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EN INTRODUCTION
Jaguar Essentials Tours now operate year-round, not only during the dry season. These are private tours that can depart any day of the week. These tours are specifically designed for those who aim to see not only the Jaguar but the whole variety of wildlife that the Pantanal offers. They are perfect for independent travelers, couples, families with children & incoming overseas tour groups. The activities involve observing wildlife in a safari car or vehicle, observing jaguars and other wildlife by motorboat, and trail walks across level ground. While the activities require only a moderate level of physical fitness, exposure to the sun, rain, high seasonal temperatures, reactions to biting insects as well as a certain distance from medical facilities, and infrequent mechanical breakdowns along the Transpantaneira in unshaded areas are considerations for this trip.
TOUR DESCRIPTION
The trips depart from Cuiaba, the capital of Mato Grosso state. Our guide will meet you at the airport upon your arrival in the morning or at your hotel in Cuiabá or near the airport in Varzea Grande, should you arrive beforehand. From Cuiaba, we continue to Pocone, the gateway to the Transpantaneira, where we will begin our safari adventure along the Transpantaneira Park Road, observing wildlife for 144 kilometers along an unpaved road with 122 bridges until the end in Porto Jofre at the border of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. In Porto Jofre, we will spend the next two days spotting Jaguars, photographing Capybaras, searching for Anacondas, several varieties of monkeys, and all manner of water and shorebirds before continuing on the second afternoon to another lodge where we can see other Pantanal species that you are unlikely to encounter in the deep swamps of Porto Jofre before returning to Cuiabá the following day.
Itinerary Jaguar Essentials 5-Day Private Tour 2025 with Jaguar Bay Lodge & Pantanal-Aventura Lodge (Formerly called Rio Clarinho Lodge)
Day 1 - Cuiabá to Porto Jofre: Exploring the Transpantaneira
You can meet your guide outside the security gate at the airport when your flight arrives in the morning or at your hotel or hostel in Várzea Grande or Cuiaba at the agreed-upon time.
We will then transfer to Pocone, the gateway to the Transpantaneira Park Road (105 km, 1 ½ hours).
We will stop in Pocone to purchase last-minute items such as snacks, water, and any personal necessities. We will stop for lunch in Pocone or along the Transpantaneira, depending on our departure time. We will continue along the Transpantaneira safari style, stopping to observe, photograph, and understand wildlife.
We aim to arrive in Porto Jofre at the end of the Transpantaneira (145 km) in time for dinner by 19h00, with nocturnal spotlighting along the last part of the drive. We will check into the rooms, have dinner, and spend the night at Jaguar Bay Lodge, an annex of Santa Rosa Pantanal Hotel or similar if unavailable.
Day 2 - Porto Jofre: The Labyrinth of Rivers
We will begin with breakfast starting between 06h00 and 07h00 before departing by motorboat upstream, navigating a labyrinth of rivers including the São Lourenço, Piquiri, Cuiabá, Três Irmãos, Corixo Negro, and the Caxari Channel. During the early dry season, from April, when temperatures are cooler, days are shorter, and mosquitoes are fewer, we generally pack a picnic lunch and return to the lodge before sunset, spending the day plying the waterways with experienced rivermen. Our objective is to offer at least 8 hours on the river. Most wildlife, especially avifauna, is more active in the early morning and late afternoon. Because we observe Jaguars by boat along the riverbanks, where they come to hunt, drink, swim, enjoy a cool breeze & avoid insects often throughout the day, bringing lunch along during the dry season can be advantageous. It also allows us to explore farther from our base, and we have several hours to find Jaguars without the company of other boats that elect to return to the lodges during the lunch hour. During the rainy season, with few boats on the river, we tend to return to the lodge for lunch as we more often spot jaguars closer to our base rather than in the more remote regions that tend to be flooded in this season. There is a risk of thunderstorms, and longer days give us more time to return to the lodge, avoid mosquitos, and not face the heat of the midday summer sun. Either way, after a full day of Jaguar spotting, we will return to the lodge by sunset, have dinner, and spend the night at Jaguar Bay Lodge, with an optional brief nocturnal spotlighting safari after dinner.
Day 3 - Porto Jofre - Rio Clarinho Region
Breakfast will be between 06h00 and 07h00.
We will again depart for the rivers, looking for Jaguars, Giant River Otters, Anacondas, Jacare caimans, Capybaras, Brown Capuchins, Black-and-gold howler monkeys, and shorebirds. At 12h00, we will return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we will have an overland safari, returning along the Transpantaneia during prime wildlife hours to the UESO-Aventura Lodge (formerly called Rio Clarinho Lodge) on the banks of the Rio Clarinho and Rio Claro Rivers.
We will have free time until dinner, and afterward, we will do a nocturnal spotlighting safari on foot, which is a unique opportunity to observe nocturnal wildlife species in their natural habitat.
Overnight at UESO-Aventura Lodge.
Day 4
Early bird hike to the observation tower to watch the sunrise and a short trail before breakfast.
Return to the lodge for breakfast.
We will then set out on a morning activity, such as a paddling trip on the Claro River at UESO-Aventura in search of Endangered Giant river otters, Neotropical otters, Boat-billed herons, and other wildlife. Another tour option would be the Jabiti Woodland Trail, which borders a small stream or a mule trip through the fields and forests at UESO-Pantanal.
Lunch at the lodge.
Another activity in the afternoon period.
Safari, Along the access road and Transpantaneira to the Pixaim River; return after dark with nocturnal spotlighting.
Dinner and overnight at UESO-Aventura Lodge.
Day 5—Rio Clarinho Region back to Cuiaba
We will take a sunrise hike to the observation tower along elevated trails.
We will return to the lodge for Breakfast at 07h00. Depending on the season and field conditions, we will have an activity in the morning, such as a trail walk or safari along the access roads on the reservation. We will have lunch at the lodge or in Pocone and then transfer back to Cuiaba to your hotel to meet your outbound flight or onward to one of our other destinations.