In September 2023 I ticked-off a bucket list item by joining a small group of photographers on a 14 day tour of the Brazilian Pantanal. The tour, ‘Complete Pantanal’ run by Octavio Campos Salles of Pantanalphototours, included stays in 4 locations focusing primarily on birds in the south and Jaguars in the north. The group comprised of 5 amateur photographers, a non-photographer spouse and Octavio, a professional photographer/guide with 20+ years experience. The other 5 members were Christopher, from Philadelphia; John and Catherine, a couple from Scotland; and Eric and Erica, a couple from Zurich. Joining an organised tour is a bit like a blind-date, but I can honestly say that the group jelled pretty quickly and we all got along fairly well (I hope they can say the same!).
The tour started and ended in Sao Paolo. All domestic flights, land transportation and most meals were included in the tour price. All we had to do was make our way to/from Sao Paolo, easier for some than others – for me it was 2 days each way with a stopover in Charlotte en route plus a pre/post night at Sao Paolo airport to cover any unforseeable delays. An optional Rainforest extension was available pre/post tour but I couldn’t justify it.
I met up with Octavio and the two couples, who had been to the Rainforest, on the night before the tour as we were all staying at the Hampton by Hilton Guarulhos Airport. They say wherever you go you’’ll meet a geordie and as fate would have it Catherine was from the same neck of the woods as myself! It came as no surprise that I was the only Pentax user but I didn’t expect to be the only SLR user, a reflection of the rapid conversion to mirrorless. Of the others there were 2 Nikon, 1 Sony and 1 Olympus, and from some of their comments about Pentax you'd think I'd turned up with a box brownie. Although, they'd probably have been less critical of the box brownie!
The tour began with a short morning flight with GOL to Campo Grande followed by a 3 hour minibus ride, with a stop en route for lunch, to our first port of call, 3 nights at Hotel Cabanas just outside of Bonito. The rest of the afternoon was devoted to unpacking/settling in. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. The dinner menu at the hotel was very limited, comprising of mostly burgers. It seemed that most guests ventured into Bonito to eat. Local beers, however were cheap!
Next morning breakfast was at 6:20 am and we were in the van at 7:00am on our way to Buraco das Araras, a natural sinkhole, to photograph red-and-green macaws. En route John spotted a Giant Anteater which gave us a fantastic if unexpected photo opportunity! The sinkhole is quite impressive with viewing platforms on both the east and west sides, allowing for morning and afternoon viewing with the sun at your back and making the most of the available shade. It was extremely hot and the macaws were not very active. On the way to lunch we spotted some burrowing owls and a toucan. Lunch was a buffet affair at Rio da Prata, a working ranch that also provided river trips to visitors, about a 30 minute drive from the sinkhole. It was clearly the place to eat as it was busy with several tour groups as well as independent travelers. After a leisurely lunch and a look around, there was a good variety of birds, it was back to the sinkhole to shoot from the other side. On the way back to the hotel we photographed armadillos and a Southern Anteater, much smaller and entirely different to the Giant Anteater from the morning. We had dinner delivered from a local restaurant.
Day 3 followed the same pattern as the previous day at least through lunch after which the heavens opened and the afternoon was a washout. I have to say I wasn’t too disappointed as by this stage I had quite enough of red-and-green macaws! However the day wasn’t a bust as, on our way to lunch, excitement was provided by our second encounter with a Giant Anteater. Dinner was at the hotel.
Day 4. Breakfast was a bit more leisurely before we boarded the van for the 4 hour drive to Aquidauana for the short, light aircraft (one single engine and one twin engine prop), flight to Fazenda Barranco Alto, our home for the next 3 nights. Arriving just before lunch, we were welcomed by Stefan and Pedro and I have to say the place is amazing. It has 6 rooms in a purpose built building which can accommodate up to 18 people. The rooms are spacious and comfortable and we had the place to ourselves! Meals were in a separate building comprising a dining room, bar and kitchen. Beer included! The fazenda comprises 11,000 hectares bordering the Rio Negro with the accommodation set back approximately 300 meters from the river. Guided walks, Game drives, horseback riding, canoeing and river boat rides are available. It is fairly remote, being a 4 hour drive to the nearest grocery store! Around 3:30 we set off in two spacious flat bottom boats for a cruise along the river. Kingfishers, otters, terns, herons, a myriad of small birds and the ubiquitous caiman and capybara were all to be seen. Breakfast, lunch and dinner featuring local produce was family style with Stefan, Pedro and Camilla, the owner. Simple but delicious, a far cry from the menu at Hotel Cabanas.
Day 5. The day comprised of breakfast at 6:45 am, morning game drive at 7:30 am, lunch at noon and, following a post-prandial nap, evening boat ride at 3:30 pm during which our guide caught piranha to feed to the caiman. Dinner at 7 pm.
Day 6 followed the same pattern but with the boat ride in the morning and we got to photograph our first jaguar. A young female on the riverbank. In the afternoon we tried to photograph the cowboys herding cattle but the conditions weren't favourable.
Day 7. An early game drive before our chartered flight to Hotel Pantanal Norte on the Cuiaba river in Mato Grosso close to Porto Joffre. Same single/double engine planes as before for the 1 hour flight. The weather forecast was for gusty winds and rain and the flight was a little bumpy but we landed safely at the hotel landing strip just before lunch. Hotel Pantanal Norte comprises 36 air-conditioned rooms in 18 buildings. The rooms are dormitory-like, and can be configured to accommodate families. My room had 4 twin beds (I had 3 to start then halfway through my stay I gained another!) and two shower rooms/toilets! There was a small refrigerator with sodas and beer, a desk area and seating on a shared patio outside each building. There is a central dining room, pool and games room. The hotel, on the banks of the Cuiaba river, has 3 pontoons allowing for easy access to the riverboats. Our first boat ride was in the afternoon but the weather was a bit miserable so umbrellas and rain gear was order of the day. No sightings but got our bearings. For the next 5 days we would be navigating the Meeting of the Waters State Park searching for jaguars.
Day 8. Alarm set for 4 am, breakfast at 5 am and on the water at 6 am! 3 jaguars sighted and some giant otters. Not bad for the first morning. I was glad I'd brought a beanie and fleece as it was quite cold on the river in the morning. However, it wasn't long before the sun got up and it was very hot. Octavio had given us a water bottle, sun gloves, and a light neck gaiter all of which got plenty of use. Afternoon boat ride at 2:30pm until approximately 5:30 pm. Dinner at 7 pm.
Days 9 through 12 followed the same pattern. Some outings being more productive than others. Probably the best experience was following a jaguar for a kilometer or so along the river as it hunted, culminating in it catching a caiman. However in general the boat rides were a mix of gentle rides looking for something of interest, waiting in the heat watching sleepy jaguars in the hope that they would get active, or zooming up and down the river after receiving a call of a jaguar sighting. I knew that there would be other boats around but I wasn’t quite prepared for the number of boats that appeared on the scene once a jaguar had been spotted. It looked like mayhem but there is an understanding amongst the boat drivers and for the most part it was good-natured jostling to get the prime spot. I have mixed feelings about our stay at Hotel Pantanal Norte. At one point I thought it was too long but I can see why you need more than a couple of days as it is hit and miss with the weather and the sightings. Also the hotel is a 30 to 40 minute high-speed boat ride from the main jaguar spotting area. So 2 to 3 hours each day was spent commuting. I think if I was to return I would look into staying nearer the action or on a riverboat.
Day 13. After breakfast and some last minute photos around the grounds we set off on a bumpy 3 hour ride along the Transpantaneira highway to our final stop at Araras Eco Lodge a little more than halfway between Hotel Pantanal Norte and Cuiaba from where we would catch our flight to Sao Paolo. Araras is very nice, with comfortable air-conditioned rooms and a lovely place to wind-down from the hyperactivity of the previous 12 days. Breakfast and lunch were served outside under a canopy and dinner was inside in the bar/dining room. As in the other places meals were buffet style with fresh local produce. The lodge on 715 hectares offers canoeing, safari drives and nature walks. There are 3 viewing towers although one was closed during our stay.
Day 14. With temperatures pushing 40 centigrade activities were confined to early morning and evening. Today we had an early morning walk to the nearest observation tower and a late afternoon game drive to another observation tower overlooking a jabiru nest. Stopping on return to view a potoo, a strange bird related to the frogmouths that doesn't build a nest but lays it's egg directly on a branch and sits motionless on the egg imitating a tree limb.
Day 15. Our flights from Cuiaba were not until the afternoon. As I had joined the tour at the last minute following a cancellation I was on a different flight/airline to the others but only an hour apart. After an early lunch we boarded the van for the 2 hour drive to the airport. Thankfully it wasn’t long before the Transpantaneira dirt road finally gave way to tarmac! The airport was quiet, check-in was quick and our flights were on time. Sao Paolo airport is a bit chaotic but I finally found the hotel shuttle bus and spent a quiet night at Airport Marriott, which was excellent.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Without reservation I can recommend PantanalPhotoTours. Link to photo album.
Comments