Hello,
How much should I pay per day for a Pantanal tour. I had a quote of 2300 reals for a 4d/3n jaguar tours.
To me it looks like it is way to expensive compare to every other nature tour I made around the world.
Is it the usual price? Should I wait and book on the spot to save money?
Any recommanded cheap/budget but good tours?
Thanks
Jaguar tours aren't going to be cheap. I don't know where else you have been, but the Pantanal is not easy terrain to head into. If you're going for the Jaguars, I recommend Julinho (pantanaltrackers). Truly excellent service (but not cheap).
If you don't want to go all the way to Porto Jofre region, you can find cheaper options for sure. Either at the lodges along the Transpantaneira if you're going in from the north, or excursions from CG/Bonito (both go in from Miranda) or Corumba from the south.
To have a chance to see jaguars (not guaranteed), you need to explore the northern Pantanal area, probably from Cuiba. This costs more than the cheaper package tours you can get from Campo Grande or from Corumba. From those places you would see lots of other wildlife at a cheaper price, but almost certainly not jaguars. So the price sounds reasonable to me.
My interest is mostly big mammals (ant eater, tapir, jaguars, armadillos, anaconda, sloth.).
Jaguars is not a must. Do you think for the other animals, I have equal chances pf spotting them from the North or South. I am going mid-april.
Thanks for your help.
As to answer to where I have been... I have done this type of animal tour in Bolivia, Tanzania, Uganda, India, Thailand and many more places. Thanks
Ok, forget about the Jaguar tour. Mid april is the wrong season. Its shoulder season, but expect the water levels to still be very high. That means the usual beaches where jaguars like to laze about are flooded, and theyre lazing about in the forest instead, making them far harder to see. The same goes for the otters (chasing fish through the flooded meadows instead of in the main rivers) and tapirs (lots of hiding places; either in the water or in the forests works for them). But there is always plenty of wildlife there, and you'll love it. I'm not especially interested in birds, but the sheer quantity and variety in the Pantanal is mindblowing (and actually got me quite a bit more interested in them).
Given the season and the money, I would probably head in from the south. But be aware that it has more tourists than the north. Shop around and find the balance you want between price and group size.
That quote cones to about U$165 per night, for meals, housing, transport and guide service. Can't get a hotel room for that price in a lot of places. That's not to say it's within your budget, but it is quite fair IMO for the type of expertise developed over a lifetime in those wetlands by someone who's a native of the area.
I agree. Julinho is THE BEST! Have been with him twice - not cheap but well worth the price. For more info see www.pantanaltrackers.com.br.
We paid a similar price for Fazenda Barranco Alto, which is reached from Campo Grande. However, our price did not include transport from CG to the Lodge, so the true cost ended up being much higher. However, Fazenda Barranco Alto is also some of the nicest accommodation you find in the Pantanal, and the food was outstanding. Point being, the price you were quoted seems inline with going rates.
We went with Julinho and he is outstanding. We paid less per day than your quote, perhaps because we booked about a year ahead, and went for a week.
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