Top 10 Pantanal Adventures For Your Brazil Holidays

No holiday in Brazil would be complete without experiencing the country’s spectacular biodiversity. After all, Brazil is the most biodiverse country in the world. And to witness this powerhouse of nature, there is no better wildlife watching destination to include in your South American itinerary than the Pantanal.

Often overshadowed by the mighty Amazon, the Pantanal is the true wild heart of Brazil. The enormous wetland, stretching over two Brazilian states and the border regions in Bolivia and Paraguay, is home to the highest concentration of wildlife in the Americas. At least 159 species of mammals, 656 species of birds, 53 species of amphibians and 98 species of reptiles live in the Pantanal.

READ MORE: 50 Outstanding Safari Holidays Destinations Outside of Africa

Toco toucan in Brazil
Toco toucan

Unlike the Amazon, where the wildlife is concealed behind the dense jungle foliage, the Pantanal displays its wild treasures on the flat, open stage of grasslands, marshes and lakes. It is the perfect arena for wildlife holidays in South America, and given its size, it gives plenty of opportunities for exploration.

READ MORE: Brazil Itinerary: watching wildlife in Brazil without breaking the budget

The best time to visit the Pantanal is between the months of June and October, when the seasonal flooding has subsided, leaving behind a reach aquatic prey base. Although even in the dry season, a large portion of the Pantanal is not accessible by road. To get the most out of your visit, aim to explore both: the Northern Pantanal (via Cuiaba) and the Southern Pantanal (via Campo Grande).

Here are the top 10 Pantanal adventures to add to your Brazil holidays. Most of these destinations can be visited independently, or you can opt for an organized tour and have all the logistics taken care off. Another benefit of an organized tour is that you will have the same experienced guide for most of your trip instead of relying on the guides employed by the lodges.

Drive the Transpantaneira Highway

The only road to traverse the northern Pantanal in Brazil, the Transpantaneira is no more than a raised dirt road stitched together by 122 wooden bridges. The 147-km road connects the small town of Poconé (103 km from Cuiaba airport) with the fishing community of Porto Jofre. But the Transpantaneira is more than just a road, it is a wildlife destination in itself.

Caimans baking in the sun along the Transpantaneira
Caimans baking in the sun along the Transpantaneira

Thousands of storks, egrets, herons, hawks, vultures and kingfishers wade, hover and dart among the sparse vegetation of the flooded savannah. Hundreds of caimans bask in the scorching sun. Capybaras and Marsh deer wade across the wetlands and Giant anteaters amble among the termite mounds. The abundance of life along the Transpantaneira is astonishing. It is the perfect start to your Pantanal adventure.

Watch South American tapirs at Pouso Alegre lodge

As wild as it is, most of the Pantanal is privately owned by small-scale cattle ranchers and soybean farmers. But since the Transpantaneira opened up the Northern Pantanal, a steady flow of tourism provided a new stream of revenue for the local community. Many cattle ranches reinvented themselves as eco-lodges, opening up their land to wildlife watchers.

Pantanal Adventures - South American tapir at Pauso Alegre lodge
South American Tapir

The rustic Pouso Alegre is one such eco-lodge, well known for its population of the Threatened South American tapirs. You can watch these gentle creatures emerge out of the forest at sundown to take a drink at one of the watering holes.

READ MORE: Brazil Itinerary: watching wildlife in Brazil without breaking the budget

Pantanal adventures - Chestnut-eared aracari
Chestnut-eared Aracari in the northern Pantanal

The tapirs, of course, are only the beginning. Pauso Alegre is home to Giant anteaters, armadillos, capuchin monkeys and marmosets, crab-eating foxes, brocket deer, agoutis and a spectacular variety of birds from macaws and toucans to parrots and hummingbirds.

Visit observation towers at Araras eco-lodge

To get a bird’s eye view of the Pantanal, visit the observation towers at Pouso Araras, another cattle ranch-come-ecolodge along the Transpantaneira. Much more luxurious than Pouso Alegre, Araras lodge is home to the same wildlife species, but it offers a different perspective. The lodge has three observation towers located at strategic points near the watering holes.

Brazil Holidays - Hyacinth macaw in the Pantanal
Hyacinth macaw in the Pantanal

To maximize the wildlife sightings, visit one of the towers at dawn to see both: the nocturnal species taking the last drink before turning in for the day, and the diurnal species starting their day.

Go canoeing at Pousada Piuval

Pousada Piuval is another up-market eco-lodge (check availability here) with spectacular wildlife watching opportunities. There is even a pair of Blue and Yellow Macaws nesting in the trunk of a dead palm tree by the swimming pool.

But the most tranquil experience in Piuval is a sunset canoe ride down the still surface of a narrow waterway snaking its way across the property. As you glide along the river, past the slumbering caimans, you’ll have a chance to watch hundreds of birds settling in for the night as the giant orb of the sun dips below the horizon.

Sunset at Pousada Piuval
Sunset at Pousada Piuval

Once the sun is gone, hundreds of fishing bats emerge from their roosts and race past you, just above the surface of the water. And when the last squawks of the birds die down in the fading light, a serene stillness envelops the river. This kind of quiet you can only experience in the wilderness.

Watch the night sky over the savanna

Before your turn in for the night, take the chance to appreciate the billions of stars twinkling above the dark savannah. Away from the city lights, the night sky in the Pantanal is relatively free from light pollution and you can often see the band of the Milky Way arching across it.

Milky Way over the Pantanal, Brazil
Milky Way over the Pantanal

If you have a tripod with you, aim your camera at the sky, set a high ISO and leave the shutter open for about 20 seconds. You will be amazed by how much the camera can see in 20 seconds.

Go on a jaguar safari at Porto Jofre

Lying on the bank of the Cuiaba River, where the Transpantaneira comes to an abrupt end, the small fishing community of Porto Jofre is the jaguar watching capital of the world. There are so many jaguars living on the banks of the river, that the sightings are virtually guaranteed.

Female jaguar on the prawl for her next meal in the Pantanal
Female jaguar on the prowl for her next meal in the Pantanal

Thanks to the abundance of prey, living on the riverbank, the jaguars do not have to wait for the cover of darkness to go looking for their dinner. It is the daytime activity of the river jaguars that makes Porto Jofre the best place to see wild jaguars in Brazil, or anywhere else for this matter.

The river is not all about the jaguars of course. You are also likely to meet the endangered giant otters, breeding bird colonies, more caimans, capybaras, birds and maybe even a green anaconda. If you are planning to visit the Pantanal as part of your Brazil holidays, make sure that Porto Jofre is on your itinerary.

The river is not all about the jaguars of course. You are also likely to meet the endangered giant otters, breeding bird colonies, more caimans, capybaras, birds and maybe even a green anaconda. If you are planning to visit the Pantanal as part of your Brazil holidays, make sure that Porto Jofre is on your itinerary.

Take a scenic flight over the Pantanal

The landscape of the Pantanal is so vast, that to fully appreciate it, you need to see it from the air. There are a few options for scenic flights in the Pantanal. To see the northern expanse of the wetland, you can take a 1hr flight from Pocone and soar over the flooded savanna and Cuiaba river – the land of the jaguar.

Cuiaba River near Porto Jofre
Cuiaba River from the air

In the Southern Pantanal, you can take a flight from Campo Grande to one of the eco-lodges for the next part of your Pantanal adventure.

Look for pumas at Barranco Alto

The southern Pantanal is a greener landscape than the northern reaches of the wetland. It is dominated by the rich pasture land and savanna, peppered with countless termite mounds – the perfect habitat for one of South America’s oddest creatures – the Giant anteater. You can watch these shaggy giants amble from one termite mound to another as they gorge on nutritious insects.

Brazilian holidays - giant anteater
Giant anteater in the southern Pantanal

The lodges in the southern Pantanal all seem to have their own wildlife specialty. Barranco Alto eco-lodge, for example, is the best place in the Pantanal to spot a puma.

You might also like: How to Plan Your Patagonia Puma Quest in Torres Del Paine, Chile

Support jaguar conservation at Caiman eco-lodge

If you have seen BBC’s Jaguars: Brazil’s Super Cats, you are familiar with the work of Onçafari, a jaguar conservation initiative based at Caiman eco-lodge. The story of the documentary followed the teams’ successful efforts to re-introduce two orphaned jaguar cubs into the wild at Refugio Ecologico Caiman. The first time such a re-introduction has been attempted.

jaguar in the pantanal
Jaguar

The team of Oncafari is working on habituating wild jaguars to vehicles and human presence to promote jaguar tourism in support of wildlife conservation. You can appreciate the team’s efforts on Onçafari Jaguar Safari.

See ocelots at Fazenda San Francisco

Fazenda San Francisco is probably not the best place in the Pantanal for spotting pumas and jaguars, but is it, by far, the best place in the world to see the ocelot. These stunning spotted cats are attracted to the fazenda by the large population of rodents living in the rice paddies.

Pantanal adventure - Ocelot
Female ocelot at Fazenda San Francisco

The fields are surrounded by a large tract of intact savanna that is home to an abundance of wildlife. Anteaters, giant and small, armadillos, jaguars, pampas cats, pumas and even maned wolves are occasionally spotted on the property.

As you can see, the Pantanal is an unparalleled wildlife-watching destination not only in Brazil but in all of South America. So if you enjoy seeing wild animals in their native habitat, make sure to include a visit to the Brazilian Pantanal in your South American adventure.

Have you visited the Pantanal? Share your thoughts and tips in the comments below.

More on Finding Wildlife in Brazil


15 thoughts on “Top 10 Pantanal Adventures For Your Brazil Holidays”

  1. I love wildlife destinations and this looks incredible. Definitely adding this to my list. Such beautiful photos!

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  2. This looks like my dream holiday!!! I love watching wildlife and going off the beaten path, so this is the perfect combination of both. Will put this on the bucket list now! Thanks for this detailed guide, it will make planning a trip there so much easier.

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    • Thank you, Eva. I totally agree. Brazil feels like an entire country off the beaten path. There is a huge domestic tourism market, but not many foreign visitors. It is most noticeable at Iguazu Falls. Both sides are crowded. But while Argentina is crowded with foreign tourists, Brazil is crowded with domestic. So it’s a good time to visit Brazil :).

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  3. Such an amazing post, and absolutely adventurous wildlife experiences! Can’t believe I missed out on all of these during my 6 months in Brazil! Saved for next time I go:)

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  4. Wow! What amazing biodiversity! Such gorgeous creatures. I’d love to visit Brazil some day. Thanks so much for inspiring.

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  5. I absolutely love your post about wildlife! It is so inspiring and how you find where to watch wildlife almost everywhere. Now I feel like I need to go to Brazil!

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    • Thank you, Albina! Wildlife is my drug of choice :). I’m thrilled that the post inspired your curiosity about Brazil!

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  6. Wow, I had no idea so much variety of wildlife can be seen in Brazil! I have yet to head to that part of the world but I would love to get a glimpse of that anteater! So fascinating :)

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    • Brazil’s wildlife is incredible! And the giant anteater is one of the coolest creatures to see in the wild. They are bigger than you expect them to be and more striking :)

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  7. I want to go on all of the trips. Hopefully I’ll make it to at least one. Love the photos–the anteater, the caimans, the aracari. All of them.

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    • Thank you, Sue! There is nothing quite like the Pantanal anywhere else on earth :). If you get a chance to visit, it will blow your mind.

      Reply
  8. My boyfriend is dreaming about visiting Brazil, I hope to add this place to our list as well. He will love it!

    Reply

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