Aug 29/Sept 04 – Arrival in São Paulo
Arrive in São Paulo at any time. Overnight at the Hotel Pullman, conveniently located near São Paulo International Airport, for your domestic flight the following morning. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with your guide and fellow travelers.
[Included: Dinner]

Aug 30/Sept 05 – São Paulo to Bonito
After breakfast, take the hotel shuttle service to the airport for a morning flight to Campo Grande. Upon arrival, continue by spacious van (approx. 3.5 hours) to Hotel Cabanas, located in a beautiful natural setting surrounded by forest and clear-water rivers. Spend the afternoon exploring the hotel’s trails and green areas, photographing birds, monkeys, and other wildlife. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
[Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Aug 31/ Sept 06 – Macaws at the Sinkhole
Spend the entire day photographing Red-and-green Macaws at a spectacular natural sinkhole where dozens of pairs nest and roost, along with a few Blue-and-yellow Macaws. This private reserve features two wooden terraces positioned at the edge of the sinkhole—ideal spots for capturing macaws in flight, often below or at eye level. The surrounding habitat also hosts species such as Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Plush-crested Jay.

We’ll have lunch at Fazenda Rio da Prata, a nearby property known for its beautiful scenery and excellent cuisine. After a short rest, we return to the sinkhole for another session with the macaws in the soft afternoon light. Return to the lodge in the early evening for dinner and overnight.
[Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Sept 01/ Sept 07 – Bonito to the Southern Pantanal
After breakfast and some early-morning photography around the lodge, drive about 2.5 hours to Pousada Aguapé, arriving before lunch. This renowned property offers outstanding photographic opportunities, including excellent bird feeders and some of the best chances in Brazil to see both Giant Anteaters and Southern Tamanduas.

The feeders attract a wide variety of species, especially in the mornings, when it’s possible to capture close-up shots of Toco Toucans, Black-hooded Parakeets, Hyacinth Macaws, Blue-and-yellow Macaws, and others. 
[Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Sept 02/ Sept 08 – Exploring the Southern Pantanal
Enjoy a full day of photography around Pousada Aguapé. With a private local guide and dedicated safari vehicle, we’ll explore the surrounding habitats in search of wildlife and great photographic opportunities.
[Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Sept 03/Sept 09 – To Fazenda Barranco Alto
After breakfast and some quick photos around the lodge, take a chartered flight (approx. 20 minutes) to Fazenda Barranco Alto, located deep in the heart of the Southern Pantanal. These flights are operated with small aircraft due to the short airstrips in the region.

This exclusive lodge offers access to an immense private area for exploration by 4×4 vehicle or boat along a virtually private river—its mouth blocked to other boats by a maze of wetlands and shallow channels. Jaguar sightings are becoming increasingly common here, though never guaranteed, and there are abundant opportunities for photographing birds and other wildlife. This is arguably one of the most beautiful regions in the entire Pantanal.
[Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Sept 04 to 05/Sept 10 to 11 – Exploring Fazenda Barranco Alto
Spend two full days exploring the vast private lands of Fazenda Barranco Alto. Daily activities include safari drives and boat excursions, always focused on achieving the best possible photographic opportunities. The landscape here is among the most beautiful in the Pantanal, featuring a mosaic of lagoons, forests, and native grasslands.

Wildlife frequently encountered includes Giant Anteater, Tapir, several deer species, macaws, parrots, Giant and Neotropical Otters, Caimans, Crab-eating Foxes, and occasionally Jaguars. The habitats differ markedly from those of the northern Pantanal, resulting in a distinct mix of bird species. Many of the drying inland lakes also attract large concentrations of migratory waterbirds.
[Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Sept 06/Sept 12 – To the Northern Pantanal / Porto Jofre
After a quick morning photography session at Barranco Alto, take a chartered flight (approx. 1 hour 20 minutes) to Porto Jofre, crossing the Pantanal from south to north. We’ll land directly on the airstrip of Porto Jofre Hotel, our base for the next stage of the trip.

The boats used for our river excursions are stable, spacious, and comfortable, equipped with modern four-stroke engines and radio communication. This is the best place in the world to photograph Jaguars, and our time here will be dedicated to finding and photographing them. Spend the first afternoon navigating the maze of rivers and channels in search of Jaguars and other wildlife. [Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Sept 07 to 11/Sept 13 to 17 – Jaguars of the Northern Pantanal
Spend five full days exploring the rivers and channels around Porto Jofre by boat, focusing on photographing Jaguars and the region’s rich wildlife. This area offers the best Jaguar viewing in the world, with multiple sightings daily—often three or more.

Other species frequently encountered include Giant Otters, Capybaras, Tapirs, and a great variety of birdlife. We return to the hotel for lunch each day before heading out again in the afternoon. This is the main section of the tour, with ample time allocated to maximize our chances of witnessing and photographing remarkable Jaguar behavior and interactions.
[Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner]

Sept 12/Sept 18 – Return to São Paulo
After breakfast, take a private charter flight on a Cessna Caravan back to Cuiabá, arriving in time for a midday commercial flight to São Paulo. Arrival is scheduled for mid-afternoon.

For those wishing to extend their adventure, consider our optional Atlantic Rainforest pre-tour, offering exceptional bird photography in a completely different environment.
[Included: Breakfast]

PULLMAN HOTEL

One of the top hotels near São Paulo International Airport, this is our preferred base for trips departing from there. Located just five minutes from the terminal, it offers comfortable accommodations, excellent facilities, and a high-quality self-service restaurant.

HOTEL CABANAS

Located near the town of Bonito, in Mato Grosso do Sul State, this lodge, like all others in the region, receives mostly brazilian tourists who come to Bonito for its world class freshwater snorkeling and other water activities. We come here for the incredible opportunities to photograph the Red-and-green Macaws though. This lodge is located about 30 minutes by car from the private reserve with the natural sinkhole where they nest.

The property of the lodge is quite big and includes a few well-kept forest trails and two clear water rivers crossing it. Birds and animals like monkeys and agoutis can be seen around the lodge area.

Rooms are on stilts, cabin-like, comfortable and private. Dinner is ordered a la carte.

AGUAPÉ LODGE

This nice lodge is a heaven for wildlife photographers. It features very busy bird feeders with Toco Toucans, Black-hooded Parakeets, Seriemas, Plush-crested Jays and many others. Both Hyacinth and Blue-and-yellow Macaws are around too, providing unique opportunities for close-up photos. Here we will have a private safari vehicle to explore nearby areas of this large ranch, with a special focus for borth Giant and Southern Anteaters. This is the best place in Brazil for them.

Rooms are comfortable and cozy and food is excellent, served buffet style.

BARRANCO ALTO LODGE

This is a very exclusive little lodge located in a remote area of South Pantanal, accessible during most of the year only by airplane. The property, a very traditional fazenda, is immense and allows us the opportunity to explore its vast interior with a 4×4 open vehicle. The fazenda has hundreds of natural lagoons, a unique geological formation of this area of the Pantanal, known by the strange name of Nhecolandia. These lagoons, interspersed with forests and pockets of native grasslands, are a magnet for wildlife, including mammals coming to drink or migrating birds feeding at the shores of the lagoons.

Rooms are mostly located at the original fazenda main house, converted into very comfortable guest rooms.

The boats used here are more simple than at Porto Jofre, because the river here dictates that. The river is much smaller and shallower, so we must use a smaller boat to access different areas. While you can’t shoot standing up here, it’s stable enough to comfortably shoot while seating down and get close to wildlife. Here we use two boats, dividing in groups of three guests each.

Food is delicious with a touch of fine cuisine here and there. It is served at a buffet with a variety that should suit your tastes. Natural juices with fruits of the season are served with every meal.

HOTEL PORTO JOFRE

The best hotel on the Porto Jofre region, located on the edges of the Cuiabá River and with their own air strip. The hotel is ample, with good, large rooms and common areas. Food is excellent and with many options.

The boat where we go out on river cruises is large and spacious, very stable. It is equipped with modern and fast 4-stroke engine and radio to communicate with other boats on the river. The boat drivers are very competent at positioning the boat for photos and excellent Jaguar spotters.

TRILHA DOS TUCANOS LODGE (OPTIONAL ATLANTIC RAINFOREST EXTENSION)

A simple small family-run lodge fully devoted to bird photography and birdwatching. This is the most simple accommodation during our tour. The rooms are basic but clean. Food is home-made and excellent. The hospitality of the owners make the place special, not to mention the incredible bird feeders, of course.

Ready to join the adventure? Please fill out the form below to secure your spot — but first, take a moment to read the full itinerary and the details below carefully.

Is this trip right for you?

We want your experience to be amazing, so it’s important to make sure this journey truly fits what you’re looking for.

This group tour might not be ideal if you prefer to do things entirely your own way — in that case, a private tour could suit you better. It also helps to enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds, as we’ll be traveling with an international group.

Please note that the trip includes three private flights (Cessna 182, Piper Seneca, and Cessna Caravan) and two commercial flights, so it may not be for you if you’re uncomfortable with small planes. The experience also involves hot weather (up to 40°C), long hours outdoors, and some uneven terrain, which can be challenging for travelers with severe limited mobility or those very sensitive to heat or motion sickness.

Because we spend so much time in nature, you should also feel at ease around insects and small creatures. And while our lodges are comfortable and authentic, among the best in the areas we visit, they’re not luxurious.

What we want most is for this journey to be truly magical for you — and that starts with helping you choose the experience that best matches your expectations.

This trip requires a 20% confirmation deposit, payment is made through wire transfer or credit card (2.9% fee for Visa/Mastercard and 3.9% fee for Amex). Instructions and the Terms & Conditions to be signed via DocuSign will be sent after registration.