Várzea Grande–Marechal Rondon International Airport — Cuiabá, Brazil

Across the Cuiabá River from the Mato Grosso state capital, Várzea Grande hosts the airport named for Marshal Cândido Rondon, the explorer and advocate for indigenous peoples' protection who helped map much of Brazil's interior in the early twentieth century. The field functions as the principal air gateway to the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, drawing wildlife tourists hoping to spot jaguars, caimans, and enormous concentrations of birdlife across the seasonally flooded grasslands to the south. Cuiabá itself ranks among Brazil's hottest state capitals, with punishing midday heat for much of the year, and the airport's traffic mixes agribusiness travelers serving the region's vast soybean and cattle operations with backpackers and researchers headed for eco-lodges. Runway operations occasionally contend with smoke drifting from seasonal grassland fires during the dry months. Domestic connections link Cuiabá to São Paulo, Brasília, and other major Brazilian hubs, reflecting the city's growing importance as an agricultural export center.