Brazil wildlife tour, jaguars and waterfalls
Description of Brazil wildlife tour, jaguars and waterfalls
"We had a wonderful time on our trip in June. We saw six different jaguars, hundreds of caiman and lots of birds. The guides were great, very friendly and helpful..I enjoyed every aspect of this tour..Definitely value for money"
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The ultimate trip for wildlife lovers, this jaguar holiday in the Pantanal Brazil includes seeing jaguars in the wild. Recommended in Wanderlust Magazine's top 10 wildlife trips and The Sunday Times Travel Magazine.
Our expert guides have tracked jaguars for the BBC, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel, as well as Netflix's Our Planet. Our trips have had 100% success rate for several years, with multiple sightings of jaguars and cubs.
This private tour explores the Pantanal, takes you to the world-famous Iguacu waterfalls, exploring both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides with a private guide and also takes in Rio de Janeiro.
Please see itinerary overview below and for more details, please make an enquiry on this page - Responsible Travel will put you in touch with us (the specialist tour operator who designed and run this trip) and we will email you directly. You can also phone us until 9pm, 7 days a week.
The 'season' is June to November. We recommend reserving as early as you can, ideally at least 12 months before. You can reserve with a deposit. Note we only take 1 party (e.g. 1 couple or 1 group of friends or 1 family) per departure date - first come, first served!
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*Solo travellers* We occasionally run a special set departure for solo travellers. You can travel with a small group of others and there is no single supplement. Please enquire for details.
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Photos on this page used with thanks to Roger Day (first 2 jaguar photos) and Roger Sargent (all other photos), taken on private tours in different years.
Itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Brazil from London Heathrow. If you live outside the UK, you're welcome to book excluding flights and start your tour in Rio de Janeiro on Day 2. |
| Day 2: D | Morning arrival at Rio airport. Time to settle in and relax before visiting Rio's botanical gardens. Authentic dinner with local hosts. |
| Day 3: B | Tick off Rio's main sites including Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugar Loaf mountain. |
| Day 4: L | Early morning departure out of Rio to conservation hotspot, Regua. Explore Atlantic rainforest to spot birds and have a chance to see wildlife up in the trees including tiny marmosets and lazy sloths. After lunch, you'll head back to Rio and have a little bit of free time in the afternoon. |
| Day 5: BD | Fly from Rio to Cuiaba. Transfer to ranch in the Pantanal, stopping to view wildlife on the way. Meet your wildlife guide for the next 6/7 days. |
| Day 6: BLD | Walking safari for a chance to see animals including capybara and metre-long hyacinth macaws. Night safari. Watch out for the red eyes, they are caiman! |
| Day 7: BL | Transfer deeper into the Pantanal to Porto Jofre, known as "Jaguar Ground Zero" by wildlife film crews. After lunch, you'll have your first boat trip searching for jaguar as birds of prey fly overhead and giant river otters frolic. |
| Day 8: BLD | Boating looking for jaguar, river otters and more. |
| Day 9: BLD | Boating further up the Cuiaba river looking for jaguar and other animals. |
| Day 10:BLD | Transfer to lodge and wildlife walks and night safari. |
| Day 11: BL | Early morning canoe ride followed by horseriding (walking options are also possible) for more wildlife and learning about life in the Pantanal. Transfer to Cuiaba and overnight in comfortable hotel near the airport. |
| Day 12: B | Fly to Foz do Iguaçu, home to the famous waterfalls. You'll be met at the airport. Settle into your hotel and have a dip in the pool. |
| Day 13: B | Full day visit to the Argentine side of Iguaçu waterfalls with your private guide. |
| Day 14: B | Visit the Brazilian side of Iguaçu waterfalls with your private guide. Then you'll visit an aviary to see amazing birds including some which are near extinction. |
| Day 15: | Relax by the pool (depending on flight timings). Short transfer to Foz do Iguaçu airport, for a connecting flight to Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo and onward to the UK. |
| Day 16: | Land back at London Heathrow. |
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Reviews
3 Reviews of Brazil wildlife tour, jaguars and waterfalls
Reviewed on 25 Jul 2019 by Ana Amarawansa
Our recent adventure to Brazil literally took our breath away. We could not believe the variety of mammals, birds and reptiles we had close encounters with. Read full reviewReviewed on 29 Oct 2018 by Alan Holmwood
Most memorable was having so many decent sightings of jaguars not just fleeting glimpses so taking good photos of them was easy...Excellent especially the Pantanal. Read full reviewReviewed on 28 Aug 2017 by Robert Phillips
The wildlife viewing is wonderful. The highlight is definitely seeing the jaguars on the riverbanks in the Pantanal from about 20m. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
This jaguar holiday in Brazil supports local people and naturalists and jaguar guides. They also have an international impact by being involved with Panthera, an organisation set up to ensure the survival of wild cats worldwide. Eco tourism in the Pantanal has proven to have a positive impact on the survival of jaguars.You'll be staying in locally owned accommodation including ranch houses which are existing buildings, not vast hotels built for tourists.
By the time you're in the heart of the Pantanal, you'll be getting around by boat and foot, a lot of the time. Or horses if you are so inclined!
In Rio you'll be exploring the greener side of the city, which includes the mountain, Atlantic rainforest and the botanical gardens. You'll also visit a reserve which is regenerating forest and is a valuable home to birds and monkeys.
Sadly there will be some carbon footprint with the distances involved. We're not fans on carbon offset programmes, however, we do provide tips for lifestyle changes you can make (optional of course!) to help.
People
You'll meet different local people throughout your trip. You certainly won't just be guided by one person from the big city (or more extremely from another country like the USA).You will meet expert guides, wildlife, birding and otherwise and you will have different drivers and you will meet local people who don't work in the tourism industry. They range from professionals in Rio to ranch owners and cowboys in the Pantanal.
We also hope you enjoy the opportunities to learn about local cultures, from the 200-year old Pantaneiro culture to the centuries-old indigenous.
This trip supports initiatives throughout this trip including a reforestation project.
On the whole we do have a 'trade not aid' philosophy. However, we do also make charitable donations in the countries we operate in. In Brazil this includes a charity that helps street children with reintegration into their families and learning skills which will be useful to them in life.
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