This trip takes place on the broad flat savannah in north western Brazil where many of the large animals of South America can be observed. We stay at a comfortable lodge and make excursions in the daytime on foot, by boat, and by four wheeled drive safari vehicles.

Trip Info

Pantanal Full Description

Weather and Travel

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While at the lodge we spend our days exploring the small rivers and streams that drain this vast seasonal wetland. A number of our passengers have been able to walk through the knee high grass to closely observe Giant Anteaters with their three foot long snouts that have a tiny mouth at the end. Expect to see clouds of bright pink spoonbills, hundreds of large caiman lying on the shore, howler monkeys and spider monkeys cavorting in the tree tops and herds of the worlds largest rodent, the capybara, lounging on the river banks.

The Pantanal Environment
The Pantanal lies to the south of the Amazon basin and is an enormous grassland covering over 143,000 square miles. In some ways it is comparable to the savannas of Africa with its vast prairies divided by lazy meandering rivers forested at the waters edge. The Pantanal is also teeming with life.

Along the rivers among the trees there are clouds of birds that chatter and cavort in rookeries of thousands of nests. There are countless crocodilians lounging and snoozing on the beaches in full view and rather unconcerned about our presence. Herds of 150 pound capybara, giant guinea-pig-like rodents, graze near the waters edge pausing only to glance at us with their slightly timid looks. Roaming the sea of grass from horizon to horizon is a fantastic collection of mammals like Giant Anteater, Jaguar, Marsh Deer and wild Peccaries.

When is the best time to go?
This is always a difficult question to answer when it comes to observing wildlife. There are advantages to traveling in both the rainy and the dry season. In the rainy season it can be quite rainy, but there is the advantage that the weather is a bit cooler. Another advantage is that water flows over the banks of the rivers and floods the savanna. This has the effect of concentrating animals on the high ground which can make them easy to see and photograph. The dry season also has its own advantages. When the savanna has dried, many animals congregate at the edges of rivers where they can be easily seen by boat. Mammals walk through the range inviting a look and a photograph. In the end, the best time to travel to the Pantanal is when it is convenient for you. See the menu upper left, More Pantanal Weather.

Itinerary Sketch: Pantanal
Day 1: Campo Grande / Pantanal (Sunday)
Our flight arrives this morning in Campo Grande, Brasil. We board air-conditioned overland vehicles and drive across the cerrado with lunch mid-way in our three and a half hour journey. Arriving at the lodge in the early afternoon we will check into our rooms and go for our first afternoon excursion at the lodge. (L,D)

Days 2 and 3: Pantanal (Monday & Tuesday)
These two days we will rise early and venture out into the field to observe morning feeding activity. Depending on the season and weather, we may explore by safari vehicle or walk along trails through the thick scrub in search of mammals. Following lunch we will go out again and canoe along some of the quiet waterways that crisscross the Pantanal or explore by vehicle or on foot the edges of the small rivers where animals congregate. We will relax the rest of the afternoon. Following dinner we will venture out for a nocturnal excursion. (B,L,D)

Day 4: Pantanal (Wednesday)
After an early rising and a brief excursion into the bush for the burst of animal activity, we will visit the Center for Hyacinth Macaw Research, a facility operated by the lodge to help recover the populations of this endangered Macaw that is endemic to the Pantanal. Following lunch we may canoe along the banks of nearby lakes and enjoy the wildlife that crowds to the river's edge. We should see large numbers of caiman, herds of capybara, giant Jabiru Storks, and with luck, Capuchin and Howler Monkeys. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Pantanal (Thursday)
This morning early we will begin our return to Campo Grande Airport.

Trip Length: 5 days 4 Nights
Accommodations: Very comfortable and clean lodge.
Activities: Observe the abundant fauna of the largest seasonally flooded Savannah in the western hemisphere.
Cost: Per person

	Double	Single	Triple	Child
High Season: Jun 03 to Jan 02, '08	1,300	1,600	1,125	975
Low Season: Jan 3 to Jun 02, '07	1,225	1,425	1,050	800

Includes: All accommodations, transfers, all meals, local guides, vistas of clouds of birds, and a good look at many of the large mammals of South America.

Often passengers will combine this trip with our Amazon trips in Brazil an absolutely fabulous natural history experience. Give us a call and we will help you coordinate the trips.

For more information or to sign up, give us a call at 800-688-1822 to reserve the space. For the nitty gritty details on refunds and other business aspects of the trips, follow this link to Administrative Details.