The largest wetland on Earth, The Pantanal, lies in the beating heart of Brazil. This is a land of wild contrast, ruled by a dramatic cycle of drought and deluge. Over 4,700 species of plants and animals are packed into an area the size of Kansas, making this place home to South America’s highest concentration of tropical wildlife.

As the rains cease and the waters recede, the animals become even more concentrated around rivers and waterholes. At the peak of the dry season, when distant rivers are too far to offer comfort and nearby pools have vanished, there is an oasis that stubbornly refuses to disappear. A mysterious place that always offers sanctuary. This is the story of Rebel Lake.

We arrive in the wet season when the rains have only recently departed. The lake is almost indistinguishable from its flooded surroundings. As the dry season arrives, the swampland dries up and Rebel Lake is left as the only beacon of hope in the otherwise arid grassland. Now the animals start to congregate – and we are here to watch it all unfold.