PANTANAL ECOEXPLORER: PANTANAL JAGUAR TOURS SPECIALISTS / BRAZIL TOURS / River Cruises / Eco Tours / Expeditions / Tailor Made Tours / Small Group Tours / Environmentally Responsible Tours / pantanal camping and lodges tours at Pantanal Ecoexplorer Tours

PROGRAMME 1 - JAGUAR TRACKING TOUR
Lodge-based tour

Trip Length : 7 days / 6 nights
Start / Ends : Cuiaba
Level of difficulty : Comfortable, easy.
Season: year round.

Featured lodges :Jaguar Lodge, Guest House & Pousada Piquiri.
Group Size : Is limited to 4 passengers, unless special arrangements are made for private tour..
Prices: Tour price varies with the size of the tour group, please consult.

While most other groups track jaguars by means of using dogs and microchips planted in the animals, Pantanal Eco Explorer uses nature to find this elusive feline. Using the "esturrador", an indian instrument made of bamboo, we call the jaguar, making what sounds very much like a jaguars roar. This is a persistent hunt to find one of the most secretive- yet majestic animals in the world, and the hunt takes place in the Pantanal region of Brazil, where Jaguar numbers are probably higher than anywhere else on the continent, the chances of encountering one greatly increase during the dry periods from July to September with also great chances of spotting one all the way through December. In the northern Pantanal where there is more fauna, we snake through small lengthy tributaries to bays in small quiet aluminum boats where jaguars are known to be and have been seen hunting or just basking in the sun.
We will get up late at night and use our army level night-vision binoculars, to find the distinct star bright reflection of the jaguars eyes.

Example Itinerary

DAY 1
- Arrival Cuiabá Airport– Mato Grosso, Brazil.
- Reception at the Ecoexplorer Office.
- Departure by 4WD vehicle for the Pantanal
- Picnic style lunch along the way
- Spotting of Animals along the Transpantaneira
- Arrival at the Jaguar Lodge (130 km)
- Time to settle into the lodge
- Dinner
- Night drive spotlighting for owls, nightjars, and nocturnal mammals.

DAY 2
- Sunrise walk looking for jaguar
- Return to the lodge for breakfast.
- Full day safari by car and on foot.
- Return to the Jaguar Lodge for Dinner
- Night time spotlighting trip for jaguars.

DAY 3
- Early Morning Wakeup.
- Travel to Porto Jofre by 4WD vehicle (30km) spotting animals along the way.
- Settle into a private house.
- Lunch.
- Afternoon boat trip exploring the nearby waterways
- Return to the house.
- Dinner
- Evening spotlighting trip by boat
- Overnight stay at the private house.

DAY 4
- Breakfast at the house.
- Departure by motor-boat upstream on the Cuiaba River, then continue along the 3 Irmaos river, looking for Caimans, Giant River Otters, Deer, Capybaras, and, of course, Jaguars.
- Overnight at Pousada Piquiri, located on the banks of the Piquiri river.
- Night time spotlighting

DAY 5 - Leave again by boat after an early breakfast. Today we go further up river and spend most of the day in this even more remote region, and the richest region for Jaguar and other cats. We will spend the day out, enjoying a picnic lunch, returning to the lodge by spotlighting through this area with reasonable expectations, though no guarantees, of seeing a number of Jaguars and/or other cats, as well as otters and other wildlife.
Enjoy dinner on arrival at the lodge.

DAY 6
- Full day boat exploration, travel down the Piquiri and Cuiaba rivers, we will go slowly looking for Jaguars, Ocelot, Giant River Otter, caimans, monkeys, and other creatures, while working our way back to our private house at Porto Joffre.
- Overnight at the private house.

DAY 7
- Early morning breakfast.
- Return trip Porto Jofre to Cuiabá by 4WD vehicle.

EXTRA DAYS : we can add extra days to this trip, possible to stay at the lodge Refugio do Caracara, which is located downstream from Porto Joffre. We can have 2, 3, or more additional days to explore the Negrinho and Negrao rivers, also great areas to spot Jaguars in the Pantanal.

Please contact us
for your own customized itinerary

PROGRAMME 2 - JAGUAR TRACKING TOUR
Camping Tour

Trip Length : 7 days / 6 nights
Start / Ends : Cuiaba
Level of difficulty : Challenging, testing
Season: year round.

Accommodations : Campsite & bush camping.
Group Size : Is limited to 4 passengers, unless special arrangements are made for private tour..
Prices: Tour price varies with the size of the tour group, please consult.

The north pantanal is considered the easiest place to see a wide variety of tropical animals in South America, it is considered the largest wetland in the world, challenged only by the Okavango Delta swamp in Botswana. In the Pantanal you can see animals such as the rare Marsh Deer, Giant Anteater, Capybara, Howler Monkeys, Anaconda and Jaguar. On this tour we explore the remote 3 irmaos river and the Piquiri river , places where one has a reasonable chance of seeing a Jaguar.

Example Itinerary

DAY 1
- Arrival Cuiabá Airport– Mato Grosso, Brazil.
- Reception at the Ecoexplorer Office.
- Departure by 4WD vehicle for the Pantanal
- Picnic style lunch along the way
- Spotting of Animals along the Transpantaneira
- Arrival at Campsite. (130 km)
- Time to settle into the Campsite.
- Dinner
- Night drive spotlighting for owls, nightjars, and nocturnal mammals.

DAY 2
- Sunrise walk looking for jaguar
- Return to the Campsite for breakfast.
- Full day safari by car and on foot.
- Return to the Campsite for Dinner
- Night time spotlighting trip for jaguars.

DAY 4
- Breakfast at the house.
- Departure by motor-boat upstream on the Cuiaba River, then continue along the 3 Irmaos river, looking for Caimans, Giant River Otters, Deer, Capybaras, and, of course, Jaguars.
- Overnight at Bush camp, located on the banks of the Piquiri river.
- Night time spotlighting

DAY 7
- Early morning breakfast.
- Return trip Porto Jofre to Cuiabá by 4WD vehicle.

EXTRA DAYS : We can have 2, 3, or more additional days to explore the Negrinho and Negrao rivers, also great areas to spot Jaguars in the Pantanal. These two rivers are located downstream from Porto Joffre, and are small tributaries of the Cuiaba river.

Please contact us
for your own customized itinerary

PROGRAMME 3 - JAGUAR TRACKING TOUR
Lodge & Camping Tour

Trip Length : 7 days / 6 nights
Start / Ends : Cuiaba
Level of difficulty : Moderate, challenging.
Season: year round.

Accommodations : 2 lodges, Campsite & bush camping.
Group Size :Is limited to 4 passengers, unless special arrangements are made for private tour.
Prices: Tour price varies with the size of the tour group, please consult.

A Brazilian safari following the tracks of the jaguar in the Pantanal wetlands. We visit two Pantanal Lodges, one in the middle of the north Pantanal, and the other on the banks of the Rio Piquirí. This is an area in which very few tourists travel and where there is possibly the biggest chance to encounter the very rare jaguar as many of these elusive felines have their territories around these fazendas.

Example Itinerary

DAY 1
- Arrival Cuiabá Airport–CGB Mato Grosso, Brazil.
- Reception at the Ecoexplorer Office.
- Departure by 4WD vehicle for the Pantanal
- Picnic style lunch along the way
- Spotting of Animals along the Transpantaneira
- Arrival at the Jaguar Lodge (130 km)
- Time to settle into the lodge
- Dinner
- Night time spotlighting trip.

DAY 2
- Sunrise walk looking for jaguar
- Return to the lodge for breakfast.
- Full day safari by car and on foot.
- Return to the Jaguar Lodge for Dinner
- Night safari.

DAY 3
- Early Morning Wakeup.
- Travel to Porto Jofre by 4WD vehicle (30km) spotting animals along the way.
- Settle into a private house.
- Lunch.
- Afternoon boat trip exploring the nearby waterways (this is where the august 4th trip spotted their jaguar).
- Return to the house.
- Dinner
- Evening spotlighting trip by boat
- Overnight stay at the private house.

DAY 4
- Breakfast at the house.
- Repack items for camping.
- Departure by motor-boat upstream on the Três Irmãos River looking for Caimans, Giant River Otters, Deer, Capybaras, and, of course, Jaguars.
- Camp along the shores of the Três Irmãos River.
- Night time spotlighting.

DAY 5
- Break Camp
- Return downstream along the Três Irmãos River
- Lunch along the River
- Turn east and continue upstream by motor-boat on the Piquirí River.
- Establish overnight campsite on the Piquirí River.
- Night time spotlighting by river or afoot depending on the camp location.

DAY 6
- Early morning walk into the savannah looking for Jaguar.
- Continue upstream on the Piquirí River by motor-boat.
- Overnight at Lodge Pousada Piquiri.

DAY 7
- Continue upstream on the Piquirí by motorboat.
- Establish camp in early afternoon along the riverbank.
- Late afternoon trek into the savannah.
- Night time spotlighting.

DAY 8
- Return Downstream on the Lodge Pousada Piquiri.
- Overnight at the lodge.

DAY 9
- Full day boat exploration. Returning to the Private house in Porto Jofre.
- Overnight at the private house.

DAY 10
- Early morning breakfast
- Return trip Porto Jofre to Cuiabá by 4WD vehicle.

ACCOMMODATIONS

POUSADA JAGUAR
A family-run fazenda with basic facilities, all rooms have mosquito netting, A/C, and private bath. The surrounding area is good for spotting tapirs, pumas and jaguars.
The fazenda is located at km 125 of the Transpantaneira road.

POUSADA PIQUIRI
A lodge located on the banks of the Piquiri river, very comfortable, all rooms have air-conditioning, private bath & hot water.

ECOEXPLORER CAMPSITE
Riverside camp, located at the end of the Transpantaneira Highway on the banks of the Cuiabá River. The rooms have A/C and private bath. The site is located in a private reserve of 12000 hectares, providing us great chances to spot the more elusive wildlife.

BUSH CAMPS
Bush camp with no toilets, showers, or washing facilities whatsoever. Bathe in the river. Sleeping accommodations are in hammocks with mosquito nets or tents.

Please contact us
for your own customized itinerary

CLIENT'S TESTIMONIALS:

August 4, 2006 Pantanal Jaguar Tracking Tour
We have just returned from an eleven day adventure through the Pantanal. Of course, we saw an amazing abundance of wildlife. Highlights included tapir, giant river otters, hyacinth macaws, and to top it all off a jaguar! An important part of the trip was, of course, the remoteness of the experience. For the majority of our trip we only ran into a few local ranchers. We felt as we had the Pantanal all to ourselves.
Our guide, Flávio, was on a constant search for wildlife from the moment we started and could easily identify all that we saw, including birds. All of the support staff, from the boat crew to the jeep drivers was very kind and helpful. If you would like to get off the beaten path, Ecoexplorer can really help you build a wonderful trip. If you like a bit of comfort along the way, we recommend a Pousada or two (especially if you are in there for eleven days). We do not think there is much more we could have done to make this trip more enjoyable or exciting.
Scott & Jill (Colorado, USA)

August 4, 2006 Pantanal Jaguar Tracking Tour
I have just got back from 11 days in the Pantanal. Joined Jill and Scott on this trip and I think they have described very well our experience of this trip. Three to four people would be the maximum number for this trip for me. It kept the group very small which was great for viewing the wildlife.
The Pantanal is very beautiful and you can feel really alone and away from other tourists.
I loved the experience.
Thank you!
Helen Sayer (Lancashire, England)

19 October 2006 Pantanal Jaguar Tracking Tour
The Pantanal trip with Carlos was spectacular. We saw different varieties of animals such as caymans, hawks,
eagles, capebaras and more. The boat ride to the narrow river was just like being in National Geograhic - capebaras, caymans and storks all sitting by the river. The sound of the birds and different animals early in the morning was memorable. I am sad that I will never hear these sounds again unless we go back to Cuiaba.
The boat and camping trip to Guapore was fun, exciting, rugged and full of adventure. Flavio and Hermis made the trip more adventurous by waking us up early in the morning for the Jaguar tracking at 2:00 in the morning. Yes we saw the jaguar at around 2:30. I did not realize that the jaguar was actually roaming around our camp before leaving. I actually caught 3 piranhas even though I don´t fish. Our tent was very close to the river -- we heard fish going jumping in and out of the water. It was like someone was walking by the water but it was actually the big fish. We then went hiking in one fazendas looking for sucuri but we did not see one. However, the walk was memorable. We then stayed at Hermis farm and this was another memorable experience because I started the calling the jaguars and Hermis smiled as if to say I now know how to call for the jaguars but not at his farm.
Overall this is a National Geographic experience and we would recommend it to anybody who really wants an adventure of a lifetime. I never knew that I will be so close to caymans, call for the jaguars, hear the jaguar call us back, see the jaguar and catch piranhas.

Edwin and Adina
edwin_a@surewest.net

PACKAGE INCLUDES: Pick up from local airport or bus terminal at Cuiaba. Multilingual guides, equipped with binoculars and spotlights. All food, drinking water, accommodations and transport during your expedition. We’ll also cater for vegetarians, or let us know about any other dietary requirements.

ESSENTIAL PACKING LIST: We recommend that you bring the following: Lightweight sleeping bag
Lightweight rainproof jacket, Lightweight long trousers, long sleeves, T-Shirts or tank tops, Shorts, swimwear, Footwear suitable for trekking (walking boots or strong running shoes), Sandals, Sunscreen, Insect repellent - a bar of biodegradable soap, Torch/Flashlight & spare batteries. Be sure to bring a camera and plenty of film. For really effective wildlife photography a 200 - 300 m lens is recommended.
Also consider bringing binoculars (vital to enjoy birdlife and wild animals) and a strong one-liter water bottle. Carrying general pain killers, Antihistamine (such as benadryl), useful as a decongestant for colds and allergies, to ease the itch from insect bites or stings is also advised.

Interesting facts about the Jaguar:
- Strongest bite out of all the other big cats
- Instead of killing its prey by biting the neck, it bites and crushes the skull
- Bite is strong enough to break a tortoises´shell
- Can reach up to more than 7 feet in length
- Is short and stocky in build
- They are great swimmers and climbers
- There are also melanistic or black jaguars

Habitat:
The Jaguar is commonly found in rain forests, savannahs, and swamps, but at the northern end of its territory it may enter scrub country and even deserts. The Jaguar still has a stronghold in the Amazon basin.
The strongest populations being found in the Pantanal states of Brazil, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso Do Sul

Diet:
Jaguars eat an array of animals such as deer, monkeys, capybara, frogs, tapirs, dogs, and even anacondas and caiman. The jaguar is known by researchers and indigenous people alike to have an unmatched stalk and ambush attack tactic.

Ecological Role:
The jaguar is an apex predator, lives at the top of the food chain. It regulates the populations of prey such as herbivores and other carnivorous mammals which keeps the structural integrity of its habitat.

Threats to the Jaguar:
It becomes a problem for farmers when a jaguar starts to eat his cattle.
Jaguars are sadly shot on site in certain areas of the Pantanal by farmers who fear for their livestock and by Natives, who fear for their lives and the lives of their children.
Thankfully this is changing in some areas ,as tourism money fills in for whatever cattle is lost in the paws of a jaguar.

Please contact us for more information.
FREE CALL (within Brazil) 9014-65-3686-3364 to book your trip or ask any questions you may have

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