Estancia Fortín Patria

Lazy afternoon on the Rio Negro at Fortin Patria Reserve, with view of Bolivian Otuquis National Reserve in the background.

Fortin Patria Lodge front view

Estancia Fortin Patria is a private reserve situated on the shores of the Rio Negro in the Paraguayan Pantanal. It neighbors with Bolivia’s Otuquis Tucavaca and Brazil’s Nabileque National Park

The Pantanal is home to the largest concentration of wildlife in South America. It is home to 665 bird species, to over 30 migratory birds that summer in North America, 265 fish species, 95 mammals and over 1700 species of flowering plants. It is one of the worlds richest ecosystems.

The Pantanal is a vast wetland that covers the flood plain of the River Paraguay. Due to torrential rains for six months of the year, this plain becomes an inland sea. In the dry season, when the water recedes it becomes a huge savannah.
Estancia Fortin Patria conforms to pantanal/wetland on the east and hardwood forest in the drier west.
The Lodge, on the shores of the Rio Negro is raised on a wooden deck surrounded by palm trees. It sleeps sixteen guests in charmingly decorated rooms with ceiling fans and fully equiped bathrooms.

There is a swimming pool on this deck with comfortable chairs and lazy fans to keep you cool from th midday sun.

An elevated path from the house will take you over the pantanal to the open Rio Negro River. You may spot on the 600 meter walk, river otters, caymans or boa constrictor sunning itself after a good meal.

On the ground floor there is an air conditioned social area with a bar and dinning room. Our chef is always busy preparing delicious meals. All our vegetables are home grown.

In the winter months the fire place is often lit as it can be quite cool in the evenings.
A satellite phone is available for those who can’t bear to be away from it all.

The day at Fortin Patria is spent fishing, bird watching and or exploring this very remote and virgin territory where the jaguar, marsh deer, huge herds of wild pecaries, capibaras, the giant sweet water otter and alligator live.

Arriving and departures are made from our 1500 meter airstrip, at a walking distance from the lodge.

View of the lodge during the flood season

Back view from the lodge into the dense palm forest

BAHIA NEGRA

Forty five minutes down river from the reserve is the town of Bahia Negra, the northenmost outpost in Paraguay.
There is a naval base in the town, a few small shops and the Chamacoco Indigenous Community a mile down the road at Puerto Diana. A New Tribes Mission has lived with this community for the past thirty years. You will find excellent carvings and basket weaving made by the natives.

In the town of Bahia Negra we have built a Montessori kindergarden for the locals and the Chamacoco community, giving over sixty children a headstart for school with a environmental orientation.