The following is information provided to the explorers following the pre-visit by Damien Allen and Dayn Wilkins.

Sao Paulo
Airport has internet café, Pizza Hut, Banco Brasil and Bureau de Change (no sterling only US$).
City Centre best avoided if possible - particularly at night! The hotel we stayed on the way out was a short taxi ride from the airport (it is 28km to centre of SP). Monaco Centre Hotel, tel. (11) 64689600, Pca Tereza Cristina, 41 CEP: 07110-090 Guarulhos - SP - Brasil. www.hoteis-monaco.com.br/ email: monaco@sti.com.br
Price: R$120 per night for twin room.. Very good room and restaurant . Best breakfast we had the whole trip.
Flight to Cuiaba goes via Campo Grande and from here it flies north over the Pantanal.

Cuiaba
Fairly small airport in Varzea Grande (no money changing facilities or banks). For money and cash we went to City Centre. Banco Brasil (in LP guide) has ATMs which accept Visa (but not dependable) and opposite is a HSBC bank which also accepts Midland/Nat West and any card with Cirrus. On arrival at airport you will be greeted by a number of guides looking for business. One we met was Joel Souza (in LP Guide - also has Guest House). Who urged us to hire a car with driver as Vila Bela was in a dangerous location with drug smugglers etc (a business generation tactic - totally unfounded). Others were Sueni Judy and Laercia Sa (who we liked (contact details 0055-65 682-0101 www.faunatour.com.br R$65 for a day's tour to Panatanal inc. accommodation and food).

The most helpful individual we encountered was a young Varig member of staff at desk Sergio Augusto Ramos Dos Santos who was extremely helpful in organising the return of our luggage - speaks good English.

There are a number of car hire stands in the airport but cheaper ones exist about 100m in front and to right of Airport approach. We hired a Fiat Palio (similar to Punto) with air conditioning for R$600 inc fully comp insurance, no mileage charge and tax. The guy was called Pedro Francisco da Silva, Le Mans Rent a Car, Av. Gov. Ponce de Arrunda, 980 Varzea Grande Tel: (65) 682 2821. Email: le-mans@zaz.com.br.

Continuing on for about 50m brings you to Hotel Aueroporto where we stayed for R$45 per night per twin room inc. breakfast (with air-conditioning and an outdoor swimming pool - bargain!). Before we left Cuiaba we went to large supermarket (Modelo - v.popular in Portugal) which was situated in front of Airport approach and to left around a corner about 100m.

Buses
The girl in the tourist office in Cuiaba was extremely helpful (Praca de Rebuplica) we were able to use the internet from computer in her office and it was she who gave us the information/maps etc. She comes from Vila Bela and gave us the guides to Matto Grosso and Vila Bela. A useful website to visit is www.tourismo.mt.gov.br The bus leaves from main bus station in city centre (unsure whether it stops near airport). The tel no. was 621-3220. They leave every day for Pontes e Lacerda at 6.30am. The journey takes 8 hours and costs R$34.50. You need to change at Pontes e Lacerda from where a connecting bus leaves at 13.00 and 15.00 hours. I presume the bus stops at Caceres as on the way back one was outside the Hotel we were staying.

Caceres
Road from Cuiaba to Caceres is tarmaced but very pot-holed - journey through Cerrado took about 3 hours, little traffic with large lorries being the main problem. We stayed in the Hotel Capri (see LP) which was less than commodious but adequate. There are plenty of shops, cafes around the Praca and along the Rio Paraguay. On Rua Cel. Jose Dulce are the Banks (Banco Brasil - no Visa) and HSBC - cirrus - swipe to gain 24 access). Continuing along for 2 blocks brings you to an internet Café Terra which is open weekdays from 10.00am and costs R$10 per half hour.

Journey from Caceres to Pontes e Lacerda takes about as long (3.5 hours) and involves passing through a Police checkpoint about 10km from Caceres - where exit stamps obtained for Bolivia. On the way back the queue in the opposite direction was lengthy but we suffered no problems on the way out. On LHS is the Panatanal which then recedes to Cerrado with long chain of forest-covered ridges on RHS. Few places to pass through, some roadside cafes (we stopped at one on the way back - excellent buffet style meals where you pay by weight of plate!). Be very careful of the 'Lombardos or speed humps which are viscous if not negotiated slowly. The quality of the road all the way is excellent. Good website to visit: www.caceres.com.br

Pontes e Lacerda
PL is a large town and again contains all of the same as is available at Caceres. On the way back we stopped here for fuel and to wash the car and have a meal. The route from town leads to the Serra Santa Barbara. The road continues to be tarmaced for about 20km until you rise up to a pass between the hills. There are Indian settlements nearby to the road as well as plenty of evidence of cattle ranching and cowboys. As you go down from the gap. You can see a vast plain and to the right the prow of the Serra Ricardo Franco Hills emerging from the flat plain at a distance of about 50km. About another km and the road changes to a dirt road (graded red soil). At the time this was being re-graded for about 30kms which slowed our progress in the Fiat due to pot-holes and ridges and would have been impassable in the wet. At this rate it took us about 2.5 hours to cover the 80km to Vila Bela. In a bus with good ground clearance this should be half as long. About 10km from VB is a small hamlet and as approach there is a cross roads (near air-strip) with turning to left into town.

Vila Bela
We continued straight ahead to the Hotel Bela Vila (tel: 014 (65) 259-1084/1189) which was opposite the Petrol Station and a splendid restaurant which does very good Pizza, next to a tyre repair hut and near the Prison. Other Hotels are Hotel Guapore (Tel: 014 (65) 259 1030) and Hotel Cascata (014 (65) 259-1154). We stayed in the Hotel Bela Vila, which was R$40 per twin per night with breakfast and air-conditioning). A rough map of the Centre of the town is also attached.

Again there are small supermarkets and a Banco Brasil (no ATMs which accept Visa). Most things that are necessary re. food and hardware can be bought in the town. There are no obvious bus services out of Vila Bela other than to Pontes e Lacerda. Transport to Rio Verde source would be best negotiated locally via Badu and probably best for 4WD pickup or similar although we were able to get to the road end via Fiat once off Route 199 then you need 4WD. The SRF Ecological Reserve is signposted at various places and Badu is probably the best person to talk to re. further details.

The guides we used were part of the OPTIVIBE organisation and we paid R$200 for 3 people for 2 days. Badu confirms the trip over SRF is about 5/6 days. Beyond that he felt about 20 days by canoe (seems an over-estimate - he may have meant by foot?).

'Kanga' was the Secretary in charge of Tourism and seemed important. The Assistant Secretara of Agriculture was the guy who accompanied us on the first trip to the jungle he spoke increasingly good English and his name was Benedito Evangelista Sunatano (nickname - 'Beni'). Beni's wife was a nurse at the Hospital.