SOUTH & NORTH COMPLETE PANTANAL
September 24 to October 06, 2022
On this complete itinerary done since 2012 with exclusivity, we are going to visit south and north Pantanal and beyound, making some of the travel with private planes. Your guide and host, professional photographer Octavio Campos Salles, has many years of experience in all of the Pantanal, guiding photo tours there since 2005. This is the “holy grail” of Pantanal photo tours and now with an improved itinerary to maximize photographic opportunities!
The trip starts on an exciting way, at the best place in the world to photograph macaws in flight. The place is a huge natural sinkhole where hundreds of Red-and-green Macaws nest and roost. Spacious wooden terraces located at the edge of the sinkhole provide an ideal platform to shoot the macaws as they fly below us or at eye level. Expect dozens of amazing flight and close-up shots of these gorgeous birds. Many other birds are also found around the sinkhole, like Toco Toucans, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Blue-crowned Motmot. The lodge we stay has some beautiful forest trails with clear water rivers running through the property.
Then we fly to Barranco Alto, a huge private property in the heart of the most beautiful part of the Pantanal. We will have two full days to explore this vast and remote area. The day’s activities include safari drives and boat rides through the scenic Rio Negro, a great place to shoot many birds, including Kingfishers at close range and nesting Black Skimmers, but also Giant and Neotropical Otters, Tapir, bands of Peccaries, Capybaras, Caymans and, with a bit of luck, Jaguar. The safari drives pass through the beautiful varied landscape of the region, crossing native grasslands, forests and the many lakes that are characteristic of this unique region, used by many migrating shorebirds. This is one of the best areas to see Giant Anteaters and the greatest variety of Parrots and Macaws in South America. In late afternoon and early night it’s not that rare to see a Puma, in fact this is one of the best places in Brazil to see one.
For the next part of the trip we fly to the best place in the world to photograph wild Jaguars – Porto Jofre. This is an exciting flight where we cross the entire Pantanal. We stay at the very comfortable new Millenium river boat located right in and around the main area for Jaguar sightings, so we don’t waste any time travelling up and down the river to the best areas. We are located just 5 minutes from the confluence of the Rio Três Irmãos, the most productive areas for Jaguar sightings in the world. Here we have 4 1/2 boat days to capture the best and most exciting scenes. It’s common to find 3 or more cats a day and action like mating or hunting. August is one of the best times of the year here. Water levels are low and the Jaguars very active and with more open areas to be photographed.
To end our trip we then drive to a new lodge in the Transpantaneira Road with varied wildlife and birds, so we get the last shots to finish our Pantanal adventure.
- Date: September 24 to October 06, 2022
- Max of only 6 guests
- Practically everything included from São Paulo, check side tabs for details
- USD 6.600 per person; USD 1.020 additional for single room
- Payment through wire-transfer or credit card through PayPal
Sept 24: The tour host will meet you in São Paulo Int’l Airport for the flight to Campo Grande, departing in the morning. Arrival before mid-day and car transfer to our lodge (4 hrs). Lunch at a restaurant on the way. Afternoon exploring the easy forest trails of our lodge, looking for birds like Blue-crowned Trogon and Amazonian Motmot. Evening presentation about the trip.
Sept 25 and 26: These two days will be devoted to getting the best possible shots of macaws in flight. There are two conveniently placed wooden terraces installed at the edge of the sinkhole, ideal spots for our photography as the macaws fly below us and at eye level. Expect dozens of great opportunities a day for flight shots. The habitat surrounding the sinkhole is good for birds such as Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Plush-crested Jays, among others. We stop for lunch and a siesta at a neighbour fazenda. This region is also very good for Giant Anteaters and we will look for them as well.
Sept 27: After breakfast and some quick photos around the lodge we drive to the town of Aquidauana (4 hrs) to catch the chartered flight to Barranco Alto, about 30 minutes away into the heart of the Pantanal. This is a wonderful exclusive little lodge with an immense area inland for our explorations with 4×4 vehicles or by boat on the river, which is pretty much a private river, as its mouth is blocked to other boats by an intricate and unpassable maze of wetlands and small canals. Afternoon photographing.
Sept 28 and 29: Two full days at Barranco Alto. Daily activities include safari drives, short walks and boat rides, always focused on producing the best photos. The landscape here is among the most beautiful of the Pantanal, with hundreds of lagoons, forests and native grasslands. Wildlife often encountered here include Giant Anteater, Tapir, varied deer species, lots of parrots and macaws, Giant and Neotropical Otters, Caimans, Crab-eating Fox and even Jaguar and probably the best chances for Puma in Brazil. At this time of the year the water levels will be dry, exposing sandbars where different birds breed and small channels with big concentrations of caimans hunting small fish. Many drying lakes inland will also have a big concentration of water birds.
Sept 30: Morning photography and before lunch flight to Porto Jofre region, crossing the Pantanal to its northern section. We will fly to an air strip close to our river boat, which will be our home and base for the next days. Afternoon going out with the boat looking for Jaguars!
Oct 01 to 04: Four full days of boat outings for Jaguar and much more. Expect a lot of different Jaguar sightings (average 3 per day or more), plus Giant Otters, Capybaras and lots of birds. Because our river boat is located right in and around the main area where Jaguars are sighted consistently, we always return for lunch and a midday siesta before going out again in the afternoon.
Oct 05: Morning transfer to Porto Jofre and car transfer to Pousada Piuval, at the beggining of the Transpantaneira (3 hrs). Here we have the chance to unwind a bit and make the last photos. There is an area nearby with a big concentration of water birds that at this time of the year always produce interesting photos.
Oct 06: We will leave the lodge after breakfast for Cuiabá (2 hrs), and fly back to São Paulo Int’l at 11:40, arriving around 14:50. Check our optional short pre tour to the Atlantic Rainforest as well!
- Domestic commercial flights from São Paulo
- Domestic luggage fees (one checked bag per person)
- Private chartered flights
- All road transportation on confortable private vans
- Fully hosted trip from São Paulo
- Double occupancy accomodations (single rooms are available, specially for early bookings)
- All meals while at the lodges and lunch on first day
- All drinks while at the lodges (except wine and distilled drinks)
- Boat with unlimited fuel
- Park entrance fees
Not included
- International air tickets
- Excess baggage fees
- Drinks when not mentioned above
- Meals outside the itinerary
- Tips
Accomodations included on the tour price are for double occupancy rooms. Single rooms are available, but to guarantee them we advise to book early. All rooms throughout the trip are equipped with private bathrooms, air conditioning and wi-fi. Rooms are clean, spacious and comfortable. We now use a newer, bigger house boat, very comfortable and with much more space in the rooms and common areas.
They all offer a wide variety of self service meals (vegetarian/vegan friendly).
Atlantic Rainforest – Birds, multiflash hummingbirds
Begin your Brazil photo trip with a fantastic pre tour just 4 hours by car from São Paulo to the lush Atlantic Rainforest. We stay at a simple but fully devoted lodge for photography and birding. The feeders here are loaded with colorful birds, like Saffron Toucanets, Red-breasted Toucan, Magpie and Green-headed Tanagers, Black-throated Grosbeak, Yellow-fronted and Blond-crested Woodpeckers, etc. Many hummingbirds are around as well, like Brazilian Ruby and Scale-throated Hermit. Special forest hides allow us the opportunity to photograph more elusive forest species, like tinamous and wood-quails. We will also have a multiflash setup that can be used by all participants to photograph hummingbirds in flight.
Itinerary
Sept 21: The tour host will meet you São Paulo Int’l in the morning or at a nearby hotel. Car transfer to our lodge, around 4 to 5 hours away through good roads. Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon photographing.
Sept 22: Full day photographing here. Highlights include the bird feeders of course, but also birds in the forest, forest landscape, macro and of course multi-flash hummingbird.
Sept 23: Photography during the day and travel back to São Paulo at dusk. Night at Panamby Hotel near the airport, to start the Pantanal trip the next day.
- USD 900 per person
- USD 130 for single room
- Minimum of 2 guests, maximum of 6
- Included – car transfer, double occupancy accomodation, hotel in São Paulo on the way out, all meals while at the lodge, multiflash setup (one setup to be shared among us).
- Not Included – drinks through the trip, lunch at the airport in São Paulo, CPR tests (if needed).
Terms & Conditions for Atlantic Rainforest Extension
After reading our Terms & Conditions, please fill out the form below to book your spot on this trip.
This trip requires a 20% confirmation deposit for booking.
