Untamed Pantanal

Day 1 : Sao Paulo

Upon your arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. No activities are planned for today, so you can rest up from your travels. In the evening enjoy a welcome dinner – a chance to meet your guides and get insights about your coming adventure.

Day 2 : Sao Paulo > Campo Grande > Southern Patanal

Today you will catch an early flight to Campo Grande. You will be met upon arrival and be transferred to your lodge in the heart of the Pantanal. Look out for birds and mammals on the way.

Check-in and spend time birding around the lodge area. You might see chaco chachalaca, hyacinth macaw, blue-fronted parrot, nanday parakeet, toco toucan, lineated and white woodpeckers and more!

Day 3 : Southern Patanal

This region is home to over 300 bird species. Observe the different colours and sounds as you explore the lodge areas. After an early breakfast, we embark on a safari drive with good chances to see the undulated tinamou, capped heron, jabiru, savanna hawk, rufescent tiger heron, buff necked and plumbeous ibises, roseate spoonbill, hyacinth and yellow-collared macaw, red-billed scythebill, orange backed troupial, and many others.

Return to your lodge and enjoy lunch. Later you will go on another safari drive until the end of the day, returning in the dark with chances to see more wildlife such as the crab-eating fox, South American coati, capybaras, river otter and great potoo. This area is also the best place to spot giant anteater – so keep your fingers crossed!

Optional fishing activities and boat rides can also be arranged at your lodge.

Day 4 : Southern Patanal > Campo Grande

After an early breakfast take a bird walk for excellent chances to see great rufous woodcreeper, blaze-winged parakeet, black-crowned tityra, chestnut-eared aracari, among others. This morning you will also enjoy a motorboat excursion at Aquidauana River. This river is full of life with good chances to see a family of giant river otters and special birds like black collared hawk, and many species of fish.

After an early lunch at the lodge you will be driven back to Campo Grande, check in to the hotel, and then enjoy a short visit to the “nesterar“, a place where a nice concentration of macaws and herons nest near the city.

Day 5 : Campo Grande > Cuiaba > Pocone

After an early flight to Cuiaba, you will begin the second half of your Pantanal adventure!
Driving south, reach the other side of Pantanal via a paved road to Poconé. En route we have lunch in a typical “churrasqueria”, and enjoy Brazilian-style cuisine and barbecue. From here, travel the dirt Transpantaneira Road, perhaps only rivalled by Tanzania’s Serengeti road for spotting wildlife. Look out for incredible wildlife on the way. Arrive at your lodge and relax.

Day 6 : Pocone

Enjoy a rich early morning breakfast and then get ready to enjoy a full day wildlife viewing along the Transpantaneira. Keep an eye out for Red Brocket Deer, Marsh Deer, Crab-eating Fox, Greater Rhea, Chestnut-bellied Guan, Bare-faced Curassow, and a mix of wading birds.

Day 7 : Pocone > Porto Jofre

After some morning wildlife viewing at the ranch, we depart down the Transpantaneira, we pass through scattered palm woodlands, Cerrado scrub, and seasonally-flooded grasslands reminiscent of the Everglades. Roadside ponds and canals are filled with waders and a diversity of aquatic animals.

At Porto Jofre, the “end of the road,” palms attract several resident pairs of Hyacinth Macaw. From this little town on the Cuiaba River, you will board a small boat to reach your lodge for the next two days: a lovely houseboat. Rooms are air-conditioned, with private bath. This “floating hotel” allows us to stay close to where the wildlife has been spotted; explore from the houseboat each day on smaller boats. Optional fishing activities are available on request.

Day 8 : Porto Jofre

Awake on the river to a host of sounds and the sight of macaws and more flying overhead. We use smaller speedboats to spend the day searching for the iconic jaguar, known for their affinity to water. They are good swimmers, and often lay down along the shore after a swim. Chances are good that you will see at least one individual, male or female – perhaps even together!

Enjoy lunch on board, take a short siesta and try for jaguar viewing again in the afternoon. Wildlife is plentiful in this remote part of the Pantanal and you will have time to admire other species as you explore this area. Return to your houseboat late afternoon and celebrate your sightings with “caipirinhas” before dinner.

Day 9 : Porto Jofre > Northern Patanal

After two days immersed in the wildest part of the Pantanal, return north and explore some of the areas previously travelled in more detail. Once you arrive at your accommodation take the time to explore your surrounds, admire the scenery and look out for more wildlife or perhaps anything missing from your list that you hope to see in this stunning region.

Day 10 : Northern Patanal

It’s another morning for gazing at the sunrise while sipping good Brazilian coffee. This morning, pending what you still need to see, we can do a safari drive, or we can take a small boat ride on the Pixaim River to spot secretive species like agami and zig-zag heron. This is a good spot for giant otters and, with luck and some searching, a tapir.

Today we look for green-and-rufous kingfisher, little blue heron, and other species like some very impressive iguanas, we may have the opportunity to spot some special birds like helmeted manakin, Mato Grosso antbird, band-tailed antbird, and more. Later enjoy authentic Mato Grosso cuisine, including legendary piranha and local beef.

Day 11 : Northern Patanal > Cuiaba

After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Cuiaba where arrangements conclude.