Mato Grosso is Brazil’s third most extensive state, bordering Bolivia on the west and covering an area equivalent to Venezuela.

With its northern territory taken up by the Amazon region, it also has enormous flatlands and plateaus.

Mato Grosso’s lands belonged to Spain during the Treaty of Tordesilhas. Heavily disputed among the Spanish, Portuguese, and Bandeirantes from São Paulo, they played a significant role in the 18th-century Gold Rush. During this period, the Portuguese government designated the area a captaincy and later became a fully-fledged Brazilian state.

The state’s cultural identity is based on integration between indigenous peoples, Africans, and European migrants who came to Mato Grosso from other parts of Brazil. The architectural heritage is important in places such as the capital, Cuiabá, and other old cities like Cáceres, Poconé, and Diamantino, where cultural centres and museums can be found.

Ecotourists have lots to explore. The Araguaia River is significant for its fauna and great for fishing. In addition to exotic animals, indigenous villages, caverns, and waterfalls, one of the region’s biggest attractions is the Island of Bananal, on the border between Mato Grosso and Tocantins.

The Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, a conservation area, features varied scenery, from large, open, primarily grassy fields to cerradão, where one will see more giant trees.

Without a doubt, the most famous place in Mato Grosso is the Pantanal. A UNESCO World Heritage item, it is the largest floodplain in the world and the safest and best place for wildlife in South America. It has a huge diversity of ecosystems, from the Amazon rainforest to the Caatinga, the Cerrado, the Atlantic bush, and the Chaco Boliviano.

The cycles between dry and wet seasons make the Pantanal’s landscape a constantly changing spectacle – one of the most beautiful on Earth.