Northern Pantanal Iconic Wildlife - ESCORTED GROUP SEPTEMBER 2025 (FULL)

Day notes

Connecting from Sao Paulo, we arrive at Cuiaba airport to meet our guide.  Lunch will be en route as we drive to our first lodge. 

Driving to our first lodge will take around 4.5 hours.  The first 2.5 hours on a paved road and then on for another 2 hours on unpaved roads.  We will stop along the way to photograph the wildlife with stunning bird species such as Hyacinth Macaws, Red-and-Green Macaws, Parakeets, Red-Legged Seriema, Greater Rhea....

Settle into Hotel Baiazinha which will be our home for our first 3 nights in the Pantanal.  On the banks of the Paraguay River and close to the Taiama Ecological Reserve, its location makes this a fantastic base for us to explore the waterways for jaguar and other wildlife.

After early morning breakfast, we will spend Day 2 on a speedboat safari in the Paraguay River, exploring a large area situated around the lodge searching for Jaguars, Giant Otters and other wildlife.  Breaking for lunch at the lodge, we will go back out on the boat in the afternoon until sunset.

On Day 3 we will be back out on the boat to explore the Taiama Reserve.  This will be a full day safari so we'll take a packed lunch with us and find a good place to stop,  eat and view the surroundings. The Taiama Reserve is a large river island of 11, 000 hectares and has a real variety of aquatic environments from grass fields, riparian forests (woodland adjacent to water), streams and lagoons; all influenced by the seasonality of the Paraguay River.  This is an "off the beaten tracks" location, and we can enjoy the wonderful landscape in tranquility.

Day notes

Today we have a change of scenery from the river as we drive to the Pantanal of Poconé making stops for wildlife photography as we go. We will take lunch at Poconé and enter into the Pantanal along the Transpantaneira road, where we can stop to photograph caimans and birds in the water ponds.

Once we have settled into our rooms at Pouso Alegre lodge, we will head out on foot for a walk or use our car to explore the area at in the afternoon and at dusk.  We'll be looking out for a great variety of birds and mammals and as it gets dark, we'll try to spot Crab-eating Fox, Giant Anteater, Tapir and Ocelot.  The rarely-seen Ocelots are mainly nocturnal and the last hour of daylight is the best chance we have.

Day notes

If you wish, get up early this morning to walk around the lodge and see the sunrise.  The lodge has feeders that attract a great variety of birds so we can drink a coffee, take some photographs and head into the restaurant for breakfast.

We will take advantage of being able to walk in the grounds to ponds to observe storks, herons, spoonbill and kingfishers, along with caiman, capybaras and monkeys, or drive to one of the pools to see if we can spot Brocket Deer coming down to drink.

We set off on our drive down to Port Jofre.  This is a 3 hour drive but with plenty of opportunities to stop along the way as and when we spot wildlife.  We'll have lunch at a lodge en route.

On arrival at Porto Jofre we will board a speedboat to take us to our base in the heart of the world's prime jaguar territory.  The journey to the Transpantanal Flotel takes about 20 minutes.

The Flotel is simple and comfortable with 24-hour electricity, air-conditioning. private bathrooms with hot showers.  Please note there are two Flotels and which one we will be allocated depends on the final number in the group.

Our time here for 4 nights will give us the best chance of wild jaguar sightings.  We will take morning and afternoon boat safaris each day.  Jaguar sightings can be anything from a brief encounter to several hours as the jaguars here are accustomed to people.  If we are lucky we will get the chance to spend a prolonged period of time for viewing and photography.

The Cuiaba River is also our best bet for Giant River Otter sightings, one of South America's "Big Five".  Watching a family group in the water or on the banks would undoubtedly be a trip highlight.

Day notes

Today we head back to Cuiaba.

On the way to the Transpantaneira Highway, we will stop for an hour to visit Fazenda Jofre Velho owned by Panthera, an NGO recognised worldwide for its work on feline research and conservation. The fazenda is an area of 10, 000 hectares dedicated to research, and is used to demonstrate how jaguar conservation can benefit ranchers, promote eco-tourism and help local people.  We will have a chance to listen to the researchers telling us about their work and the school that they run for both children and adults.  There is no charge for the visit and Busanga Safaris will make a donation to Panthera on behalf of the group - of course you should feel free to add your own donation if you wish.

Stops for wildlife photography will punctuate our return trip along the Transpantaneira Highway as it we have done throughout our trip.  We won't miss an opportunity for a last look at the incredible wildlife.

Tomorrow morning we will be catching a flight back to Sao Paulo. We will stay at the Fazenda Mato Grosso and enjoy dinner together, reminiscing on our Pantanal adventure for our last night.

Day notes

Return to the airport to catch our flight back to Sao Paulo to connect with international flights home or onward for an extension in Brazil.

There are several great options, and we are happy to chat to you about ideas.

For example, stay on for a 3-night extension to visit the spectacular Iguazu Falls.  Over two days in Iguazu, you will take guided visits to both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides of the falls.  Your hotel is right beside these world-famous cascades, so you can view them from the hotel grounds and beat the crowds in the early morning before the park gates open.