Compare Pantanal Jaguar Safari by Want Expeditions vs Brazil (South): See & Experience it ALL in 13 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours by Charlie The Traveler

Day 1: Arrival/Cuiabá

Accommodation: Four star city hotel

Our fascinating Pantanal Jaguar Safari starts in Cuiabá, the largest city in northern Pantanal. Plan on arriving before 13:00 today, in order to enjoy lunch at a lovely restaurant just across from the airport. From here well head to a little known tract of forest, located just outside the city, that provides the best opportunity to see black-tailed marmosets playing inches away from us. After a short time here, we will head into downtown Cuiaba and check-in to our hotel then enjoy some time to refresh and rejuvinate before gathering at 19:00 in the hotel lobby for our official Welcome Dinner and Orientation. Welcome Orientation and welcome dinner

Day 2: Pantanal

Accommodation: Rustic ranch-style family accommodation with private facilities

After a leisurly breakfast, we will start out on the famous Transpantaneira Road and drive about 40 km, reaching our first lodge late afternoon. After a quick check-in and refreshment, we take off on foot to explore the immediate surroundings of the accommodation, which lies in the middle of a huge (11,000 ha) ranch. This fascinating place offers an incredible diversity of habitats (flooded fields of native grass, four types of forests, dry pastures and temporary and permanent waterways), and of course, the richness of habitats supports an amazing mixture of wildlife. We will not have enough time to explore all of this during a short afternoon walk, but we will have our first chance of meeting the majestic Hyacinth Macaws and many other endangered species that call this area home. After our walk, we take our well-deserved showers and gather on the patio and enjoy the night sounds and visitors.

Day 3: Pantanal

Accommodation: Rustic ranch-style family accommodation with private facilities

Our entire day is dedicated to exploring the diversity of habitats of this unique property and to try and meet, observe, and photograph as many fascinating species of birds, mammals and other wildlife as possible. As usual, we will be up by the rising sun and will be on the walking trails after a delicious local breakfast. We hope to see several caimans, capybaras, at least two primate species, deer, possibly anaconda, and of course, a multitude of fascinating birds this morning. Once the midday sun climbs too high on the skies, we will return to the lodge for a great lunch and a short siesta, just to recharge for the afternoon walk that will take us to the Capao das Araras trail. We hope to be able to approach and photograph several pairs of nesting Hyacinth Macaws on this afternoon walk, but there will be toucans, parrots, cardinals, caracaras, jabiru storks and many other wildlife spieces, to enhance the experience. The evening will entertain us with a great shower and a delicious traditional dinner, but our day of explorations will not be over by then! We are getting onto a safari truck and head into the night, in search of tapirs, as well as giant anteaters and tamanduas.

Day 4: Pantanal

Accommodation: Rustic ranch-style family accommodation with private facilities

Our avid photographers will be up with the rising sun today, capturing great images right around the lodge, and joining the rest of the group for breakfast afterwards. We have an amazing horseback safari scheduled for this morning, but those of us preferring to stay on firm grounds, are welcome to continue their exploration, with the help of our local guides. The horseback trail will take us through shallow flooded grasslands, elevated dry forests and open farmland, in search of species that are more likely to be seen in this part of the huge property. Once the midday heat forces us to return to the lodge, we will enjoy a nice lunch and siesta again. For the rest of the afternoon, we will be able to choose from half a dozen great trails we haven’t been on before, so we will leave this decision for the last minute, to maximize our chances of seeing great species we have possibly missed before. Whichever way we go, we will return to the lodge for dinner and will retire early, to save energy for all those days of exploration that are still ahead of us.

Day 5: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

After an early morning photography session and a traditional breakfast, we check out and get on our open safari truck, to enjoy a short (one hour) ride on Transpantaneira. Once checked in at our new accommodation, we take off immediately and start exploring the surrounding virgin forest and possibly take a boat trip on the River Novo. After the short excursion, we will enjoy lunch and siesta, then continue our wildlife safari this afternoon on foot through a highland forest,in search wildlife we have not encountered on our voyage so far, particularly Black and Gold Howler Monkeys. Dinner will be back at the lodge, then we head out again for a night game drive, in search of the elusive tapir and other nocturnal animals.

Day 6: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

This morning, like all others, starts before sunrise. Today we have a treat in store, as we will head to an observation tower to watch the sunrise and catch diurinal animals waking up, and nocturnal animals heading to bed. From here its a short hike back to our lodge for breakfast. From here we head out of the Rio Novo for a canoe safari. This is an excellent chance for us to experience the forest in a very natural and quiet way. We will see several waterbirds, and with a little luck, mammals along the river's edges. We will be back to the lodge for lunch, and our traditional siesta to beat the heat. Then we will set off again on foot to explore the surrounding forests in search of crab eating fox, crab eating raccoons, pacas and tons of coatis!

Day 7: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

We are gathering with great excitement around the breakfast table today, because this morning we are heading to the river that can provide us with the highest possibility in the world for spotting a wild Jaguar! To maximize our chances, to maximize the time spent on the river, we will depart as early as 7 in the morning, and have our lunch at the PWC as early as 11 am. Once our dietary requirements are satisfied, we get back on our vehicle and drive another 2.5 hours. Once reaching our river, we board the small outboard boats that are waiting for us, and start our first jaguar river safari immediately. Our destination is the Meeting-of-the Rivers National Park, about 20 km upriver from here, but we will be in no rush getting there – we will spend the entire afternoon searching the river banks, looking for those jaguars that own this territory and love sunbathing on the forest edges. And, of course, we will keep our eyes open for the magnificent giant river otters (they are truly huge!), black skimmers and many other interesting wildlife, as well. As the sun is about to disappear below the horizon, we return to our hotel and quickly occupy our rooms, and gather for a delicious dinner. We shall retire soon afterwards, in order to save enough energy for the coming days.

Day 8: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

This morning we wake up surrounded by 2 million hectares of undisturbed Jaguar habitat in the Central Pantanal. Excitement grows as we are trying to complete breakfast as soon possible, so that we can board our smaller boats, decide which river to cruise in the morning, and take off right afterwards. We are intending to spend at least 5 hours on the river this morning, searching for jaguars, giant otters, Brazilian tapir, black-and-gold howler monkeys, yellow anacondas, brown capuchin monkeys, black skimmers, hyacinth and red-and-green macaws, capybaras, caimans and many other species of mega-fauna. We will only return to our accommodation for a quick lunch and a short siesta, before we get back on the water again and choose yet another direction in search of magnificent animals. Our group will use boats that maximize our chances of seeing a jaguar - the sighting will be shared with all other boats then, through the radio. Only the disappearing daylight will force us to go home, but by then we might not mind the promise of a great shower and a delicious dinner.

Day 9: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

After a morning river safari in search of jaguars, we'll head to a local fishing camp, where the owner has been crafting a wildlife sanctuary with hundreds of animals including tapirs, agoutis, capybaras, caracars, storks, macaws, and more visit throughout the day on his property. We'll enjoy lunch here and spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the grounds, and enjoying the opportunity to observe these animals in a very natural setting, but up close and personal. Then as even draws, we'll head back to our boat, and cruise down, still searching for jaguars, until we reach our accommodation.

Day 10: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

This morning is our last chance to see the majestic jaguars and all the other wildlife this area has to offer. We will be finishing breakfast by the time the sun rises, and soon after we take off for our last river safari. This morning trip will last for about 5-6 hrs and will end back on board with a quick lunch and check in. After lunch, we drive back to the place where we have originally reached the river three days ago. We get on our transfer vehicles and drive for two hours, before we reach our accommodation and have a wonderful, well-deserved, traditional dinner. The PWC is our last destination on this voyage, yet not any less exciting than the previous ones, as that Jaguars and their evidence are regularly seen around the lodge. This lodge is located on the Pixaim River, which is actually an ox-bow lake, and has resident giant river otter groups on its property, but also, and more excitingly, neo-tropical river otters. The other very exciting wildlife opportunity here is the fishing hawks. For the last couple of years, the Pantanerios have trained a few of the wild Black Collared hawks to fish, just meters from our eyes, for piranaha. This is by far something that the dedicated photographers can spend hours doing!

Day 11: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

Today we'll be up well before sunrise and will be done with our first coffee and some simple biscuits by six am, so that we can board a small boat on the Pixaim River, in search of the elusive giant otter families that live here. These majestic, 30kg, nearly two meter long giants are an absolute joy to watch. We will hear them interact through high-pitched hums and squeals, see them hunt together like a pack of wolves, and watch them snorting loudly, should we allow the boat to get too close to them. After this fascinating morning outing, we will return to the lodge for a proper breakfast and spend a few hours on our own, before lunch will be served and siesta will commence. For the afternoon activity, we will have the chance to choose between a hike, a horse riding tour, or another boat tour on the river, using special, flat boats equipped with temporary blinds for wildlife photography. Whichever way we decide to go, we will all meet at the dinner table, share our experiences, and prepare for one last full day in this wildlife paradise on Earth.

Day 12: Pantanal

Accommodation: Ranch-style lodge with private facilities

This morning we have another chance to design our own daily itinerary. All those activities (horse riding, photography excursions, hikes, game drives) will be offered and available, so we will all be able to choose whatever we feel like doing today. As usual, we will meet for lunch and we might even decide to enjoy a long siesta all afternoon, yet will surely be together around the dinner table, since it is our last night in the Pantanal. It is time to recap, to celebrate and to share the experience with each other one more time. But despite the festive atmosphere, we should retire early, in order to be able to get up early the following day and catch our planes from Cuiabá.

Day 13: Transfer to Cuiabá/Departure

Like all of our other mornings on this trip, an early wake up today is no exception. From our hotel we will head back to Cuiaba to catch our flights onward. Once we reach the airport, our fantastic Pantanal Jaguar Safari will come to its end, we hope you are richer with lots of outstanding memories and thousands of photographs. Have a safe flight home!

Day 1: The Ecotourism Capital of Brazil

Our tour begins in Bonito, enjoyed especially by those who seek outdoor activities. This town is Brazil’s ecotourism hub. The surrounding area is known for its caves and for crystal-clear rivers. If visiting during the wet season (December through March), we make a daytrip to a waterfall called Boca da Onca. There we go swimming and hiking on a full-day guided tour. During the times of the year when the waterfall has dried up, we replace Boca da Onca with a trip to a river called Rio da Prata. It is only a 30-minute drive away from Bonito. There we are provided with snorkeling gear as we swim in some of the clearest waters on Earth. The large fish which are abundant in this river make this tour even that much more special. Regardless whether we end up going to the waterfall or to the river, lunch is included on today’s tour.

Note that if you cannot get to Sao Paulo in time to make the connecting flight to Bonito, then we will take you to a hotel and you will officially start this 13-day tour the following morning.

Day 2: River Water Clearer Than Air & Fragile Caves

This morning starts with a daytrip from Bonito to a natural monument called Gruta do Lago Azul. There we are provided with a guided walking tour. It holds two caves with interesting but fragile calcareous formations. Gruta do Lago Azul has been listed as a protected area since 1978. The second half of the day is spent at a place called Segunda do Nascente Rio Sucuri. There we go snorkeling along the river for a significant amount of time. Rio Sucuri is unarguably Brazil’s clearest river.

Day 3: The World's Largest Tropical Wetland Area

Today we make a daytrip from Bonito to the world's largest tropical wetland area. It is called Pantanal Matogrossense National Park. Pantanal is also home to the world's largest flooded grasslands. Along with exploring the area by boat, we go on a 4x4 safari. Animals commonly spotted are jaguars, lowland tapirs, giant anteaters, deer, caimans, black howler monkeys and southern tamanduas. Lunch is included on today’s tour.

Day 4: Gigantic Waterfalls Splitting 2 Countries

Today we relocate by flight from Bonito to the city of Foz do Iguaçu. Its waterfalls, called Iguazu Falls, literally separate Brazil from its neighbor Argentina. The falls are shared by the Iguazu National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil). The two parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1987, respectively. What's more, Iguazu is the largest waterfall system in the world. Although the falls are indeed the main draw, the city itself carries its own weight. More specifically, Foz features great nightlife in the downtown area: bands, drinks and people who have a God-given talent to dance so passionately.

Day 5: An Aerial View of the Falls, the Devil’s Throat & Confronting the Falls by Boat

Today we make a daytrip to the Argentinean side of the falls. Upon arrival, we take a tourist train to the ‘Devil’s Throat’ circuit. There we are provided with a guided tour of both the upper and lower circuits. We later get wet as we take a boat out to some of the falls. We save the best for last. The day ends with a helicopter ride over the falls.

Day 6: An Animal Kingdom & a Rainbow Stretching Across the Falls

Before relocating by flight to the city of Florianopolis, we explore the Iguazu area some more. The morning starts with a guided visit to the Brazilian side of the falls. Hopefully we see the rainbow which stretches across the falls. In the afternoon, we head to a natural bird park called Parque Das Aves. Creatures commonly seen there include jaguars, butterflies, raccoons, monkeys, coral snakes, toucans, parrots and yellow-breasted caimans.

Day 7: Lagoons, Latin Flare, European Influence & Great Nightlife

Home to fancy resorts, charming hotels, beach clubs and a lively nightlife scene (specifically at Conceição Lagoon), it should come as no surprise that Santa Catarina is South Brazil’s most visited island. Using its capital Florianopolis as our base, today we cover Campeche Central Beach, Armação Beach, the bridge walk to the island of Ilha das Campanhas, Matadeiro Beach, Peri Lagoon, Caldeirão Beach, Morro das Pedras viewpoint, a historic village called Ribeirão da Ilha, a channel called Barra da Lagoa and the adjacent beach, Prainha Beach, Praia Mole Beach, Belvedere Beach, Conceição Lagoon, Joaquina Beach, sand dunes called Dunas of Joaquina and a viewpoint near Conceição Lagoon.

Day 8: Glimmering Beaches, Beach Clubs & Historic Villages

Today we cover the other half of Santa Catarina Island: Canasjure Beach, 2 beaches and beach clubs in the town of Jurerê, Praia do Forte Beach, São José da Ponta Grossa Fortress, Cacupé Beach, a historic village called Santo Antônio de Lisboa and downtown Florianopolis (street art, the cathedral, a palace called Cruz e Sousa and the public market).

Day 9: A Colonial Gem of a Town

This morning we relocate by flight from Florianopolis to the city of Belo Horizonte. From the airport, we are taken to the colonial town of Mariana. There we are provided with a guided tour. Mariana is the oldest town in the state of Minas Gerais. It was founded on July 16, 1696. Mariana retains the characteristics of a baroque town, with its churches, historic buildings and museums. After our tour, we are taken to the colonial town of Ouro Preto. This is where we sleep this evening.

Day 10: Picturesque Architecture & Cobblestone Streets

Before returning to Belo Horizonte so we can fly out to the city of Rio de Janeiro, we explore Ouro Preto in depth with our tour guide. This former colony owes to the riches that were once extracted from below it. Now a focal point of arts and education, Ouro Preto was once an important center for mining and government. Fortunately, its history has left it with attractive baroque buildings and lasting ambiance. Although this steep town’s sites are a bit spread out and are otherwise church-centric (23 churches to be exact), there’s something to be said about Ouro Preto being one of Brazil’s most visited urban destinations. The narrow and stone-paved streets generally and the spectacular panorama views of fine architecture especially are enough reasons to come here. Ouro Preto is one of the most authentic Portuguese town settlements in not only the state of Minas Gerais but in all of Brazil.

Day 11: The Fashionable Hotspot Where People Style & Profile

As a daytrip from Rio de Janeiro, firstly we are taken to a beach town called Cabo Frio. There we see the beaches of Praia do Forte, Praia das Conchas and Praia do Peró. We later head to the beach town of Arraial do Cabo. The first stop is a beach called Praia dos Anjos. There we are taken by foot to a lookout point. The views from there are spectacular. Next, we are taken on a boat which visits the beaches of Praia do Forno, Pontal do Atalaia and Praia Grande. Before heading to our final destination for today, a resort town called Buzios, a stop is made along the road so we can get a good view of a beach called Prainha. Upon arrival in Buzios, we are provided with both a driving and walking tour of the area. The shops and restaurants are indeed the highlights. Buzios is the place in Brazil to ‘see and be seen’, with its fashionable scene and good-looking people. We return to Rio de Janeiro in the late evening.

Day 12: The So-Called 'Green Coastline'

As a daytrip from Rio de Janeiro, we are taken along Costa Verde (meaning the ‘Green Coast’). The beaches and islands along the way are quite exotic. Today’s highlights are the islands surrounding a municipality called Angra dos Reis and an island called Ilha Grande. Lunch, a boat ride and snorkeling are included on today’s tour.

Day 13: Our Tour Ends in South America's Most Famous City

Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Rio de Janeiro.

If you have the extra time, we strongly recommend you stick around. If you really want to cover all of the highlights in Rio de Janeiro, then you will need about 6.5 days. However, few people have that sort of time. Upon request, we can provide you with a guided sightseeing tour, for as many days as you wish. We can also provide you with a spectacular paragliding tour over the city. Ask us for details.

Rio de Janeiro is undoubtedly Brazil’s showcase destination…and rightfully so. Called the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city), Rio de Janeiro is renowned for its spectacular mountainous setting, stunning scenery, a tropical rainforest, exotic white-sand beaches complimented by clear waters, water sports activities, plenty of fascinating colonial architecture, chic and carefree people, festive music and an almost overwhelming nightlife scene. Spend your mornings sightseeing, afternoons tanning and evenings partying in the Lapa district, where street bands are performing to locals who love to sing and celebrate seemingly as no other culture can. As a famous song goes, Rio is a city ‘where music and passion are always in fashion’.