Overview
Jaguar
The jaguar needs no introduction. It is the only extant Panthera species native to the Americas and it is the third-largest feline after the tiger and lion. The jaguar's present range extends from Southwestern United States and Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Brazil is a stronghold and the Pantanal is the best place in the world to see these otherwise elusive big cats.
This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, although it is usually larger and of sturdier build and it’s behavioural and habitat characteristics are closer to those of the tiger. While dense rainforest is its preferred habitat, the jaguar will range across a variety of forested and open terrains. Its preferred habitats are usually swamps and wooded regions, but jaguars also live in shrublands and deserts. The jaguar is notable, along with the tiger, as a feline that enjoys swimming.
The jaguar is a near-threatened species and its numbers are declining. Threats include loss and fragmentation of habitat. While international trade in jaguars or their parts is prohibited, the cat is still frequently killed by humans, particularly in conflicts with ranchers and farmers in South America.
In Pantanal the Jaguar is safe and easily viewable in and around the Ciuaba River. It is here that we will spend 4 nights doing river safaris for the best chance of not just viewing the Jaguar but also witnessing and photographing some rare behaviour.
The Pantanal
The Pantanal encompasses the world's largest tropical wetland area. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Moto Grosso do Sul. It sprawls over an area estimated at between 140,000 and 195,000 square kilometers. The Pantanal is home to one of the largest and healthiest Jaguar populations anywhere on Earth. Among the rarest animals to inhabit the wetland of the Pantanal are the Marsh Deer and the Giant River Otters. Parts of the Pantanal are also home to the following endangered or threatened species: the Hycanth Macaw, the Crowned Solitary Eagle, the Maned Wolf, the Bush Dog, the South American Tapir and the Giant Anteater. Common species in the Pantanal include the Capybara and the Yacare Caiman. With over 10 million Caiman the Pantanal is the place with the highest crocodilian density anywhere in the world. In Total the Pantanal ecosystem is thought to be home to 1,000 bird species, 400 fish species, 300 mammalian species, 480 reptile species and over 9000 different subspecies of invertebrates making it one of the most bio-diverse wildlife habitats in the world. We will spend 9 nights in this magical wilderness and will attempt to see its rare and elusive wildlife.
Expedition Summary –
Duration – 10 days (From Cuiaba to Cuiaba)
Places of stay – South Wild Pantanal, Jaguar Flotel, Pouso Alegre
ITINERARY
Jaguars of Pantanal – 2023
Day 1 - October 22 - Arrive in Cuiaba (B/-/D) |
Arrival in Cuiaba airport and private transfer to the hotel (Our service includes a private transfer for each passenger from the airport to the Slaviero Slim Hotel, done by a Portuguese-speaking driver using a closed, airconditioned vehicle. This transfer does not include an English-speaking guide).
Overnight at Slaviero Slim Hotel (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488170-d8465418-ReviewsSlaviero_Slim_Cuiaba_Aeroporto-Cuiaba_State_of_Mato_Grosso.html)
Depart for Pouso alegre, we will be meet our English-speaking driver and wildlife guide and will be move towards entrance of the Pantanal known as the Transpanterneira which is about 1.5 hours from Cuiaba. Once we enter the Pantanal we will start seeing a diversity of bird and mammal life. If we stop to look at wildlife along the way, our trip to the lodge could last a bit longer. The idea is to reach the lodge at lunch time.
Pouso Alegre is a traditional, 10,000-hectare cattle ranch that now is one of the leading private nature reserves in all the Pantanal. One of the owners holds a graduate degree in ecology from the Federal University in Cuiabá, and the property is one of the best places in the world to see Brazilian Tapirs and also a very good place to see Giant Anteaters.
Lunch and dinner included, overnight at Pouso Alegre.
Today we will spend the day in this large wildlife estate and search for wildlife in the morning and evening. There will also be an opportunity to search for nocturnal wildlife on a night drive.
Overnight at Pouso Alegre.
After breakfast guests will leave for Porte Jofre, located on the banks of the Cuiaba river. This is where the real Jaguar search begins. From Porto Jofre, guests will be transferred by boat to Jaguar Flotel, a lodge where we will spend 4 nights searching for Jaguar. PM Jaguar Search. Dinner. ON Jaguarland (Jaguar Flotel)
Breakfast followed by morning and afternoon boat outings daily to search for Jaguars and Giant Otters on the various river channels of “Jaguarland”. These channels include the Three Brothers, the Black Channel, the Cuiaba and the Piquiri. Lunch and dinner included will be at the lodge.
Lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Jaguarland (Jaguar Flotel)
Today, after a quick morning jaguar search, we will depart by boat to Porto Jofre, here a safari truck will pick us up and take us to South Wild Pantanal. Arrival at South Wild Pantanal will be at lunch. At 5.00 PM Walk 500 meters from the lodge and wait 7.15 pm at the Ocelot hide to try to get good views of one of the five different Ocelots that come on almost every evening to this hide. As of this writing, in the last 210 nights, at least one or more Ocelots came to this hide in 200 nights. In other words, only on ten nights did an ocelot not come. That is a 95% probability that at least one Ocelot comes to the site on any given night. Only one time in the last 210 nights (15 May to 15 November 2016) was there two nights in a row on which at least one Ocelot did not show. SouthWild Pantanal now is the best place in the world to see this beautiful, shy cat, which looks like a mini-Jaguar.
See the website: www.ocelotphoto.com Dinner. After dinner, a one-hour spotlight outing in our safari truck. Overnight at Southwild
After breakfast trained guides will organize and adjust the schedule of wildlife outings according to recent sightings, weather and guest preferences. Each day includes one forest walk and one outing by boat, car or horseback. Enjoy our two wildlife viewing towers, one of which is strategically located at only 16 metres from an active Jabirú nest, the world’s only such Jabiru viewing tower. The breeding pair is very habituated, so you can observe them and take excellent photos from the 12- metre-high platform at the top of the tower. The platform is slightly above eye level with the nest.Visit the Ocelot hide again in the early evening.
Lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Southwild Pantanal Lodge
See the website: www.ocelotphoto.com Dinner. After dinner, a one-hour spotlight outing in our safari truck. Overnight at Southwild
After breakfast transfer from South Wild Pantanal to Cuiaba Airport in a private, air-conditioned vehicle. Arrival at the airport check-in and departure for your next destination.
Costing:
Inclusions:
Exclusions:
Due to the pandemic, a lot of things changed including Travel. Jehan Numa Expedition has introduced some norms and requirements which will help to conduct such expeditions by following all the health protocols and which will assure the safety of all our participants and our team. We also revised the refund policy in case of expeditions getting cancelled due to the pandemic.
Travel Tips:
1. Accommodation: Accommodation facilities across the Pantanal are quite basic, please be prepared for this. The lodges have been hand-picked by our team based on the availability of wildlife that is present around the locations where the group will stay. Pouso Allegre, where we spend 2 nights it particularly basic with simple food on offer, but the wildlife that one gets to see here is spectacular. Jaguar Flotel too, is a small facility with modest rooms, but the location is the best in North Pantanal for Jaguar viewing. We have left the best for last – South Wild Pantanal Lodge at Santa Terressa is a place where you can see the elusive Ocelot and end your trip comfortably after hopefully seeing several jaguars.
2. Flights: From India, the best flight option to take is via Dubai to Sao Paolo by Emirates. From Sao Paolo, there is an internal flight to Cuiaba city located on the Northern side of the Pantanal. We would recommend that we assist with the flights so that we can select the best connections and the recommended time of arrival on day 1. Should you choose to book your light yourself, please ensure that your departure flight out of Cuiaba is after 17:00 on 31 October 2023. This will give the group enough time to leave from the Pantanal and reach the airport well in time.
3. Chiggers - please treat a couple of trousers, socks and a pair of shoes with PERMETHRIN spray. These repellents are easily available in the UK, USA and on Amazon. Please remember that this can not be applied directly to your skin, but only to the clothes. If you have not got this, please don’t worry, deet based repellents will also work, and you can avoid walking on grasses or in the forest. There are no real walks planned on the trip, so the chances of chiggers is not too high.
4. Cold Fronts - Although quite rare, cold fronts can occur at any time and temperatures can go down to single digit Celsius. Please carry a good winter jacket and a woolly hat. You most probably will not need this, and may curse us for making you carry this, but it may come in handy, so be prepared.
5. Drinking Water - Please carry a refillable metal / plastic bottle so you can refill. Clean filter drinking water is available at all hotels and destinations. Please avoid using SINGLE USE plastic. This is a good practice for the environment and it will also save you cost from buying bottles of water everywhere.
6. Drinks – All accommodations have bars with a basic range of alcohol available. At Pouso Alegre, they have a rather limited selection and only accept cash. For any preferred wines or spirits, please feel free to carry your own.
7. Laundry: Laundry facility is only available at South Wild Pantanal Lodge, where you will stay towards the end of the trip. Please carry enough safari apparel and gear.
8. Cash - You will require cash only for drinks and gratuity. As USD may not be accepted everywhere, please withdraw or change to Brazilian currency, preferably at your point of entry to Brazil. For Gratuity, an amount between USD 125 and 150 can be handed over to your tour leader for the common kitty.
9. Malaria - There is no noteworthy danger of Malaria in the area of travel. But we still recommend that you meet a physician to take professional advice to help you decide if you need to take a preventative course of medication. We wish you a very happy and safe journey and hope you see lots of Jaguars and other wildlife. In the unlikely situation of an emergency please note below the emergency contact numbers in Brazil.
Overnight at Slaviero Slim Hotel (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488170-d8465418-ReviewsSlaviero_Slim_Cuiaba_Aeroporto-Cuiaba_State_of_Mato_Grosso.html)
Day 2 - Oct 23 - Cuiaba to Pouso Alegre (B, L & D) |
Depart for Pouso alegre, we will be meet our English-speaking driver and wildlife guide and will be move towards entrance of the Pantanal known as the Transpanterneira which is about 1.5 hours from Cuiaba. Once we enter the Pantanal we will start seeing a diversity of bird and mammal life. If we stop to look at wildlife along the way, our trip to the lodge could last a bit longer. The idea is to reach the lodge at lunch time.
Pouso Alegre is a traditional, 10,000-hectare cattle ranch that now is one of the leading private nature reserves in all the Pantanal. One of the owners holds a graduate degree in ecology from the Federal University in Cuiabá, and the property is one of the best places in the world to see Brazilian Tapirs and also a very good place to see Giant Anteaters.
Lunch and dinner included, overnight at Pouso Alegre.
Day 3 - Oct 24 - Pouso Alegre (B, L & D) |
Today we will spend the day in this large wildlife estate and search for wildlife in the morning and evening. There will also be an opportunity to search for nocturnal wildlife on a night drive.
Overnight at Pouso Alegre.
Day 4 - Oct 25 - Pouso Alegre to Jaguarland (B,L &D;) |
After breakfast guests will leave for Porte Jofre, located on the banks of the Cuiaba river. This is where the real Jaguar search begins. From Porto Jofre, guests will be transferred by boat to Jaguar Flotel, a lodge where we will spend 4 nights searching for Jaguar. PM Jaguar Search. Dinner. ON Jaguarland (Jaguar Flotel)
Day 5 to 8 - Oct 26 to Oct 28 - Jaguar Flotel |
Breakfast followed by morning and afternoon boat outings daily to search for Jaguars and Giant Otters on the various river channels of “Jaguarland”. These channels include the Three Brothers, the Black Channel, the Cuiaba and the Piquiri. Lunch and dinner included will be at the lodge.
Lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Jaguarland (Jaguar Flotel)
Day 9 - Oct 29 - Jaguar Flotel to South Wild Pantanal (B/L/D) |
Today, after a quick morning jaguar search, we will depart by boat to Porto Jofre, here a safari truck will pick us up and take us to South Wild Pantanal. Arrival at South Wild Pantanal will be at lunch. At 5.00 PM Walk 500 meters from the lodge and wait 7.15 pm at the Ocelot hide to try to get good views of one of the five different Ocelots that come on almost every evening to this hide. As of this writing, in the last 210 nights, at least one or more Ocelots came to this hide in 200 nights. In other words, only on ten nights did an ocelot not come. That is a 95% probability that at least one Ocelot comes to the site on any given night. Only one time in the last 210 nights (15 May to 15 November 2016) was there two nights in a row on which at least one Ocelot did not show. SouthWild Pantanal now is the best place in the world to see this beautiful, shy cat, which looks like a mini-Jaguar.
See the website: www.ocelotphoto.com Dinner. After dinner, a one-hour spotlight outing in our safari truck. Overnight at Southwild
Day 10 - Oct 30 - South Wild Pantanal (B, L & D) |
After breakfast trained guides will organize and adjust the schedule of wildlife outings according to recent sightings, weather and guest preferences. Each day includes one forest walk and one outing by boat, car or horseback. Enjoy our two wildlife viewing towers, one of which is strategically located at only 16 metres from an active Jabirú nest, the world’s only such Jabiru viewing tower. The breeding pair is very habituated, so you can observe them and take excellent photos from the 12- metre-high platform at the top of the tower. The platform is slightly above eye level with the nest.Visit the Ocelot hide again in the early evening.
Lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Southwild Pantanal Lodge
See the website: www.ocelotphoto.com Dinner. After dinner, a one-hour spotlight outing in our safari truck. Overnight at Southwild
Day 11 - Oct 31 - South Wild Pantanal to Cuiaba (B&L;) |
After breakfast transfer from South Wild Pantanal to Cuiaba Airport in a private, air-conditioned vehicle. Arrival at the airport check-in and departure for your next destination.
Costing:
- 6-10 Pax Group Per Pax Paying will be USD 5,200 + 5% GST
Inclusions:
- Tour leader from Jehan Numa Expeditions
- English-speaking naturalist guide
- Accommodation based on double in the hotel as described in the itinerary.
- Transfer from/to hotel as noted. - Meals and excursions as noted
- Free WIFI internet at SouthWild Pantanal, but it operates about 95% of the time—not 100% and is not guaranteed.
- Unlimited, free drinking water from large coolers at all hotels. Please bring your own Nalgene or metal water bottles to refill for free.
Exclusions:
- Flights and visas
- Meals not mentioned
- Extra expenses
- Tips - Soft drinks, small bottles of water, beer, wines, mixed drinks.
- Laundry
- Insurance
- Early or late check out
Due to the pandemic, a lot of things changed including Travel. Jehan Numa Expedition has introduced some norms and requirements which will help to conduct such expeditions by following all the health protocols and which will assure the safety of all our participants and our team. We also revised the refund policy in case of expeditions getting cancelled due to the pandemic.
- Participants should be vaccinated for COVID 19 with respective 2 doses. Or should adhere to all medical requirements in place at the time of travel.
- Credit note for the tour cost will be issued for expedition batch cancelled due to any nationwide lockdowns/travel restrictions due to the COVID19 pandemic. Credit notes can be used for rebooking the expedition at later date.
- Travel Insurance is recommended.
- All participants will have to submit a health fitness certificate. Participants having diseases/disorders related to heart, breathing or any other serious illness should avoid such expedition.
Travel Tips:
1. Accommodation: Accommodation facilities across the Pantanal are quite basic, please be prepared for this. The lodges have been hand-picked by our team based on the availability of wildlife that is present around the locations where the group will stay. Pouso Allegre, where we spend 2 nights it particularly basic with simple food on offer, but the wildlife that one gets to see here is spectacular. Jaguar Flotel too, is a small facility with modest rooms, but the location is the best in North Pantanal for Jaguar viewing. We have left the best for last – South Wild Pantanal Lodge at Santa Terressa is a place where you can see the elusive Ocelot and end your trip comfortably after hopefully seeing several jaguars.
2. Flights: From India, the best flight option to take is via Dubai to Sao Paolo by Emirates. From Sao Paolo, there is an internal flight to Cuiaba city located on the Northern side of the Pantanal. We would recommend that we assist with the flights so that we can select the best connections and the recommended time of arrival on day 1. Should you choose to book your light yourself, please ensure that your departure flight out of Cuiaba is after 17:00 on 31 October 2023. This will give the group enough time to leave from the Pantanal and reach the airport well in time.
3. Chiggers - please treat a couple of trousers, socks and a pair of shoes with PERMETHRIN spray. These repellents are easily available in the UK, USA and on Amazon. Please remember that this can not be applied directly to your skin, but only to the clothes. If you have not got this, please don’t worry, deet based repellents will also work, and you can avoid walking on grasses or in the forest. There are no real walks planned on the trip, so the chances of chiggers is not too high.
4. Cold Fronts - Although quite rare, cold fronts can occur at any time and temperatures can go down to single digit Celsius. Please carry a good winter jacket and a woolly hat. You most probably will not need this, and may curse us for making you carry this, but it may come in handy, so be prepared.
5. Drinking Water - Please carry a refillable metal / plastic bottle so you can refill. Clean filter drinking water is available at all hotels and destinations. Please avoid using SINGLE USE plastic. This is a good practice for the environment and it will also save you cost from buying bottles of water everywhere.
6. Drinks – All accommodations have bars with a basic range of alcohol available. At Pouso Alegre, they have a rather limited selection and only accept cash. For any preferred wines or spirits, please feel free to carry your own.
7. Laundry: Laundry facility is only available at South Wild Pantanal Lodge, where you will stay towards the end of the trip. Please carry enough safari apparel and gear.
8. Cash - You will require cash only for drinks and gratuity. As USD may not be accepted everywhere, please withdraw or change to Brazilian currency, preferably at your point of entry to Brazil. For Gratuity, an amount between USD 125 and 150 can be handed over to your tour leader for the common kitty.
9. Malaria - There is no noteworthy danger of Malaria in the area of travel. But we still recommend that you meet a physician to take professional advice to help you decide if you need to take a preventative course of medication. We wish you a very happy and safe journey and hope you see lots of Jaguars and other wildlife. In the unlikely situation of an emergency please note below the emergency contact numbers in Brazil.
Expedition leaders:
Aly Rashid – 22 October to 31 October 2023
Wildlife and the wilderness has been a passion for Aly ever since childhood. This passion for wildlife inspired him to work with his family to set up and run Reni Pani Jungle Lodge, one of the finest wilderness camps in India. At Reni Pani Aly has been heading the naturalist team for over 7 years and in this time his passion for wildlife has been instilled in the ethos of the lodge atmosphere. A trained naturalist and ornithologist, he has travelled across the country and has been involved with wildlife in various localities. His deep involvement with Satpura since his childhood has been a motivation to protect and conserve wildlife in this landscape. Aly inspired Reni Pani’s camera trap studies in the reserve forest area outside the park that revealed breeding population of several large carnivores like leopards, wild dogs and sloth bear and also the presence of a young male tiger. His passion for research and conservation has also taken him to Panna National Park where he worked with renowned small cat expert and scientist Shekhar Kolipaka for the Caracal Research and Conservation Project in 2014. Aly is also involved in leading wildlife expeditions both within India and abroad.
DEPARTURE DATES
