. We were lucky enough to spend 40 minutes up close to them (they could smell us, but didn't seem bothered by our presence), and take enough photos to later identify them in the PhD student's research who is tracking anteater behaviour.
Each evening you will be driven to a remote corner of their land, watching an incredible sunset of purples and reds, with a chilled beer in hand, whilst each mealtime (caipirinhas, beer and soft drinks, as well as plentiful, homemade delicious food all included in the price) and this lunchtime (with another cool beer and yet more delicious food) you have the chance to talk over with the other guests, the guides, Marina and Lucas all the amazing wildlife you have seen, the animal sounds and behaviours, and the whole experience they created for us.

Note that this is not luxury accomodation - rooms are spotlessly clean but basic - but it does not pretend to be anything else; it is about the outdoors, delicious, hearty food, great and interesting people (both owners/guides and guests), and a wildlife experience never to be forgotten.

We left, both very moved by the whole three days, taking off from their tiny airstrip in a 4-seater plane, flying at just 170m, above Stork's nests and herds of Pantanal cattle.

Incomparable.