Jaguar and birds expedition in Pantanal, 12 days

Upon arrival to Cuiabá our local representative will pick you up and drive you to your hotel. If you arrive directly from Europe you can relax and take a stroll in the city.

Meals Included:       

Your guide will meet you at the hotel in the morning and drive to the Pantanal. After driving about one and a half hour on paved road, we hit the Transpantaneira Highway, a dirt road that transects the northern portion of the Pantanal. The water ditches along the road attract all sorts of birds and mammals and make wildlife sightings easier, making every drive a great safari. On the drive to our lodge we may already see such species as Jabiru stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Rufescent Tiger Heron, several species of egrets, Plumbeous and Buff-necked Ibises, Southern Screamer, Savanna and Road-side Hawks, Scarlet-headed Blackbird and many others. Other creatures might include Capybara, Marsh Deer and Caymans.

Our first three nights will be at Aymara Lodge, a cozy place located amid the trees and along a narrow river full of wildlife, considered one of the best spots for birding and nature photography in the entire Pantanal. The lodge has just been renewed and offers a great nature experience.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

Here we have two full days to explore the property and the many birding and photo opportunities we could have here. Among the regular visitors to the lodge grounds are Grey-cowled Woodrail, Bare-faced Curassow, Chestnut-bellied Guan, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Toco Toucan, Blue-fronted Parrot, White-eyed and Yellow-chevroned Parakeets, Yellow-collared and Hyacinth Macaw (nesting between the rooms!) Crimson-crested and Pale-crested Woodpeckers, Great-rufous Woodcreeper, Red-billed Scythebill, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Saffron Finch, Silver-beaked Tanager, and many more! Mammals commonly seen here include Hooded Capuchins, Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys, South American Coati, Azara’s Agouti and Paca.

The narrow river that flows by the lodge is bordered by gallery forest and one of the most renowned in the northern Pantanal among birders and photographers. We will quietly canoe looking for Great and Snowy Egrets, Cocoy, Striated and Agamy Herons, Sungrebe, Sunbittern, Black-collared Hawks, all five species of South-American Kingfishers, Black-capped Donacobius, Yellow-billed Cardinal, as well as Caymans and Giant Otters.

The trails in the property offer the best birdwatching opportunities with Undulated Tinamou, Blu-throated Piping-guan, Buff-bellied Hermit, Blue-crowned Trogon, White-wedged Piculet, Planalto Slaty Antshrike, Large-billed Antwren, Mato Grosso Antbird, White-lored Spinetail, Southern Antpipit, Strip-necked and Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrants, Dull-capped Attila, White-napped Xenopsaris, Helmeted and Band-tailed Manakins, Green-backed Becard, Hooded and Gray-headed Tanagers, Flavescent Warbler, Rusty-collared Seedeater, Orange-backed Troupial, and Scarlet-headed Blackbird, just to name a few!

Meals Included:       middag, aften

You have another day at Aymara Lodge to search for wildlife.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

This morning we may still have time to explore the many birding and photo opportunities this place has to offers, on foot and by car. After lunch we checkout and drive further in to the Pantanal. There should be plenty of wildlife along the road, as we must drive all the way to the end of the Transpantaneira road, to a place called Porto Jofre, in order to get to our hotel by the end of the afternoon. We will make use of the good afternoon light photographing birds and mammals found on the way.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

We will have a full day devoted to the boat trips in the Cuiaba river and it’s tributaries, in order to maximize our chances of seeing and photographing Jaguars. Although Jaguar sightings are not guaranteed, this region offers the best chances ever to find these that are among the most powerful and elusive cats in the world. Our outings will always be during the day, when we move along the rivers in search of cats that come to the river banks in search of food, water, or just a cool breeze. These rivers are also home for a few groups of Giant Otters, along with many Capybaras and Caymans. Pied Lapwing, Black Skimmer, Large-billed and Yellow-billed Terns can also be seen along the sand margins, and we might make a few stops to photograph them as well.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

Today we have a long drive back on the Transpantaneira road, to our next lodge, but we might still spend the morning on the river, depending on the group’s needs. This evening we will be at Pousada Piuval, which will be our home for the next two nights. This property is a working cattle ranch with more than 15.000 acres of forest, swamps, savannas and natural pasture, and stands as one of the best places for birds and mammals in the northern Pantanal.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

You have a full day to explore the wildlife at Piuval Lodge.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

Moving to another lodge gives us a chance to find other birds and animals that we might not have seen yet at the previous places. This morning we will be looking for local specialties such as Red-legged Seriemas, Greater Rheas, Long-tailed Ground Dove, Black-bellied Antwren, Pale-belied Tyrant Manakin, Yellowish Pipit, and a few other species. After lunch transfer to Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park. After the Pantanal, this is the region’s leading attraction, reminiscent of the American South West. Its rocky plateau overlooking the flat plain of the Paraguay River and the Pantanal, at 2,600 feet above sea level, offers superb views, monolithic rock formations, caves, stunning waterfalls, and of course some special birds. These uplands provide some of the many water sources for the Pantanal marshlands below. Here we will stay at a small and cozy lodge right at the border of the National Park.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

We will have two full days birding the cerrado (savannah) and Chapada habitats. The cerrado eco-system with its rough scenery, small and contorted trees, and tablelands offers a rich biodiversity with a scenery, flora and fauna so rich that the Federal Government created this 33,000 hectare National Park. As we hike the canyons, valleys and savannahs of this magnificent area, we may expect chances of seeing the Blue-crowned Motmot, Southern Antpipit, Band-tailed Manakin, Planalto Slaty Antshrike, White-eared Puffbird, Guira, White-rumped & White-banded Tanagers, Coal-crested Finch, Plumbeous Seedeater, Black-throated Saltator and the recently described Chapada Flycatcher among others. When the heat builds up, we might have a chance to have a refreshing swim at some of the many waterfalls in the area. We will also spend some time birding at Veu-da-Noiva waterfall with chances to spot the Channel-billed Toucan, Lettered Aracari, White-collared & Biscutate Swifts, Blue-winged & Red-and-Green Macaw, Curl-crested Jay, Gray Monjita, Crested Black-Tyrant, Collared Crescentchest and Blue Finch.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

You have another day to explore the Forests and Savannas of Chapada dos Guimarães.

Meals Included:       middag, aften

Today’s activities will depend on the flight schedule of the group, but we might still have time to explore a bit more of the property and search of birds that we may not have seen yet. Clients will be taken to Cuiabá airport at their convenience.

Meals Included: