Itinerary – for a full itinerary with photos in PDF format, please email me at [email protected]

On this journey you will encounter a myriad of wildlife, including giant anteaters, giant otters, tons of capybaras, and possibly the elusive jaguar (on my trip in 2022 we had 14 jaguar sightings including jaguars hunting for caimans). You will also observe spectacular birds such as the hyacinth macaws, Toco toucans and Jabiru storks.

If you like you can extend this trip:  I am offering a pre-tour to Bonito for the Macaw´s Sinkhole, and a post-extension to the famous Iguassu Falls.

A Jaguar (Panthera onca) is stalking through the vegetation on a riverbank at one of the tributaries of the Cuiaba River near Porto Jofre in the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso province in Brazil.

Main Tour to the Pantanal:

Day 1, Monday (Sep 23) – Arrival at Campo Grande. Overnight. Hotel Vale Verde. (D)

A Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) in the evening light is looking for food in the savannah near the Aguape Lodge in the Southern Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Day 2, Tuesday (Sep 24) – Early transfer to Aguape lodge, located 195km from airport with lunch there. Spend the rest of the day in the area searching for Giant Anteaters. Other animals observed in the area are Southern Tamandua, Yellow Armadillo, Nine-banded Armadillo and many birds such as Nanday and Blaze-winged Parakeets. This working ranch and lodge is not far from the Bolivian border and has a reputation for being one of the best places in central Brazil for watching mammals.

 (B/L/D)

A Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) with Bougainvillea flowers in the background perched in a tree at the Aguape Lodge in the Southern Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Day 3, Wednesday (Sep 25) – Pousada Aguape. Overnight. (B/L/D)

Close-up of an endangered Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) looking for food in the savannah near the Aguape Lodge in the Southern Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Day 4, Thursday (Sep 26) – Pousada Aguape. Overnight. (B/L/D)

Day 5, Friday (Sep 27) – Morning Aguape Lodge. Afternoon transfer to Campo Grande. Overnight. Hotel Vale Verde. (B/L/D)

Day 6, Saturday (Sep 28) – Early morning flight to Cuiaba. Arrival in Cuiaba and transfer to Porto Jofre.

Hyacinth macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) feeding on palm tree nuts at Porto Jofre in the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso province in Brazil.

Porto Jofre is at the end of the Transpantaneira road. Our Hotel Pantanal Norte is located next to the Cuiaba River, nowadays considered a hotspot for Jaguar sightings. The other wildlife in the area is very diverse. Even the hotel grounds offer a chance to see species such as the Hyacinth Macaw, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Blue-fronted Parrot, Chestnut-eared Aracari and even the Yellow Anaconda.

(B/L/D)

Tourists in boats at a jaguar sighting in one of the tributaries of the Cuiaba River near Porto Jofre in the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso province in Brazil.

Day 7, Sunday (Sep 29) – Porto Jofre area. Overnight. (B/L/D)

A Black skimmer (Rynchops niger) is feeding by skimming over the water surface on the Cuiaba River near Porto Jofre in the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso province in Brazil.

At Jofre, we will have three full days of boat rides looking for jaguar and in addition to other wildlife, which includes, the Giant River Otter, Black-and-gold Howler, Black-striped Capuchin monkey and reptiles such as the Paraguayan Caiman and Green Iguana. Birds include Black Skimmers, Large-billed Terns, Cocoi Heron, Great-black Hawks and Black-collared Hawks, and many more can all be seen along the rivers. The daily boat excursions are split between morning and afternoon with a break over lunch.

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) family on a beach at a tributary of the Cuiaba River near Porto Jofre in the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso province in Brazil. Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world.

Day 8, Monday (Sep 30) – Porto Jofre area. Overnight. (B/L/D)

Day 9, Tuesday (Oct 1) – Porto Jofre area. Overnight. (B/L/D)

Maguari Storks (Ciconia maguari) roosting for the night in a dead tree near the Piuval Lodge in the Northern Pantanal, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Day 10, Wednesday (Oct 2) – Morning transfer to Piuval Lodge. Afternoon activities. Overnight. (B/L/D)

This lodge on a huge ranch, on the edge of the Pantanal, is another great place for wildlife with chances to find Giant anteater, Southern Tamandua, South American Coati, and birds like the beautiful Hyacinth Macaw, Greater Rhea, and Red-legged Seriema, Bare-faced Curassow, White-rumped Monjita and others. By foot as well as by an open safari truck we will explore different areas of this ranch in searching for the best opportunities for photography.

Day 11, Thrusday (Oct 3) – Full day at Piuval Lodge. Overnight. (B/L/D)

Pantaneiros (local cowboys) on horseback near the Aguape Lodge in the Southern Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.

Day 12, Friday (Oct 4) – Morning activities. Transfer to Cuiaba airport. Fly home. (B/L)

(B) breakfast/(L) lunch/ (D) dinner.

Pre-Tour to Bonito (Macaw´s Sinkhole)

September 22 to 24 (3 Days & 2 Nights)

The macaw spectacle involves pairs and flocks of up to 20-30 Red-and-Green Macaws flying at eye level and below you as you stand at the edge of a 125-meter-deep (450-foot-deep), 90-meter-wide (300-foot-wide) limestone sinkhole.

Day 1, Sunday (Sep 22) – Arrival at Campo Grande Airport. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight Hotel Vale Verde. (D)

Day 2, Monday (Sep 23) – Transfer overland for about 4 hours to Bonito where we will spend the following night. In the afternoon, visit the Macaw´s Sinkhole, one of the largest worldwide with a 100 meters deep (330ft) and 500 meters (1,600ft) in diameter where Red-and-green Macaws nest along the sandstone cliffs. The place is located within the Buraco das Araras Private Reserve which protects 71.7 acres of savanna woodlands. The sinkhole provides great photo opportunities for macaws in flight and perched inside and outside of the hole. The visits will be scheduled for morning and afternoon and photos can be taken from two decks, one in each side of the hole with good space for setting tripods. In addition to the macaws other colorful birds such as toucans and ibises are around. Overnight in Bonito. Pousada Olho D’ Agua. (B/L/D)

Day 3, Tuesday (Sep 24) – Macaw´s Sinkhole in the morning. Lunch.

Afternoon drive back Aguape Lodge and start of the main tour. (B/L)

(B) breakfast/(L) lunch/ (D) dinner.

POST-TOUR TO IGUASSU FALLS Oct 5 to 8 ,2024

View of a rainbow and the Devils Throat area of the Iguassu Falls, Iguassu National Park, in Brazil.

For this part of the tour, I had several hotel choices and decided to go with the more expensive hotel because it is located in the park.  This way we are not relying on the opening hours of the park and we can see these beautiful falls at sunrise and sunset.

Day 1, Saturday (Oct 5) – Fly from Cuiaba de Iguassu. Transfer to hotel. Overnight Belmond Hotel.

ARGENTINA, IGUASSU NATIONAL PARK, IGUASSU FALLS, VIEW TOWARDS SAN MARTIN FALLS

Day 2, Sunday (Oct 6) – All day spent in the Argentinian side of the falls. End of day, go back to hotel in Brazil. Overnight Belmond Hotel. (B/L)

Day 3, Monday (Oct 7) – All day visit the Brazilian side of the falls. Overnight Belmond Hotel. (B/L)

Day 4, Tuesday (Oct 8) – Transfer to airport. Fly home. (B)

(B) breakfast/(L) lunch