Photography

I operate on the basis of taking 20 photos and having 4 or 5 good ones at the end of the day. I used a 3.2MB Olympus camera with a 10 times optical zoom. The Olympus took good photos butterflies and insects which stayed still long enough but lacked a bit for good photos of birds and animals at a distance. Photography is not really my strong point but here is what I learnt.

A 10 time optical zoom camera is about the minimum needed for the Pantanal. A more powerful zoom will be necessary for photos of small birds or animals at a distance.

Accommodation in Brazil

Where to stay is one of the biggest decisions travellers need to make and the price you pay is always a trade off between demand and location. Do not expect to get a Rio beachfront apartment cheaply.

General Visa Issues

Tourists are meant be in possession of their passports at all times in Brazil. That said almost no one carries their passport with them for every waking moment and police don't stop you in the street randomly checking passports. In many situations (going out at night, sitting on a beach) you don't want to carry your passport. The best tip is to colour photocopy your passport (and visa or tourist card) and carry a copy of them in your wallet. It doesn't matter if they get lost or stolen and you still have identification should you need it.

Volunteering in Brazil

Searching the web for volunteer programs in Brazil produces a lot of results but many of the programs involve the payment of not a not so insignificant sum of money in order to participate. People generally volunteer to make a difference, not to make someone else a profit.