Tour Destinations

Mato Grosso (Northern Pantanal)

The Transpantaneira Highway 

A legendary, long dirt road with innumerable old wooden bridges, that begins in the vicinity of Pocone and ends down in the little river outpost of Porto Jofre. One could spend a lifetime exploring this ~90 mile stretch, which is almost entirely a mix of ranchland and private reserves. Wildlife abounds and the further south you get the wetter it is, with almost every patch of water pockmarked with Yacare Caiman, Capybaras, and a variety of wetland birds. Drier patches may hold peccary, with both White-lipped and Collared possible. We have the better part of a week to explore the ins/outs of this remarkable road. When traveling along one needs to remain vigilant and alert for rare mammals, but that isn’t hard because usually it feeds us a steady diet of birds, keeping us engaged and entertained as we go. Keep your eyes peeled, and among the Wood Storks and Jabiru, if you are lucky, you might spot a Maguari Stork.

Poconé

Poconé, more or less where the Transpantaneira Highway begins, and one of the first things one notices here in the northern Pantanal is the cracids, that is the guans, currassows and chachalacas. Piping-Guans, Bare-faced Currasows, and Chaco Chachalacas are prevalent, and often we encounter the odd if endearing Guira Cuckoo in this area. While on the trails, or on boat rides here, keep your eyes open for Marsh Deer (vulnerable) and Black-tailed Marmoset, along with highly distinct birds like Sunbittern and Black-capped Donacobius (both monotypic bird families), and we’ll look for the Chestnut-bellied Guan, a vulnerable species endemic to Brazil. If the birding gods smile, we might glimpse the sneaky and stunning Agami Heron. And dare we hope for it, Zigzag Heron skulks the dense riverine vegetation here, but seeing it take a combination of both luck and skill. 

Porto Jofre

Porto Jofre is the end of the line, at least by car. Here we reach the end of the “highway” and from here we use the rivers to bird and explore. We set out by boat on the Cuiabá River to begin to search for Jaguar. Generally big cats avoid water and tend to be more nocturnal, but the Jaguars here break both these rules. Preying primarily on Yacare Caiman, stalking them from the edge of  the river, they pounce on them. It is rare to see a kill but it is not uncommon to see Jaguars on the move or loafing near the water. We’ll need some luck, but we’ll try our best. And although the star of this site is typically the Jaguar, known locally as the onça-pintada, it is also rich with other mammals, and a very site for Giant River Otter. There are some fantastic birds here as well, with possibilities such as Capped Heron,Sungrebe, Blue-gray Saltator, Band-tailed Nighthawk, Black-collared Hawk, Rusty-backed Spinetail, Thrush-Like Wren,  among many more. In route to/from Porto Jofre, we’ll keep our eyes peeled too and could encounter animals like Brazilian Tapir, Brown Capuchin, and Black Howler Monkey, while birds could include Southern Screamer, Black-fronted Nunbird, and others. 

Piuval

One of the Pantanal’s best birding spots, this 17,000 acre eco-lodge located at the north end of the Transpantaneira Highway is a haven for both wetland and woodland birds. And, it gives a chance at Giant Anteater. Always a bit of a coin toss, we will try for this iconic animal, known locally as the tamanduá-bandeira, which translates to Flag Anteater, so-named for its big flag-like tail. Indeed the largest of the world’s four anteater species, they usually rest in the shade of the forest during the day, folding their big tail over their body, appearing rather like a fallen old palm frond. At dusk and in the evening they become more active, heading out to hunt for termites and ants. Again, we’ll need some luck for that, but as we look we’ll also keep an eye out for birds like Bat Falcon, Blue-tufted Starthroat, White-fronted Woodpecker, Gray and White-rumped Monjitas, Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch and Saffron-billed Sparrow.

Mato Grosso do Sul (Southern Pantanal)

Aquidauana River 

From Campo Grande we’ll travel by bus about 3 hours to our lodge for the next couple of nights, located astride the Aquidauana River. An historic farm now managed for ecotourism, here too we could bump into a Giant Anteater, and an array of parrots. Parrots are a big deal in the Pantanal and we might tally 15 species or more. Arguably there is no more iconic bird for the region beyond the Hyacinth Macaw, but there are other macaws as well, including Blue-and-Yellow, Yellow-collared, and Red-bellied, and we’ll be on the lookout for the regional endemic species, the Blaze-winged Parakeet. Other birds that may grace us could include Plumbeous Ibis, Blue Ground-Dove, White Woodpecker, Planalto Hermit, Sibilant Syristes, Rusty-backed Antwren and many more.