Compare Brazil - The Pantanal: South America's Big Five by Cheeseman's Ecology Safaris

Day 1 & 2: Fly to São Paulo and Cuiabá

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 from São Paulo, gain one hour in Cuiabá, which is located in the northern part of the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, deep in the center of a huge plateau. We'll stop for lunch (not included) at a buffet near the airport, as lunch is no longer served on the flight. Drive to the town of Poconé and on to the entrance of the Transpantaneira, then south down the Transpantaneira to the Pantanal Mato Grosso Hotel. The vehicle is an air-conditioned mini-bus that has good protection from road dust. First we cross 90km of Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) to Poconé. Then about 15km south of Poconé, the Transpantaneira begins – a truly extraordinary and barely elevated gravel road traversing some 150km of the Pantanal. Arrive in time for dinner and overnight at the Pantanal Mato Grosso Hotel located on the Pixaim (pee-shy-im) River.

Day 3: Boat trip on the Pixaim River and slowly drive to Porto Jofre for four nights

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 herons, storks, ibis and waterfowl characteristic of this region. There are even chances for the very beautiful, but shy, Agami Heron and the rare, endemic Chestnut-bellied Guan. Yacaré Caimans and Capybaras thrive here since they are now protected from hunting in the Pantanal. Lovely Yellow-billed Cardinals and Chestnut-eared Aracaris are plentiful at the bird feeders on the lodge grounds. Some of the more difficult-to-locate passerines that we will look for are Rufous Cacholote, Band-tailed Antbird, Mato Grosso Antbird, and Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant.

After our boat trip we will bring a picnic lunch and drive 86km from the Pixaim River to the end of the Transpantaneira "Highway" at the Cuiabá River in Porto Jofre, making stops along the way. Water lingers alongside the Transpantaneira attracting a variety of wildlife that we will want to see. In scrubland and riverine gorges the calls of Chaco Chachalaca reverberate whenever family groups are disturbed. We will find concentrations of waterbirds and many groups of caimans in these waterways bordering the road. To think that back in the early 1980s, caimans were rare and endangered here, but now it is a true conservation success story. Zapa is very familiar with this area and knows some excellent places to stop to stretch our legs and take photographic opportunities.

The Cuiabá River forms the boundary between two the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. A bridge was proposed to connect these two states in Porto Jofre, but was never built thus protecting this unique wildlife and preserving this region from development. Now tourism is the major industry and the road has remained a gravel less-traveled road.

The most visible mammal in the Pantanal is the Capybara, a social giant rodent weighing around 60kg. Two species of brocket deer, plus Pampas and Marsh deer can sometimes be seen in the tall grassland. Black Howler and Black-striped Tufted Capuchin monkeys stay high in the trees. Rock-hard termite mounds dot the landscape. At the end of the Transpantaneira we will reach an opening known as Campo Jofre beside Porto Jofre and check into our lodge, the Hotel Porto Jofre Pantanal Norte situated right beside the Cuiabá River.

After checking into our rooms, we will greatly enjoy the late afternoon light on the grounds surrounding the lodge. Here we encounter mammals and birds that are attracted to the many native plants. The two principal avian emblems of the Pantanal are the Jabiru Stork, which by this point we will have seen in considerable numbers, and the Hyacinth Macaw, a much less common, but equally impressive species. The beautiful and highly photogenic Hyacinth Macaw is the world´s largest parrot. It occurs at scattered localities along the Transpantaneira, but is often seen in the immediate vicinity of lodges where they easily steal the show fwhile feeding on the native palms growing on these properties.

This evening, as most evenings, meet with Zapa for a quick review of the day's sightings and then enjoy a delicious dinner together. Tonight, prepare for the next three days of boat trips on the Cuiabá River where Jaguars and Giant Otters, two of our prime quests on this trip, are consistently encountered along the exposed riverbanks.

 Day 4, 5, 6 & 7: Search the Rio Cuiabá surroundings by boat for Jaguar

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 accustomed to boats of photographers pointing their lenses their way. This is the Jaguar hotspot where researchers identified over twenty Jaguars along the riverbanks during May 2013. We will take a boat that can quickly reach the Tres Irmaões River, a tributary of the Cuiabá, another excellent river for Jaguar. But the best way to find Jaguar is to travel slowly searching the banks and inside the vegetation for signs of this special big cat. Hope for hot weather since Antarctic cold fronts can reach the Pantanal, dropping the temperature about 40°F and making the animals less active. Our chances of spotting Jaguar are good anywhere from Porto Jofre, all the way up along the Rio Tres Irmaões (within the Parque Estadual Encontro das Aguas) and the Rio Piguiri, another excellent tributary of the Cuiabá. The Rio Piguiri is also a great place to find families of Giant Otter.

During these days, we'll enjoy full days of either morning or evening private boat trips with one afternoon to walk along the woodlands and at the marsh bordering the lodge grounds, excellent places for special land birds and energetic troops of Black-striped Tufted Capuchins. Other mammals we hope to see during our explorations include the Crab-eating Fox, South American Tapir, and the enigmatic Ocelot. Hundreds of Yacaré Caimans and some Green Iguanas are the most noteworthy reptiles throughout the Pantanal with Yellow Anacondas rarely encountered.

Day 8 & 9: Araras Lodge grounds with abundant wildlife on its tracks and trails

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 birds, including less conspicuous species such as the tiny woodpecker named the White-wedged Piculet, Cinereous-breasted and White-lored spinetails, and Band-tailed and Mato Grosso antbirds that can all be found in the woodlands around the lodge grounds and along an elevated boardwalk. The grounds of this pousada (inn) include wetlands, forest and savannah, in 3,000 hectares. One night after dinner, we will go on a night drive, the best time to encounter Tamandua (the Lesser Anteater) and perhaps a South American Tapir. The Araras property extends east of the Transpantaneira into the Passo da Ema, where dry grasslands offer a great chance of both Lesser and Giant Anteaters.

These days, as most days throughout the trip, we will eat a very early Brazilian breakfast then go out for wildlife encounters followed by lunch and siesta with more searches for wildlife in the mid-afternoon and sometimes evenings.

Here is an account from one full day at Araras:

"Many birds, plus Coatis, came by on our early morning walk out to the canopy tower and along the boardwalk through pristine forest (non-natives cannot survive the habitat rigors of flooding and dry seasons that are so extreme here). Then later in the afternoon in an open vehicle out into the cerrado (mixed grassland and short trees mostly) with small islands of palm forest mixed with cordia (a Brazilan species of this hardwood genus) where howlers, capuchins and marmosets do really well, we got out to walk through one of these areas, then back in the safari truck for some great late afternoon light with many big photogenic birds. At Araras they serve wonderful buffet dinners. By 8:30 pm we were off again in the safari truck for some super spotlighting and the prizes were Lesser Tamandua feeding that we watched for 20 minutes close enough for some good photos before he went out of sight, then a Great Potoo that stayed perched and the grande finale just before we arrived back at the lodge was a South American Tapir that stayed for almost a half hour, even went back to browsing on the plants. Arrived back at 10 pm."

Day 10: Morning on the Transpantaneira then fly to Campo Grande in the southern Pantanal

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 amazing feeding frenzy, a true spectacle at a very large roadside marsh. We have counted over 50 Jabiru Storks at one time here, plus many caimans, Wood Storks, Purple Gallinule, aggressive birds of prey and much more. We could easily stay right there photographing and watching for several hours before returning to Araras to pack up for the ride back to Cuiaba and for an early lunch. In August we will be enjoying the beautiful flowering tree, Piuva (the pink species of Tabebuia), which should be in full flower to add great scenic beauty to the Pantanal. From Poconé drive back to Cuiabá to catch an early evening flight from the Cuiabá Airport (132km total from Araras Lodge to the airport in Várzea Grande, across the river from Cuiabá). The flight will likely be in the late afternoon, which means a late arrival at our lodge. Dinner is not included today (and is not served on the flight to Campo Grande), but easily gotten at the "Food Court" in the airport before or after the flight, depending on the flight schedule. Then we make the 3-hour drive to our lodging for three nights.

Day 11 & 12: Explore the Pantanal near Miranda near Fazenda San Francisco

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 encountered. Fazenda San Francisco has extensive native forest, wetlands, and grasslands, but it's also a working ranch with cattle pastures and vast rice fields. The owner and staff work very hard to preserve wildlife, particularly to protect the rare mammals, especially the cats, both Jaguar and Ocelot. They also protect birds of prey, so we should see some special raptors here. We will have a private open safari vehicle with Zapa who knows this property extremely well and knows where we will find the best wildlife. Blue-and-yellow Macaws, parrots, parakeets, toucans, and toucanets are plentiful right around the lodge and are extremely habituated. Go on game drives in the evening and at dawn for the best action and enjoy breaks on the lodge grounds during the warm part of the day.

Day 13, 14 & 15: Caiman Lodge surroundings for three days of quality wildlife viewing

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, a very experienced friendly staff, delicious food, very high quality service and best of all, amazing wildlife! Begin our explorations with a walk or a game drive in the beautiful surroundings this afternoon for birds and other wildlife. We'll have full days exploring the region of Caiman Lodge with Zapa as our guide. This is Zapa's favorite location in all of the Pantanal. Also enjoy night drives to spot nocturnal wildlife in action. We have good chances for locating Jaguars, but the overall wildlife experience while immersed in beautiful native habitat is the highlight here at Caiman. We will not neglect the wetlands, as plenty of Yacaré Caimans will peer out with their beady eyes gleaming at night. We should encounter mother Giant Anteaters with a young on her back, Gray Brocket Deer, Pampas Deer, two species of armadillos, Tapeti (Brazilian rabbit), plus Crab-eating Raccoon. We were very excited to find a Puma on one of the night drives in 2013 at Caiman. We will keep our itinerary here very flexible and follow the recommendations of Zapa and the lodge staff. Elusive wildlife is very challenging to photograph, so we will spend a lot of field time to be sure to get some great photographic results.

Day 16: Morning at Caiman Lodge then depart to Campo Grande

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 a full morning here and after lunch, depart for Campo Grande. We will be reluctant to bid adios to the wonderful people at Caiman Lodge. Our drive to Campo Grande will take approximately 3.5 hours (290km), arriving at Hotel Vale Verde near the Campo Grande Airport in the late afternoon. We'll have a farewell dinner together this evening.

Day 17 & 18: Travel homeward

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.