The Wonders of the Pantanal

Brazil's Pantanal is the largest contiguous wetland on earth. While the largest part lies within the borders of Brazil, a small area in the west extends into Bolivia and Paraguay. It constitutes an enormous river delta that is teeming with wildlife. All though it is overshadowed by the Amazon rain forest in the north, the Pantanal boasts the highest concentration of wildlife on the South American continent. It is here that one finds the third largest big cat: the Pantanal jaguar. Once a very elusive cat, the jaguars in the Pantanal are regularly seen as they have become habituated due to boat traffic from the local fisherman.

The jaguar is the only living member of the genus Panthera (big cat) in the Americas and it is the third largest cat in the world after the tiger and lion. The word jaguar comes from the indigenous word "yaguar" which means, "he who kills with one leap. And they do. The Pantanal is the best place in the world to watch them successfully hunt.  Jaguars have influenced the culture of the Americas for over a thousand years. They have been an important symbol for the different cultures that inhabited the American Continent (both North and South). Today, the world of the mighty Jaguar has grown smaller and less important. Deforestation due to logging and to clear land for cattle is the greatest threat to the world’s third largest big cat. As the physical territory of the jaguar continues to shrink, half of the worlds’ jaguars are now found in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and the Pantanal. They are vulnerable to poaching as jaguar paws, teeth and other body parts are still sought after, mostly by China for traditional medicine and ornaments.

The Pantanal Wetlands spread out over 42 million acres across three South American countries - Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. If laid out, it would be bigger than 29 US States, and 9 European countries. It is world-renowned for its abundance of wildlife. The Pantanal boasts the highest concentration of wildlife on the continent. There is estimated to be about 1,000 bird species, 300 mammal species, 480 reptile species and 9,000 invertebrates. Many animals that live in the Amazon basin also occur in the Pantanal where they are much easier to spot due to less dense vegetation and more vast open spaces.

We will spend ten days cruising the Cuiaba River and its tributaries in powered speed boats in search of jaguars. At the same time we will have great opportunities to see yacare caimans, endangered giant river otters, capybaras (the world's largest rodent)  and many bird species including the world's largest stork, the jabiru.

On our way to and from the Cuiaba River we will be driving on the Transpantaneira where we may see caimans, capybara, marsh deer and maybe ring-tailed coatis. The water-filled artificial ditches next to the Transpantaneira attract myriads of waterbirds. These birds are very used to the road traffic and can easily be photographed from a close distance. 

When our time in the Pantanal comes to an end, our adventure does not. We will return to Cuiaba, the capital city of the central Brazilan state of Mato Grosso and then fly to Foz do Iguaçu in the Brazilian state of Paraná.  Foz do Iguaću means "large water" in Tupi-Guarani and it is for this large water that we have come.  We will transfer to our beautiful hotel which straddles one of the world's  Seven Natural Wonders, the Iguaçu Falls. On the Brazil-Argentina border, a two mile stretch of riverbed disappears into a fissure in the earth. Massive and unstoppable, the Iguaçu river thunders over the precipice. 275 individual waterfalls comprise this astonishing and powerful display. We will be staying in a lovely hotel along the falls and will have exclusive access to the falls while the park is closed to the public. We will be free to capture the power and beauty of nature as seen and heard while thundering over the falls through the shimmering mist at sunrise.

‘Travel Different’ with Wild Focus Expeditions!