Brazil - The Pantanal: South America's Big Five
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Overview
Highlights
- Explore Northern Pantanal
- Boat trip on the Pixaim River and drive to Porto Jofre
- Jaguar and Giant Otters on the Cuiabá River and tributaries from Porto Jofre
- Enjoy a Boat trip then travel back up the Transpantaneira
- Land-based explorations on nearby Araras for tapir, tamandua, and birds
- Visit Rio Cuiaba surroundings by boat for Jaguar
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- All activities, leaders, transport, park entry fees, accommodations, vehicles, and boat trips as described in the detailed itinerary above.
- Lodging for the nights of August 7 to 21.
- All meals from dinner on August 7 through breakfast on August 22, except dinner on August 15.
- Airport transfers as described from the hotel to the Campo Grande Airport on August 22.
- Bottled water is provided in the vehicles and boats, but not always at meals, depending on the lodge policy.
Itinerary
Accommodation: : Patanal Mato Grosso Hotel
Arrive in São Paulo by early morning on day 2 or on day 1 for an overnight in Sao Paulo. See Flight Information on page 7. Zapa will meet us at the São Paulo Airport to catch our midday flight to fly to Cuiabá. Flying ...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Porto Jofre Pantanal Norte Lodge
This morning, as most mornings, we will eat an early breakfast so we can be on the Pixaim River at first light for our early morning boat trip. Here we will see hero...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation : Hotel Porto Jofre Pantanal Norte Lodge
Here we will have the best chances to spot Jaguar along the Cuiabá River and its tributaries since the Jaguar in this region are protected and each year become more...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Araras Lodge
We'll spend the morning back on the Cuiaba River in hopes of more Jaguar. Then after lunch, make the long drive to Araras Lodge via the Transpantaneira. Once at Araras, look for wonderful bi...
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Fazenda San Francisco
Depending on our flight time to Campo Grande, we should have some great field time this morning before returning to the Cuiaba Airport. Perhaps go early at dawn up the Transpantaneira to an ...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Fazenda San Francisco
We have our best hopes of finding Giant Anteater and Ocelot on game drives and during nightspotting in this area. Even Jaguar, Maned Wolf, and South American Tapir are sometimes enc...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Caiman Lodge
We'll depart from Fazenda San Francisco in time to arrive at Caiman Lodge for lunch. Caiman Lodge, which is "best of the best" of nature lodges in South America, has charming accommodations, ...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation : Hotel Vale Verde
Stay near the lodge to photograph the resident macaws and other photogenic species at dawn, if the light is perfect, or if it's overcast, drive to the river for some action there! Enjoy ...
Meals: Breakfast
we'll transfer to the Campo Grande Airport for your morning or early afternoon flight connections homeward, most likely via São Paulo. Review flight details.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Cheeseman's Ecology Safaris.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Cheeseman's Ecology Safaris Reviews & Ratings
Other Cheeseman's Ecology Safaris Reviews
simply top!
Went with them to Falkland, South Georgia and Antarctica a few years ago- simply top!
They are the best!
Everything! The best expedition leaders, very knowledgeable and experiences staff, who are as excited to be on the trip as you are and are energized by your enjoymen...
Superior experiences
Superior experiences. I've traveled to Antarctica 5 times, 4 with Cheesemans, also to Bhutan, Silver Bank and soon to Palau and Borneo. CES does a superior job of co...
Tour Operator
Come watch wildlife with us! Our distinctive worldwide tours travel to destinations unique for abundant and photogenic mammals, birds and nature. All our trips emphasize maximum time in the field, action-packed wildlife photography, knowledgeable and enthusiastic leadership, small groups, and custom itineraries perfected during more than 35 years of leading tours. We have a non-smoking policy.
How We Started
In 1975 during Doug Cheesemans' summer hiatus as a zoology and ecology college professor, he and naturalist wife, Gail, led their first expedition to the Pacific Ocean waters of Baja. Both had a contagious passion for nature and all living creatures, and they soon found themselves leading incredible safaris each summer to international destinations like Africa, South America, and beyond. Doug and Gail wanted to share their unique experiences and enthusiasm for wildlife with others, so Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris was born in 1980 with a goal of providing a higher standard of wildlife travel. Tours were designed specifically to provide participants with maximum time in the field to experience nature and to inspire travelers with the values of conservation and education.
Catching his parents' passion for wildlife, Ted Cheeseman joined Doug and Gail in leading international wildlife tours in 2000. As a boy, Ted grew-up with the business, often accompanying his parents on their international adventures. His contributions have been extensive as he combines his years of experience in the wild lands of the world and his graduate degree in conservation biology with his technical and computer savvy.
Our Tours and Leaders
We travel only to the richest wildlife areas whether the habitat be savanna, forest, reef, or ocean. Each of our tours is scheduled during the best time of year for viewing wildlife and is organized so participants can experience a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and fish along with their unique behaviors.
Each expedition includes local leaders who reside in the destination area to insure the best wildlife observations and to allow the opportunity to give back to local communities. We also carefully select leaders who are tops in their field to insure that your experience is the best it can be. A complete
Our company philosophy provides you with:
- A focus on watching all wildlife and birds.
- Maximum time in the field. We often leave before breakfast and come back in the early evening, allowing us to travel further to experience more each day.
- The best opputunites for good photography. Being out in the field during the soft morning and evening light, and for the maximum amount of time, allows for fantastic photography.
- A non-smoking policy! All our trips are for non-smokers only.
- Small groups. On rainforest tours the total number of participants is 8 to 12. In africa, group size is 15 to 18 with two to three leaders. In antarctica, our smaller groups allow everyone to go ashore at the same time without concern for timed shifts.
- High leader/participant ratio. On all tours we hire local resident guides who are experts on the native birds and mammals to complement our very knowledgeable tour leaders.
- Quality accommodations.
- A tour that is customized for the best time of year to see the most wildlife. Itineraries are improved every year - we have no repetitious, tired itineraries. We pay attention to your feedback.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- All airfare including international and three internal group flights booked by Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris, airport and departure taxes, and excess baggage fees. Airfare is approximately $1,200 to $1,500 round-trip from the continental US, plus about $365 for three internal flights (estimated January 2015 and subject to change).
- Brazilian visa fee.
- Dinner on August 15.
- Gratuities: tipping is, of course, discretionary, however we suggest budgeting about $15 to $20 per participant per day for August 7 to 22 with our guides (about $225 to $300 total per participant). Please let us know if you would like to pre-pay this with your final payment.
- Emergency medical and evacuation insurance and Trip cancellation insurance. Read more about travel insurance.
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, medical costs or hospitalization, room service, soft drinks, some bottled water, and alcoholic bottled beverages, and items not on the regular menu, etc. If you have special dietary needs, please indicate them on your Reservation/Release Form.
Accommodation
Until the Final Payment due date, deposits are refundable except for a cancellation fee of $150 per person, which can be applied toward another tour if reserved within six months of the cancelled trip’s departure date. No refunds are given after the Final Payment due date.
14 Breakfasts, 13 Lunches and 13 Dinners
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