North Pantanal

14 – 24 October 2025
+ extradays 21 – 26 October

North Pantanal

14 – 24 October 2025
+ extradays 21 – 26 October

Price: 56.900 SEK (excluding airfare)
Single room supplement: 9,000 SEK

Extra days 21-26 oktober
South Pantanal for Giant Anteater, Tamandua, and more.
Price. 35.900 kronor
Single room. 6.500 kronor

Jaguar / Jabiru / Hyacinth Macaw / Greater Rhea / Tokotoukan / Ozelot / Giant River Otter

Photo tour for Jaguars & the birds of Pantanal

Brazil is famous for it´s rich wildlife and vast wetlands full of birds, mammals and reptiles. The huge wetlands of Pantanal are probably the best place in the world to see and photograph Jaguars. This tour is devided in two parts (that you can book independently) We start in Cuiaba, the capitol of Mato Grosso and drive theTrans Pantaneira into north Pantanal where we spend 8 days to enjoy the Jaguars and a generally amazing wildlife and diversity. We then charter transport to south Pantanal and Campo Grande to explore that not so well-known part of Pantanal. There will be plenty of photo opportunities of impressive Hyacinth Macaws, Green-winged- and Blue and Yellow Macaw, Jabiru and many other birds. Elsewhere normally very hard to see animals will cause no problems here; Ozelot, Giant Anteater, Tapir, Giant Anteater, Capybara, Yacare Caimans and others. We will stay at a number of lodges perfectly placed for wildlife watching and move through rich wetlands with a very high biodiversity. We do no less than four full days boat excursions to watch Jaguars from the Pantanal waterways. We will photograph plenty of wetland birds and get the possibility to swim in crystal clear rivers and do evening safaris to reveal the secrets of the tropical nightlife. The transfers between the lodges also give plenty of excellent wildlife and bird-watching opportunities. You can expect unforgettable encounters with wild animals and birds as well as best imaginable photography.

Ola Jennersten is leading the tour. He has travelled and lead tours in Orinoco and Pantanal several times before.

Have a look at one of our trip reports!

Pantanal facts

The Pantanal is the largest wetland in South America and is shared by Brazil (70%), Bolivia (20%), and Paraguay (10%). The area is approximately the size of Greece. The Pantanal has been a wetland for at least 5,000 years, and despite attempts to tame the water, the area remains relatively unaffected by humans. Annual floods, during which most of the wetland is submerged, are a significant factor. Here, an impressive number of species coexist, including approximately 475 bird species, 135 mammals, 80 reptiles, 50 amphibians, and 375 fish species, as well as 1,700 identified plant species (it is believed that there are an equal number of unidentified plants!). Today, cattle ranching is the primary livelihood. However, in recent years, nature tourism has grown significantly, not least because it is now easier to encounter South America’s largest cat, the jaguar, in the Pantanal. A key explanation is that income from tourism is sometimes up to eight times higher than from cattle ranching, thereby largely eliminating the incentive to hunt jaguars.

Species

The focus species on this trip is the jaguar, and several days are scheduled to maximize opportunities for encounters. During previous trips, we have seen approximately 125 bird species and nearly 20 mammal species without much effort. Highlights among birds include the majestic Jabiru stork, the beautiful Hyacinth Macaw, the South American ”ostrich” Greater Rhea, and the Toco Toucan. Naturally, we observe many wetland species, such as herons, kingfishers, and various ibises. Among mammals, the Black Howler Monkey, Capuchin Monkey (Cebus libidinosus), Marsh Deer, Ocelot, Giant River Otter, and Capybara are easy to spot, but we have also seen Tapir, Marmoset, Brazilian Porcupine, and several bat species. The Pantanal Caiman is common, and encountering the southern species of Anaconda (Yellow Anaconda) is quite likely, as well as various frog species.

For whom?

The trip is a photography expedition where much time is devoted to a smaller number of species. Suitable for nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers, but primarily nature photographers who will undoubtedly fill their memory cards with tropical nature and its inhabitants. We are active most of the daylight hours and sometimes even take night tours with spotlights.

Habitats

We spend most of our time at the species-rich wetlands, either by car or by boat, especially on the days when we are searching for jaguars. In the savanna landscape, there will be shorter walks on foot.

Freedom of choice

The excursions take up the majority of the time, but there is an opportunity for personal time in the morning, evening, and during lunch. Each evening, there are opportunities to collectively review the species list to see which species we encountered during the day.

Traveling and route

The journey begins in the capital of the state of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, where we arrive by plane from Sweden/São Paulo. We travel comfortably by bus southward, passing through the golden city of Poconé before reaching the approximately 150-kilometer-long dirt road, Via Transpantaneira, which cuts straight through the species-rich wetlands and is, so to speak, the backbone of our journey.

On the 2.nd leg of the the tour we fly about 1 hour with a chartered plane from Porto Jofre to the south of Pantanal where we will explore the nature of Pousada Aguape.

Local guides

The local guide and organizer for our trip is named Eduarda ”Duda” Fernandes. Duda has her own company, which she started at the age of 16. In many ways, it is Duda who elevates this trip above most others due to her excellent knowledge, organizational skills, and good humor.

Season and time

Late summer and early fall are the ideal times to visit the Pantanal. During this period, the water levels are low, and the beautiful Tabebuia trees bloom brightly.

Food and accomodation

We stay at four different hotels along the Via Transpantaneira to be close to our destinations. There will be 1 to 4 nights at these hotels. They are all of good standard and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The rooms have air conditioning, showers, and comfortable beds. During the days when we are searching for jaguars, we spend the entire day in boats and have packed lunches.

Practical information

When: 14 – 24 October 2025
+ extradays 21 – 26 October

Price: 56.900 SEK (excluding airfare)
Single room supplement: 9,000 SEK

Extra days 21-26 oktober
South Pantanal for Giant Anteater, Tamandua, and more.
Price. 35.900 kronor
Single room. 6.500 kronor

Leader: Ola Jennersten

Note: We reserve the right to adjust the price if local costs or currency changes justify it. Minor adjustments to the start and end times of the trip may also be necessary at times.

Included: Full board in double rooms at hotels except for meals at the hotel during the transfer days in Cuiabá, Swedish (English speaking) tour leader, local guide throughout, all transportation, all potential entrance fees to nature reserves and parks.

Not included: Airfare, transfer to the airport, insurance (Note: European Health Insurance Card is not valid here. Participants are required to have travel insurance covering accidents and illnesses.), alcohol, souvenirs, and other personal expenses, tips for local guides/drivers.

Vaccination: Hepatitis A&B (Twinrix), tetanus, yellow fever, bring malaria tablets.

Number of participants: minimum 6, maximum 10

Registration fee
When you have registered, we will send you an invoice for the registration fee, which is 20% of the total price of the trip. Once it is paid, you are guaranteed a place on the trip.

Day-to-day-program

Day 1. 14.th October. We arrive to Marechal Rondon International Airport, after that a short domestic flight to Cuiabá where we land about 09.00 in the morning. We will be greeted by our host and guide Eduarda Fialcao de Avouida (Duda) and start our journey southwards. We go in a bus/ minivan on the famousTrans Pantaneira, a dirt road leading through big parts of north Pantanal, the habitat we pass is to a high degree wetlands, known for its rich wildlife. We stop for lunch along the way. Our destination is the areas around Aymara Natural Reserve that we will explore by foot and canoes. During the afternoon and evening we head out to look for the first representatives of the Pantanal fauna, the wetlands attract a lot of wildlife and birds. We have good chances to see Capybaras, Tapirs, Crab-eating Fox, Coatis, Jabirus, several species of Macaws and other Parrots, Toucans and much more. Several of the lodges have bird feeders that attract a good variety of birds that can be photographed at close range.

Day 2-4. 15-17.th October. We spend the morning in the habitat surrounding our lodge. Already around dawn we make our first little safari. During the day we move a short distance to our next lodge. The next two days we will explore Aymara Natural Reserve. We stay at a lovely lodge that is really good for bird watching and photography. Here we have good chances to see and photograph Ozelot (one of the main target species here) but also Cappuchin monkeys, Marsh Deer, Quatis and Tapir. No less than 300 bird species have been seen in this area.

In the morning the 16.th we make a boat tour on Pixiam River where we can see and photograph several species of Kingfishers and other waterbirds.

Day 4- 17–21.st October. The main attraction of the tour! We spend 4 days doing boat excursions in the river system to get close to the biggest cat in south America – the Jaguar. From the boat we will also see a lot of wetland birds and with some luck also the Yellow Anakonda. Plenty of Yacare Caimans bask on the river banks here and we might encounter familygroups of lively Giant Otters that we will follow and study. We stay just by the São Lourenço river, near Porto Jofre. The hotel is situated just by a 10 000 hektar reserve with 7 km of river stretches and is known as the area with the highest density of Jaguar encounters in the world.

Day 8. 21 Oct. Transfer to Cuiabá and homebound flights for those who has not booked the extra days.

Program extra days 21-24.th October

This extension is built around the unique possibility to see and photograph Giant Anteaters. The probability for that is considerably higher here than on most other destinations. The chance of seeing the adorable and charming Tamanduas and an attractive bird diversity adds to the experience.

21–24.th October. We go with a chartered plane from Porto Jofre to south Pantanal to save us time and enjoy and be able to explore the nature of Pousada Aguape in the south Pantanal. We stay close to the Aquidauana-river where we have good chances on Giant Anteater, Tamandua, Greater Rhea, Toko Toucan och Hyacint Macaw. Hear we will also see and learn about cattle ranching in the Pantanal with riding cowboys, a.k.a. gauchos.

24-25.th October. We travel further to Rio da Prata where we can bath and swim, even snorkle in crystal clear water (afternoon 24.th). The next day in late morning we visit a spectacular depression in the landscape where many Red and green Macaws fly by below and above us at Bonito for Buraco das Araras.

26.th October. In the afternoon we go to Campo Grande where we spend the last night at Deville hotel before we start our journey back home.