1

Don't mean to be negative, but your chances of seeing a jaguar in the Pantanal are very slim. They are shy creatures, and hunt by night. But a trip to the Pantanal is definitely worthwhile. Everything considered, it's one of the best places to spot wildlife anywhere in the world. Can't tell you about the northern part, my stay was only stayed about 2 hours from Corumba.

2

If you aren't willing to spend what it costs, go to some more budget place in the southern Pantanal.

3

From what I understand, the North offers better chances of seeing jaguar. I have received quotes from 2 North Pantanal operators that are <$300/night.
Seeking advice (if anyone reads this and knows) about operators in this cost range.
As I mentioned, there is so much information on the net that I feel a bit overwhelmed.

Thanks!

4

Do let us know what you decide and how it goes. This type of question comes up frequently and there is a lot of confusing spam/self-advertising/false denunciations, as well as legitimate info.

5

I went with Julinho Monteiro of Pantanal Trackers and saw 5 jaguars on our trip.

Contrary to popular belief, chances are better than "slim" of seeing jaguars in the north Pantanal IF you go in deep enough and spend enough time on the river out of Porto Jofre.

Four days would be rushing it a bit. We camped on a subsistence fisherman's lawn deep in the Pantanal, and spent days on boats looking for jaguars. We did a 9 day trip, spending a few days camping, one night in Porto Jofre and the rest of the time in fazendas along the Transpanteneira.

If you look at the web sites of serious nature enthusiasts, you will see that many people are seeing jaguars deep in the Pantanal. See the various trip reports on the Mammal Watching web site for instance: http://mammalwatching.com/Neotropical/neotropicbrazil.html

The word is out among serious naturalists, so the prices for river trips are not cheap.

You will be very unlikely to see jaguars at the fazendas off the Transpanteneira (although they are fantastic for other wildlife)--where many Pantanal tours focus.

The northern Pantanal is a fantastic place, even if you don't see jaguars. There is so much wildlife around.

6

Try the website that consolidates all "groupon" like websites in Brazil.

You might find some good deals there:

www.saveme.com.br

Cheers,

Fabio

7

Hello,

I am travelling to Brasil this coming summer. I have already booked a fligth to Cuiabá because I would like to do a tour around "pantanal". I have written some agencies asking for quotation and price is incredibly high, not less than 900 $ (4-5 days tours).

Could anybody recomend me a cheaper agency? or do you think that is better to look for the tour directly in Cuiabá?

I am really interested in wildlife watching.

Thanks in advances for your response

8

Cheaper=southern Pantanal (i.e. out of Campo Grande/Corumba)
Check "ericos" older post for budget tours there.

9

We have the same question about North Pantanal tour operators.
We also tried to find a budget tour operator, but the recommended ones are very expensive.
There are some cheaper but there sno recommendations about them on the Web.

Maybe somebody knows some reputable tour operators for a North Pantanal tour in the end of September ?
We prefer to go to Porto Jofre to see the jaguars ? Is the probability of seeing them in the end of September is high on boat trips in Porto Jofre ? Or it's a waste of time and money and better to go on a small 3 day safari in one of the lodges in the middle of Transpantaneira to see other animals and also go to Nobres for snorkelling ?

bitingbums and merys , maybe you already find some travel agency in Pantanal.

Thank you,

10

Hello all,
Firstly, this line about Pantanal Tour operators from bitingbums made me laugh heartily:
"The ones with consistently good reviews are priced crazy.......ie: Pantanal Nature is $475/night. For that cost I'd expect a jaguar to turn down my bed sheets and tuck me in at night! "

Two of us are planning a trip to Brazil next year (August-September, 2013) and are very keen on the Pantanal. We love Nature and travel to places specifically for animals. I have done a lot of reading already and these are my conclusions:
1). Northern Pantanal is better for rarer wildlife (out of Cuiaba), as opposed to the South (out of Campo Grande)
2). lots of wildlife to be seen along the Tranpantaneira Road (esp birds), but difficult to see jaguars
3). Go to Port Jofre and neighbouring rivers deep in the Pantanal at the end of Transpantaneria Road for jaguars, where chances are in fact high, not "slim" as suggested above, but note:
4). Jaguars are best be seen during the dry from June to October, and you need to spend at least a few days along the rivers out of Port Jofre deep in the Pantanal to have a good chance of seeing them.
5). The best two operators in terms of customers satisfaction appear to be Pantanal Nature (they quoted me $AUD1,900 each for 5 nights/ 6 days) and Pantanal Trackers with Julinho (who quoted $AUD1,500 each for same trip length).
This is not cheap, but we will save our pennies and go with one of these. As someone noted above, there are lots of dodgy dealers, false advertisers, fraudulent recommendations online about Pantanal Tours, so I personally would not risk it with most of them, given it will be a once in a lifetime trip - probably!

Bitingbums: who did you end up booking with ??
Craig in Melbourne.

Edited by: kowari

Edited by: kowari

11

Hi guys, thanks for all the info. I'm really thinking of going to Cuiaba as it seems more worth it, but I have difficulties finding information on how to get from Bonito to Cuiaba.

I've checked; there are no direct flights from Campo Grande to Cuiaba, so it seems like the only way is by bus.

Does anyone know what buses goes there, how long it takes, and how can we book the tickets in advance?

Thanks!