FLIGHT
Cuiaba Marechal Rondon International Airport (CGB). Best way is to transit via Sao Paulo or Rio De Janeiro. We recommend to travel with Azul, GOL or Avianca airlines when travelling within Brazil.
You should arrive no later than 10:00 AM in Day 1 (23 July), if you decided to arrive a night before, you can stay in Amazon Hotel Aeroporto. We will pick you up in the airport or in Amazon Hotel Aeroporto.
In the last day (31 July), please book your flight after 2:00 PM.
ACCOMMODATION
- Barco-Hotel (5 nights). It is located and moored 5 minutes from Encontro das Águas State Park, the starting point for our daily jaguar safaris by boat. The boat-hotel offers rooms with private bathrooms, air-conditioning, electrical outlets for charging your devices and Wi-Fi. The boat also offers a hydromassage for relaxation.
- Pousada Pouso Alegre (1 night)
- Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso (2 nights)
MEALS
All meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) are included. Breakfast and dinner are served on the boat. Meals are served as a buffet. They serve a variety of mostly local dishes. A few examples of the food served:
- Breakfast: cereals, fruits, egg, bacon, yoghurt, bread, marmalade, fruit juices.
- Lunch: rice, fish/meat, vegetables.
- Dinner: stews, potatoes, farofa, rice, pasta, vegetables served with fish or meat.
We offer special meals for clients who have an intolerance for certain types of food or prefer a specific diet. Please inform us if you have dietary restriction.
TRANSPORTATION
All of our boats and safari vehicles (for 16 people) have sun protection covers. The boats are built in 2024, equipped with a high-quality 115 HP engine, radio, first aid kit, life jackets, soft seating, canopy, and plenty of space. It provides excellent opportunities for great low-angle shots and allows us to navigate through small, shallow creeks while providing some shade.
Everyone has “window” seat in the boat and safari vehicle.
ITINERARY
Day 1 (23 July): Arrival in Cuiabá – Poconé – Porto Jofre
We’ll meet either at the Cuiabá Airport or at the hotel. From here, we begin a 100 km journey toward Poconé, the gateway to the Pantanal. Leaving Poconé, we turn off the paved road onto the iconic Transpantaneira highway, a rustic dirt road famous for its wildlife sightings.
As we drive across 122 wooden bridges, keep your eyes open for hawks, storks, capybaras, caimans, and more. Continuing 150 km down the Transpantaneira, we arrive in Porto Jofre and settle into our floating accommodation, Hotel Boat, which is anchored 5 minutes from the Encontro das Águas State Park, where there is the largest concentration of jaguars in the Pantanal. This makes our safari a unique immersion in the Pantanal.
Day 2 – 5 (24 – 27 July): Jaguar Expedition on the Water
Four full days of boat-based safari along the rivers of the Encontro das Águas region. This is the prime habitat for jaguars, and our full-day outings give us the best chances for memorable encounters – jaguars hunting caimans, resting on sandbanks, or patrolling the shoreline. We’ll also photograph giant otters, caimans, birds, and the extraordinary landscape of the Pantanal.
Breakfast: 6:00AM
Depart: 7:00AM
Spot for jaguars: 7:00AM – 12:00PM
Lunch: 12:00PM (on the boat)
Spot for jaguars: 1:00PM – 5:30PM
Return to lodge: 6:00PM
Dinner: 7:30PM
Day 6 (28 July): Porto Jofre – Pousada Rio Claro
After breakfast we head south, retracing the Transpantaneira toward Poconé. We arrive at Pousada Rio Claro in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we enjoy our first game drive across the lodge’s vast private reserve, an incredible area for wildlife photography.
Day 7 – 8 (29 – 30 July): Wildlife & Night Safari at Rio Claro
We spend the entire two days exploring the rich flora and fauna around Pousada Rio Claro. After lunch, our open-truck safari takes us through fields and private forest roads searching for birds, as well as jaguars, giant anteaters, South American coatis, tapirs, armadillos, crab-eating foxes, and many other mammals.
After dinner, we head out again for a night safari, where spotlights reveal a completely different world – nocturnal birds like potoos, nightjars, and owls with haunting red eyes and unique calls. We may also encounter ocelots, foxes, and possibly even jaguars moving under the cover of darkness.
Day 9 (31 July): Departure
After breakfast, we transfer back to Cuiabá Airport for your flight home.
WEATHER
In July, the Pantanal is in its dry season and experiences a wide temperature variation between day and night. Average daytime high temperatures typically range from 28°C to 32°C (82°F to 90°F), while nighttime lows can drop to between 13°C and 19°C (55°F to 66°F).
WHAT TO BRING
- Casual, comfortable, and sturdy clothes: it’s important to bear in mind that dark clothes such as black and dark blue attract mosquitoes
- Comfortable shoes: in the common areas of the hotel, sandals and slippers are safe
- Hat or cap
- Insect repellent: this should be taken with you during the activities
- Sunscreen or sunblock
- Sunglasses with UV filter
- Binoculars: extremely useful during activities
- Portable power bank
- Travel adapter: Type N adapter, which features three round pins (two angled, one grounding) for the official sockets, though many older places still have Type C (two round pins) sockets, so adapters that handle both N and C are best for travelers. Example: https://www.amazon.com/TESSAN-Adapter-American-Outlets-Brazilian/dp/B0DQSRL3D7/
- You may need a voltage converter for non-dual-voltage devices, as Brazil uses both 127V and 220V, while the USA is 120V; check your device labels to see if they are dual voltage (look for “100-240V”). Most laptops, camera chargers, and phone chargers can handle without a voltage converter. Example: https://www.amazon.com/BESTEK-Universal-100-220V-Converter-Worldwide/dp/B07R2JMHQR/
PHOTO EQUIPMENT
- Camera: DSLR or mirrorless
- Lenses: we recommend bringing an ultra-wide angle zoom lens like the Canon 10-20 or 16-35mm, Nikon 14-24mm or Sony 12-24mm; a standard zoom like 24-70mm or 24-105mm; and a telephoto zoom lens like 100-400mm, or 200-500mm, or fixed 400mm/600mm. As for telephoto lens, zoom is more practical than fixed lens, as we can be as close as 10 meters away from the wildlife
- Tripod or monopod, but not very practical when we are on the boat
- Microfiber cloth, blower, and lens brush
- Memory-cards and camera batteries. Make sure to bring chargers
- A solid backpack for all your photography gear, preferably with a rain cover
- A headlight/lamp and extra AA/AAA batteries
- (Optional) laptop and external hard drive for backups
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Full trip cancellation insurance, along with accident, medical and baggage insurance, is highly recommended. Before you leave home, ensure your policy reflects your actual dates of travel, covering you from the date you leave home until the date you return. Update your travel insurance coverage to include extra hotel nights, non-refundable flights, etc., if applicable. Confirm that your policy covers medical evacuation from Brazil.
CONTACT
Please add my phone number to your contact list: +16092168607. Afterward, kindly send me a message in the WhatsApp with your name and the date of your workshop. I will then add you to the WhatsApp group chat where all the communications will be shared during the workshop. Rest assured, my cellphone will always be switched on during my stay in Brazil, and this is the same number through which you can reach me.