Brazilian Wildlife Tour

Welcome to Brazil! After meeting you at the airport, your local guide will accompany you to your hotel where you’ll get to know your fellow adventurers! After you relax from your long journey, take a walk around this exciting city, founded during the gold rush in the 1700s. See how its rich culture blends Portuguese, African, and Native American influences. This evening, gather with your group and tour leader and get excited about your eco adventures ahead and the genuine possibility of seeing jaguars up close in their native home. 

This morning, you’ll head towards the Pantanal, the most extensive floodplain in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Reserve and Biosphere.

You will spend the next few days at your lodge along the banks of the remote Paraguay River searching for jaguars and other wildlife that make this quiet, secluded area home. This isolated region is an ideal habitat for spotting jaguars!

This afternoon, board your small boat for your first jaguar safari. You’ll be exploring along the river and its tributaries in search of more than jaguars ─ perhaps you’ll also see other wildlife such as giant otters, monkeys, tapirs, capybaras, and colorful birds such as strikingly beautiful macaws. You never know what wildlife you might see, but the odds are good here!

You’ll continue to explore the bays and channels of the river today on a morning and afternoon safari with your expert nature guide and local native who will share their knowledge about the region, its wildlife, and culture. They can answer any of your questions and will also know where the jaguars were last seen!  Get some great photos! After two safaris today, you’re sure to enjoy relaxing in your hammock overlooking the peaceful river.

After dark, join your guide in a quiet nocturnal search for animals with a spotlight and listen to the sounds of the forest night.

Explore the river for wildlife again this morning, and then take time to get to know the Pantanal way of life for the inhabitants of the Caiman Ecological Refuge where a working cattle ranch, ecotourism, and conservation find harmony. 

Learn about their various conservation programs and projects in environmental education for the local inhabitants. Discover their successful projects with jaguars and how ecotourism contributes to their knowledge of these incredible animals. Take a jeep tour to see jaguars that have become used to vehicles much like you see wildlife on safaris in Africa. An incredible experience with the elusive jaguar and learning about compatible initiatives that respect nature.

After breakfast, enjoy a photo safari as you head to the Clarinho River and paddle a canoe past the forests and mangroves that grow along the river banks. You will be very excited to discover a family of giant river otters that live here, and perhaps even get to see them playing or fishing! Get your camera ready!

Back at your lodge, cool off with a dip in the pool, relax in your porch hammock, and enjoy a delicious dinner of local foods, and reflect on your adventures of the day.

Take one more river safari to see the wildlife of the Pantanal for the last time before returning to Cuiba this afternoon. Keep looking for jaguars and the other wild inhabitants!

Then before departing your lodge, take another trail walk or horseback ride through this amazing ecosystem amidst all the plants and wildlife around you. Treasure the memories of all you have seen and learned.

Enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers as you reminisce and share your favorite moments!

It’s time to say goodbye to this part of your adventure, returning home with incredible memories of this unique region of Brazil. Remember, Brazil is vast and diverse, so you may not want to leave just yet! Consider continuing with one of our other experiences that explore more of Brazil, such as the dramatic landscapes and culture of Rio de Janeiro and the spectacular Iguacu Falls!