Jaguars of the Pantanal
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Overview
New in 2015: Upgraded lodging and an extra day on location!
Jeff Foott has also been added to this itinerary as co-leader at no extra charge.
Just a few years ago, it was inconceivable that there could be a place where a photographer could reliably photograph wild jaguars in their home habitat, and better yet, in the open along a river bank and in great light. Incredibly, such a place exists in the Pantanal wetland of Brazil, and years of research have proven it to be by far the world’s most productive location for photography of wild jaguars. Our 2013 Visionary Wild group enjoyed multiple jaguar sightings each day, lasting anywhere from five minutes to an hour and a half each, totaling nine individuals patrolling their territories in the area. We discovered a mother and daughter that had not been known to local biologists (so members of our group got to assign the nicknames biologists will use for reference), and we were very fortunate to see one of our favorite cats, a seven-year-old male nicknamed “Mick Jaguar,” stalk and take down a 200-pound, eight-foot-long caiman from a great vantage point just forty meters away! Rivers and channels provide easy access by boat to water’s-edge locations frequented by the big cats in the dry season. This is the closest thing to an East African photo safari in the New World.
The Brazilian Pantanal, the world’s largest continental wetland, is a luxuriant forest-savannah mosaic in central-western Brazil that is home to the highest density of jaguars in the world. It is also simply the greatest wildlife spectacle of Latin America. In addition to its jaguars, which are far more accessible to photographers here than anywhere else in their range, it harbors the world’s largest parrots (hyacinth macaw), the world’s largest snake (anaconda), the world’s largest otter, and many other species of wildlife, often in astonishingly high densities.
Award-winning nature photographer Justin Black – a Pantanal veteran – looks forward to sharing this expedition with six passionate photographers. The small group size will ensure ample space to maneuver for photography from the boats.
Our floating hotel for five nights of the trip is the brand-new and spacious Jaguar Suites, offering the finest guest rooms in all the Pantanal, purpose-built to support serious photographers in comfort. Anchored on the Cuiabá River right in the middle of the best jaguar action, when compared with other accommodations in the area this privileged location on the water permits us to spend up to two hours of extra time per day with the cats, and at the best times of day for quality of light, comfortable temperatures, and scenic beauty in the Pantanal. The suites also feature scenic river views, air-conditioning, high-speed Wi-Fi, and desktops with multiple power outlets for charging laptops and batteries. We have secured enough space at the Jaguar Suites for each of the six participants to have a private room with en-suite bathroom. The suites accommodate double-occupancy very comfortably as well.
We will also spend a total of four nights (the first night, and the final three) at the Pantanal Wildlife Center’s Fazenda Santa Teresa, an intimate and very comfortable lodge located on an expansive estate on the banks of the wildlife-rich Pixaim River. This trip coincides with the surreal magenta bloom of numerous large Ipê trees on the lodge grounds and across the Pantanal landscape. Unique wildlife observation towers include one located 16 m east of an active nest of habituated Jabiru storks – perfect at first light in the morning – and a second one in gallery forest along the banks of the river. Virtually guaranteed wildlife sightings here include giant otters, capuchin monkeys, numerous bird species including toco toucans, hyacinth macaws, rufescent tiger heron, anhingas, crested caracaras, various fishing hawks, stunning yellow-billed cardinals, an the extraordinary great potoo. Jaguars and tapirs are sometimes seen that Fazenda Santa Teresa as well.
Click “read more” below right for the itinerary, photo gallery, and more information…
Itinerary:
This itinerary is all-inclusive from pickup to drop-off at the airport in Cuiabá, packaged as double-occupancy by default (single supplement: $850).
17 August. Mon: Land late morning in Cuiaba, Brazil, flying in from São Paulo International Airport. Lunch in Cuiabá before driving to SouthWild Pantanal Lodge, across the Transpantaneira highway, photographing as opportunities present themselves along the way. Arrive to SouthWild Pantanal in late afternoon. Overnight at SouthWild Pantanal Lodge – Fazenda Santa Teresa
18 Aug. Tues: Early in the morning, after breakfast and a possible visit to the lodge by Toco Toucans, leave the lodge to drive south 80 km (50 miles) to the end of the road at Porto Jofre. Travel upstream 15.5 km (in 30 min) by boat to the floating SouthWild Jaguar Suites. Check-in and then go out in Jaguar search boats, with one person per row. Lunch at noon, followed by a break until 2:00 pm, when we head out again in the boats to search for jaguars and giant otters. This afternoon outing will run until sunset, as will all our afternoon excursions. Overnight at SouthWild Jaguar Suites
19 Aug. Weds: Morning and afternoon boat outings (a total of 8 hours of boat outings during the period between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm) in search of Jaguars, giant otters, tapirs, caiman, macaws, and other fauna. Overnight at the SWJF.
20 Aug. Thurs: Rinse and repeat
21 Aug. Fri: Rinse and repeat
22 Aug. Sat: Rinse and repeat
23 Aug. Sun: Rinse and repeat
24 Aug. Mon:After breakfast, check-out of the floating suites and travel 15.5 km by boat to the river port downstream at Porto Jofre and board a vehicle for the transfer back up the last 80 km to SouthWild Pantanal Eco-Lodge. Lunch at SouthWild Pantanal, and relax until the afternoon outing starts at 2:30 pm. Overnight at SouthWild Pantanal.
25 Aug. Tues: Morning and afternoon excursions at SouthWild Pantanal. We’ll make one boat excursion on the river as well as one safari drive, and also work the wildlife observation towers and a number of species of habituated large vertebrates such as Marsh Deer, Jabiru Storks, hawks that take fish from the water’s surface, Ringed Kingfishers that do the same, and Brown Capuchin monkeys and Great Potoos in the forest trails at the lodge. Overnight at SWP lodge.
26 Aug. Weds: Out at 9:00 am (after breakfast) to drive 2.5-3.0 h back to the Cuiabá Airport to catch a flight to São Paulo to then fly home that evening.
Instructors
Jeff Foott
- Having had the good fortune to work and play in nature most of my early life, it became obvious to me I had to spend my life outside. After ...
Justin Black
- JUSTIN BLACK is a photographer, writer, editor, expedition leader, photo workshops instructor, a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers (ILCW), a former executive director of the International ...
Gallery
Pricing
Highlights
- Photograph wild Jaguars close-up and active in their native habitat – guaranteed.
- Excellent opportunities to get close to Giant Otters, Yacaré Caiman crocodilians, Hyacinth Macaws, Tapirs, Jabiru Storks, Great Potoos, birds of prey, and a wide range of exotic birds and other South American wildlife.
- Generous expert photographic instruction and experienced guiding throughout the trip by Justin Black, Jeff Foott, and English-speaking naturalist guides.
- Photography outings each morning and evening, making the most of the best light, from three to four hours in duration.
- Each photographer will have their own seating row in the boats.
- Comfortable accommodations on the water and close to the action
- Satisfying meals, all beverages (including beer, wine, and caipirinhas with dinner), and gratuities for hotel staff are included
Accommodations
- Three nights at SouthWild Pantanal’s Fazenda Santa Teresa Lodge: air-conditioned bedrooms with two full beds per room and en-suite hot-shower bathrooms.
- Six nights at SouthWild Jaguar Suites: spacious luxury air-conditioned cabins with two beds per room (which combine to create a “super-king-size” bed) and en-suite hot-shower bathrooms. The location of the Jaguar Suites couldn’t be better for wildlife photography in the area.
- All meals and beverages from lunch on August 17 through lunch on August 26.
Travel
Outcomes
OUR CLIENT'S VIDEO HELPS SAVE JAGUAR HABITAT
During our 2013 Jaguars of the Pantanal expedition, participant Sally Eagle captured amazing video footage of a large male cat successfully hunting a 200lb., 8-foot caiman, while the rest of the group shot stills. Trip leader Justin Black arranged for one of his agents to promote and distribute her video (as they did Justin’s own photographs of the same event). As a result, the video was been picked up by international media outlets and has enjoyed over 4 million views on Youtube, generating several thousand dollars in royalties for Sally.
WATCH IT HERE: Visionary Wild client Sally Eagle’s footage of “Mick Jaguar” taking an 8-foot caiman.
While it’s always nice to get published and paid, the most important outcome of the media coverage is the raised public awareness of the incredible wildlife of the Pantanal. The fledgling jaguar tourism industry there provides much-needed jobs in a region with an economy otherwise based on cattle ranching, which persecutes jaguars and degrades wildlife habitat. The more valuable the jaguars and other fauna of the Pantanal become as a tourism resource, the more inclined locals and government will be to protect the animals and their habitat. Our partners at Southwild Pantanal are looking into ways to responsibly and sustainably expand jaguar tourism to other parts of the Pantanal, with a vision to protect the best jaguar habitat in the region. The Pantanal’s jaguars range over large territories, so if their habitat is protected at a sustainable level, the habitat of countless other species is protected along with it.
VISIONARY WILD BLOG TRIP REPORT: 2013 Jaguars of the Pantanal
Jaguars of the Pantanal
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