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Aymara Lodge materialized from a dream of the couple Lisa Canavarros and Giuliano Bernardon that came true.
When they met each other, Giuliano was a guide who used to travel across much of Brazil on expeditions with photographers and birdwatchers. Lisa was a lawyer, with a postgraduate degree abroad who had just returned to Cuiabá, her hometown after some years studying and working in São Paulo.
As time went by, the first child was born, and in 2011 Birding Pantanal was born: an agency specialized in birdwatching trips, wildlife photography, and expeditions to distant places in Brazil – www.birdingpantanal.com. In 2012, Giuliano's first book was published, the photographic guide Aves do Pantanal (Pantanal Birds), and afterward, with the arrival of their second child, they decided to take their alliance beyond marriage: Lisa became his partner and became the manager of the agency.
The couple has always had a clear focus on offering their customers the best possible experience, not only in contact with nature but in all stages of the trip, from the trip to the location to staying at a hotel in the jungle. The many trips around Brazil helped to improve this task, and over the years the dream of having its own resort grew, driven by the love of nature, travel, and the desire to promote unique and remarkable experiences to visitors, with quality and exclusive service.
“During my expeditions with bird watchers, wildlife photographers, and nature lovers, there was a resort that was my favorite place in the Pantanal, not because of the comfort or services offered, but because of the place where it was inserted, where we really experienced the idea of immersion and contact with nature” - explains Giuliano.
All of a sudden, one day they found out that this resort had closed and was abandoned, swallowed by the jungle. Here was the opportunity they had been waiting for, and this hotel was remodeled as the Aymara Lodge! We faced very difficult months of renovation, where many improvements and changes were made to offer the best experience to our future guests: general maintenance was done, then we started the renovation and decoration of the apartments, bar and restaurant, creation of new treks, and adaptation of Safari vehicles, and much more.
The following challenge was to form a team that understood the couple's proposals and ideas: Lisa and Giuliano value the details and complement each other in managing the inn: while he planned the new treks, the safari vehicles, and training programs for guides, Lisa used her feminine side for the organization and administration of the company, whether with the restaurant's menu or giving special attention to comfort and the opportunity to make the lodge's environments enchanting. They managed to set up a place with special, sincere individualized service for guests. Thus, the “Aymara way” of serving was born: warmth and attention to detail, anticipating the needs of guests, to offer them an authentic experience and good memories! With everything ready, Aymara Lodge received its first guests in June 2019, receiving from the beginning extremely positive feedback from its guests.
The coming year would show itself as extremely challenging: not only due to the global crisis caused by the pandemic but also by the fires that ravaged part of the Pantanal. Regarding the pandemic, they quickly adapted to the new security protocols to continue serving guests who found peace and serenity here in a healthy environment, thus managing to keep the entire team employed. When the fires started, Lisa and Giuliano used the fire department, firefighters, and volunteers - who also worked to fight and prevent fires in the region - to protect the hotel in every way. Thanks to this effort, the property was not affected by the fire. and it served as a refuge for the region's wild animals, which find food, water, and peace there.
This couple's vision of taking care of Nature led Aymara lodge to be one of the pioneers in the movement to win the Green Treasure Seal, which invests directly in the preservation of native Amazonian forests, relevant for regulating the climate and rainfall in the Pantanal.
With everything they have already achieved, the list of plans and dreams for the lodge is huge! Many improvements and new features will continue to happen over the next few years. Guests who have returned to Aymara after its opening comment that with each stay they find innovations and improvements. The goal is to continue evolving, improving, and investing with each passing year, following the couple's dream of always offering the best experience possible.
“As we see it, magical moments with nature impact people forever. In order for experiences to be truly magical, all the details are important. We know that as long as we are offering the best, our customers will be satisfied, and customer satisfaction is what leads us.”.
We look forward to receiving you at Aymara Lodge!
Our best regards,
Lisa Canavarros and Giuliano Bernardon