Jaguar Tracking
Brazil's Pantanal region is home to one of the largest populations of the endangered jaguar. Travel to the remote Jaguar Research Center in the Meeting of the Waters State Park, where you'll stay in modern, high-tech tents, complete with wooden floors, private bathrooms with hot showers, and electricity.
A high concentration of jaguars in the area makes this the most likely spot to see these large cats during observation tours. Despite the challenges of finding these sometimes elusive animals, the Jaguar Research Center has one of the best sighting records in the world.
The variety of wildlife seen on this tour and the excitement of seeking out jaguars makes this tour ideal for intense nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Itinerary
Upon arrival in Cuiaba, your guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you into the Pantanal. The first leg is about 2 hours to reach the famous Transpantaneira Road. This is one of the best wildlife viewing areas in the world. Here you can admire the flora and fauna along the Transpantaneira and make several stops on the way to film or take photographs.
Late this afternoon, you arrive at the Pantanal Wildlife Center check-in and dinner will be served. You will stay at the Pantanal Wildlife Center, formerly “Fazenda Santa Tereza”. The “Fazenda” was a traditional cattle ranch. Today, it is an eco-lodge on 3,500 hectares of flood lands situated at the end of Rio Pixaim River. Here you are deep into the Pantanal where you can take boat safaris on the rivers; see monkeys, many bird species, capybaras, caimans, and giant otters. You can also explore the marked trails through the forest surrounding the Pantanal Wildlife Center. Canopy towers are strategically located at fruiting and flowering trees. Pantanal Wildlife Center (Standard Room) (D)
After breakfast at PWC are transferred south along the Transpantaneira to the Jaguar Research Center. It is a photo safari in and of itself. You will continue to the very end of this famous road, at km 140, to Porto Jofre. Here you find the 250-m-wide (820- foot-wide) Cuiabá River, which is the border between the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. you will complete the journey to Jaguar Research Center by boating 1-1.5 hours upstream on the Cuiaba River and then to Three Brothers River. The 270,000-acre Meeting of the Waters State Park begins about a third of the way up the river to the Jaguar Research Center. The Jaguar Research Center is in the very heart of this remote, wild park, and is composed of five 12-by-14-foot, walk-in tents made of thick canvas.
The roof of the tent reaches more than 8 feet high, allowing even the tallest guests to walk around most of the tent. Each tent also features electric light, an electrical socket for charging cameras and other equipment (both 110 volt and 220 volts available), and a bathroom. Jaguar Research Center (Tent) (B, L, D)
Explore the Meeting of the Water’s State Park in search of Jaguars. Your camp is located on a key piece of riverbank terrain in the center of the park. In addition to the jaguars, there are two group of Giant Otters. One group is near the mouth of the Piquiri River and the other near the 330-acre island that lies seven minutes by boat upstream on the Three Brothers River. You will spend all day in search of wildlife but your main focus will be on spotting Jaguars. Jaguar Research Center (Tent) (B, L, D)
Today take the full day in search of Jaguars. After an early breakfast, you leave the Jaguar Research Center for a full day boat trip to observe the diversity of the animals in the region. you will watch for jaguars, tapirs, anteaters, giant otters, birds and other animals common to this region. You will be in small motor-boats , to allow you to the explore narrow and wild rivers in the core of this huge park. Recent guest have seen several of these huge predators, during the day, many of them at very close range for extended periods. Return to the Center at the end of the afternoon in time for dinner. Jaguar Research Center (Tent) (B, L, D)
After breakfast, depart on a 1-hour boat ride and 2-hour drive (non stop) drive back to Pantanal Wildlife Center. After lunch drive 1.5 hours along the Transpantaneira back to the town of Poconé and then 1:15 on asphalt to Cuiabá airport. You would arrive at about 3:30PM. (B, L)
Extend Your Journey
- Stay at the Pantanal Wildlife Center eco lodge in high tech tent
- Search for endangered jaguars
- Travel down the famous Transpantaneira road, one of the best wildlife viewing areas in the world
- Take a boat safari deep into the Pantanal
- Discover the hidden treasures of the Cuiabå river
5 DAYS & 4 NIGHTS
Pantanal, Cuiaba, Brazil
2012 Dates:
Jan - Dec
Prices From:
$3,195
Note:
A reminder: accommodations for this unique experience and on this off the beaten path destination are basic and rustic. The best properties have been chosen for you. Touring days can be quite long and as many as 10 hours can be spent in an small motor boat with little to no access to private facilities. Therefore, sense of adventure is required for participants on this journey. Upon request, your travel consultant can provide an exact price based on your specific dates of travel.
Includes:
Accommodations, meals as noted, entrance fees, and all transfers and touring as noted in itinerary with local English-speaking guides. Outings include intensive Jaguar search involving up to 10 boat-hours per group with customized support from special scout boats, forest walks, and photo safaris for capybaras, caimans, and water birds, and search for Giant Otters.
When to go:
The best time to view wildlife is the dry season in the Pantanal, July to October. The lack of rain diminishes the lagoons, revealing flatlands and encouraging transportation by land. The fields begin to dry, providing vast grazing areas where mammals search for food and water in the remaining ponds and shrinking lagoons.