Sept 07/Sept 25: The tour host will meet you in São Paulo Int’l Airport for the flight to Campo Grande, departing at 09:15. Arrival at 10:05 local time and car transfer on spacious van to Cabanas Hotel (5 hrs). Lunch at a restaurant on the way. Free afternoon to wind down from the trip, exploring the easy forest trails of our lodge, looking for birds like Blue-crowned Trogon and Amazonian Motmot, some mammals are around too like Capuchin Monkey and Azara’s Agouti. Evening presentation of the trip. [Incl.: lunch, dinner]
Sept 08 to 09/ Sept 26 to 27: These two days will be devoted to getting the best possible shots of macaws in flight at a huge natural sinkhole where dozens of Red-and-green Macaws (plus the odd Blue-and-yellow Macaws) nest and roost. At this private nature reserve there are two conveniently placed wooden terraces installed at the edge of the sinkhole, ideal spots for our photography as the macaws fly below us and at eye level. Expect dozens of great opportunities a day for flight shots. The habitat surrounding the sinkhole is good for birds such as Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Plush-crested Jays, among others. We stop for a great lunch and a siesta at a neighbour fazenda. This region is also very good for Giant Anteaters and we will look for them as well in the late afternoons. [Incl.: brkfst., lunch, dinner]
Sept 10/Sept 28: After breakfast and some quick photos around the lodge we drive to the town of Aquidauana (4 hrs) to catch the chartered flight to Fazenda Barranco Alto, about 30 minutes away into the heart of South Pantanal. This and the other flight on this itinerary is done with small twin engine airplanes due to airstrip size limitations. This is a wonderful exclusive little lodge with an immense area inland for our explorations with 4×4 vehicles or by boat on the river, which is pretty much a private river, as its mouth is blocked to other boats by an intricate maze of wetlands and small canals. Jaguar sightings here are increasingly more common, and there are also many opportunities for birds and varied wildlife. Afternoon photographing here. [Incl.: brkfst., lunch, dinner]
Sept 11 to 12/Sept 29 to 30: Two full days at Barranco Alto. Daily activities include safari drives, short walks and boat rides, always focused on producing the best photos. The landscape here is among the most beautiful of the Pantanal, with hundreds of lagoons, forests and native grasslands. Wildlife often encountered here include Giant Anteater, Tapir, varied deer species, lots of parrots and macaws, Giant and Neotropical Otters, Caimans, Crab-eating Fox and even Jaguar and probably the best chances for Puma in Brazil. The habitats here are surprisingly different than at North Pantanal, with some notable differences in avifauna too. At this time of the year the water levels will be dry, exposing sandbars where different birds breed and forming small channels with big concentrations of Caimans hunting small fish. Many drying lakes inland will also have a big concentration of migrating aquatic birds. [Incl.: brkfst., lunch, dinner]
Sept 13/Oct 01: Morning photography and before lunch flight to Porto Jofre region (1:20 hr), crossing the Pantanal to its northern part. We will fly directly to the air strip of our hotel (Porto Jofre Hotel). The hotel is considered the best in the region, with excellent structure and equipments. The same is true for our smaller boat used for the river cruises, very spacious and comfortable, equipped with modern 4-stroke engine and radio. Afternoon looking for Jaguars and other wildlife along the myriad of rivers and canals of this region. [Incl.: brkfst., lunch, dinner]
Sept 14 to 18/Oct 02 to 06: Five full days of boat outings for Jaguar and much more. Expect a lot of different Jaguar sightings (average 3 per day or more), plus Giant Otters, Capybaras, Tapir and lots of birds. We usually return to the hotel for lunch, unless there is a lot of action going on during the middle of the day, which we then can choose to stay the whole day out and carry a packed lunch. [Incl.: brkfst., lunch, dinner]
Sept 19/Oct 07: After breakfast car transfer to Araras Ecolodge, at the middle of the Transpantaneira (3 hrs), stopping along the way for photos. This is an excellent lodge with a 25m tall modern observation tower standing above the surrounding forest, where we get different angles to photograph birds, monkeys and landscape. [Incl.: brkfst., lunch, dinner]
Sept 20/Oct 08: Full day at Araras where we will explore its property, full of varied wildlife around which will result in great photos. Our van and driver will be with us here so we can use it to explore different parts of the property. [Incl.: brkfst., lunch, dinner]
Sept 21/Oct 09: We will leave the lodge after breakfast for Cuiabá (2 hrs), and fly back to São Paulo Int’l at 12:15, arriving at 15:25. Check our optional Atlantic Rainforest extension as well for incredible bird photography in a completely different environment. [Incl.: brkfst.]