Brazil’s northern Pantanal is gaining fame for the place to see jaguars, with the masses going down the Transpantaneira to Porto Jofre.The cats are great, but with up to 70 or more boats surrounding the shore, the experience is a much lower quality that what we offer on the Paraguay River from Caceres.We are almost alone with each wildlife sighting, be it jaguars, giant otters, or any of the other wildlife on the river, bays and shores.Another difference is the quality of the lodges we stay at and having the best expedition boats in the region.Our main boat is 8 meters long, with a 115HP Yamaha motor.We have gas tanks that when full hold 480 liters.We operate with up to 4 participants, so that you can all sit in the front of the boat, rather than behind 10 or 12 people as on other tours.We need the area behind our guide and driver for our coolers that hold what you want to drink, and we check with you before arrival.We include alcohol such as craft beers, wine and mixed drinks.When we stop the boat to catch the sunset over the river, we can toast to the wildlife we had seen up to then.We drink as the sun sets, so we can use the spotlight on our way back to the lodge, finding the diurnal and nocturnal species on the river.None of the other tours are out at night.

 

We also carry a gas grill and gas tank.What this all means to participants is that we can go much deeper into the Pantanal to even wilder places, as we have the boat and gas to do it.When we go far, we take our food with us, grilling steaks, chicken, fish and vegetables on the riverside far from our lodge.We have plenty of cold water on hand and will give you a 5-liter bottle for your lodge room so you can fill your water bottles, as we don’t use single-use plastics.

 

The top thing is the wildlife.We regularly find jaguars, giant otters, marsh deer, Brazilian tapirs, 5 species of primates, and birds and birds and birds. Most jaguar tours have guides that know about the jaguars, but our founder, Douglas Trent, has also guided birders for 40 years, and Forbes labeled him “Brazil’s Birdman”.See all of this daily in comfort, with the drinks you want to find in the cooler, and much of the day in the field, and with just 4 people on the tour.

 

The best time to do this for wildlife viewing is June through November.