M-F 8am to 4pm Mountain Time 928.478.1521
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Trip Overview
National Geographic calls it Brazil’s best kept secret.
Covering over 70,000 square miles, the Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland. It sits in the center of South America, and is 10 times the size of Florida’s Everglades. Often overshadowed by the nearby Amazon rainforest, the Pantanal actually boasts a higher concentration of fauna, comparable to the densest animal populations in Africa. Some of the Pantanal’s critters include giant anteaters, piranha, howler and capuchin monkeys, green anacondas—the world’s largest snake, and the star of our proverbial show, jaguars!
Each year rains that fall during the rainy season fill the Pantanal’s giant basin, which creates a vast flooded landscape. Here, unlike the thick jungles of the Amazon, wide-open space extend views for miles and miles. The flooded landscape nurtures a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helps to support a dense array of animal species. When the rains end, water drains into the Paraguay River, leaving behind a rich environment that attracts enormous flocks of spoonbill, egret, and stork. There are few humans here, making birds the primary occupants.
The Pantanal is home to roughly 1,000 bird species, 400 fish species, 300 mammalian species and 480 reptile species. As you can determine, there is a LOT going on here. On our photographic tour of the Pantanal we’ll set out from the Brazilian city of Cuiabá on a safari-like journey south on the dusty Transpantaneira Highway, in search of wildlife encounters.
Porto Jofre, our southerly destination where we’ll spend several days, will bring us to our primary focus – jaguars!
We’ll spend a few days while on the highway photographing whatever we might find, be it marsh deer, coatimundi, giant anteaters, tapirs and giant river otters as we make our way to the settlement of Porto Jofre. It is in Porto Jofre where we’ll spend multiple days in search of the jaguar by boat. The jaguar are often found resting and hunting on the banks of several Pantanal rivers, sometimes even doing a little swimming! Vantage points are best achieved from the river, via boat, so that is what we’ll plan to do! Jaguars are the third largest “big cat” on earth, and the Pantanal jaguar is the world’s largest jaguar subspecies with some males weighing in at over 300 lbs!
While jaguars are ultimately the primary draw on this fantastic South American expedition, birders and other wildlife enthusiasts will be pleased as the bird photography, in particular, is simply astounding here. You’ll certainly want to bring “the big glass” for this tour as we’ll look to photograph jabiru – the world’s largest stork and symbol of the Pantanal, as well as egret, heron, the increasingly endangered hyacinth macaw, alongside capybaras -the world’s largest rodent, caiman, giant otters, and capuchin monkeys.
It’s a mouthful, isn’t it? The list of wildlife that we’ll see could go on and on. Travel with Backcountry Journeys as we venture to South America, and to one of the world’s truly great natural wonders. The Pantanal is still a relatively unknown gem, and provides the wildlife photographer with a plethora of unique opportunities to come away with experiences and images that won’t soon be forgotten.
Covering over 70,000 square miles, the Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland. It sits in the center of South America, and is 10 times the size of Florida’s Everglades. Often overshadowed by the nearby Amazon rainforest, the Pantanal actually boasts a higher concentration of fauna, comparable to the densest animal populations in Africa. Some of the Pantanal’s critters include giant anteaters, piranha, howler and capuchin monkeys, green anacondas—the world’s largest snake, and the star of our proverbial show, jaguars!
Each year rains that fall during the rainy season fill the Pantanal’s giant basin, which creates a vast flooded landscape. Here, unlike the thick jungles of the Amazon, wide-open space extend views for miles and miles. The flooded landscape nurtures a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helps to support a dense array of animal species. When the rains end, water drains into the Paraguay River, leaving behind a rich environment that attracts enormous flocks of spoonbill, egret, and stork. There are few humans here, making birds the primary occupants.
The Pantanal is home to roughly 1,000 bird species, 400 fish species, 300 mammalian species and 480 reptile species. As you can determine, there is a LOT going on here. On our photographic tour of the Pantanal we’ll set out from the Brazilian city of Cuiabá on a safari-like journey south on the dusty Transpantaneira Highway, in search of wildlife encounters.
Porto Jofre, our southerly destination where we’ll spend several days, will bring us to our primary focus – jaguars!
We’ll spend a few days while on the highway photographing whatever we might find, be it marsh deer, coatimundi, giant anteaters, tapirs and giant river otters as we make our way to the settlement of Porto Jofre. It is in Porto Jofre where we’ll spend multiple days in search of the jaguar by boat. The jaguar are often found resting and hunting on the banks of several Pantanal rivers, sometimes even doing a little swimming! Vantage points are best achieved from the river, via boat, so that is what we’ll plan to do! Jaguars are the third largest “big cat” on earth, and the Pantanal jaguar is the world’s largest jaguar subspecies with some males weighing in at over 300 lbs!
While jaguars are ultimately the primary draw on this fantastic South American expedition, birders and other wildlife enthusiasts will be pleased as the bird photography, in particular, is simply astounding here. You’ll certainly want to bring “the big glass” for this tour as we’ll look to photograph jabiru – the world’s largest stork and symbol of the Pantanal, as well as egret, heron, the increasingly endangered hyacinth macaw, alongside capybaras -the world’s largest rodent, caiman, giant otters, and capuchin monkeys.
It’s a mouthful, isn’t it? The list of wildlife that we’ll see could go on and on. Travel with Backcountry Journeys as we venture to South America, and to one of the world’s truly great natural wonders. The Pantanal is still a relatively unknown gem, and provides the wildlife photographer with a plethora of unique opportunities to come away with experiences and images that won’t soon be forgotten.
Jaguars of Brazil's Pantanal
13 Days
Price: from $8695 double occupancy
+$1200 single occupancy
Deposit: $3500
Fitness Level: 2
What's this?
Meals: Most meals included (see itinerary)
Lodging: 7 nights lodging
Fly In/Out: Cuiaba, Brazil
Price: from $8695 double occupancy
+$1200 single occupancy
Deposit: $3500
Fitness Level: 2
What's this?
Meals: Most meals included (see itinerary)
Lodging: 7 nights lodging
Fly In/Out: Cuiaba, Brazil
For more information on this trip, please give us a call Monday-Friday, 8am to 4pm Mountain Time: 928-478-1521.
Trip Details
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- Best Location for Jaguar Photography
Brazil's "best kept secret", the Pantanal, covers over 70,000 square miles, is the world’s largest tropical wetland, and is home to the Pantanal Jaguar. While jaguars are ultimately the primary draw on this fantastic South American expedition, birders and other wildlife enthusiasts will be pleased as the bird photography, in particular, is simply astounding here.
- Learn from a pro!
Get hands on 1:1 instruction from a professional photographer while shooting jaguars and other wildlife from one of the best jaguar and birding destinations in the world!
- Cutting Edge Photography Techniques
Expect to learn everything from basic camera settings for wildlife photography to more advanced techniques.
- Small Groups
We keep groups small to maximize your one on one time with the guide / instructor.
- Awesome Meals & Lodging Included
Ask our past guests – one of the best parts about our trips is the food!
- The BEST Trip Leaders
Our Trip Leaders are photography pros who have been exploring, guiding & photographing for years – you won’t find better trip leaders or instructors anywhere else.
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BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
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"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris to incredible locales such as Yosemite, Alaska, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Hawaii, Utah as well as Botswana & Costa Rica."
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
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All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys - Copyright 2022
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QUICK LINKS
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CONTACT US
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Monday-Friday
8am to 4pm Mountain Time
928-478-1521
adventure@backcountryjourneys.com
8am to 4pm Mountain Time
928-478-1521
adventure@backcountryjourneys.com
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TRIP CATALOG
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Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
settings
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
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"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris to incredible locales such as Yosemite, Alaska, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Hawaii, Utah as well as Botswana & Costa Rica."
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
settings
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys - Copyright 2022
settings
QUICK LINKS
settings
CONTACT US
settings
Monday-Friday
8am to 4pm Mountain Time
928-478-1521
adventure@backcountryjourneys.com
8am to 4pm Mountain Time
928-478-1521
adventure@backcountryjourneys.com
settings
TRIP CATALOG
settings
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.