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We were so privileged to partake in such an amazing trip to the Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil with Panthera Photo Safaris in August 2024.
We travelled from Johannesburg to Sao Paulo and then to Cuiaba staying at a hotel located conveniently near the airport where we met the rest of our travel group consisting of fellow South Africans/Swiss residents, an American and Canadians. Our Brazilian experience began with the world famous caipirinha cocktails, which then became a daily tradition. Next up was the Rodizio experience, an as much as you can eat, very reasonably priced buffet accompanied by waiters serving a constant stream of grilled meat and chicken on huge skewers, followed by a delectable dessert trolley and live music in the background.
Breakfast was, and continued to be, a large buffet selection of fruit, breads, pastries, little omelettes, quiches, cheeses, cold meats, cake, creme caramel and of course the wonderful Brazilian coffee. We then travelled to Pocone, the gateway to the Pantanal where we met our Brazilian guide Tito. Out Pantanal journey then began, on the 147km Transpantaneira highway over 120 mostly wooden bridges. The Piu or Ipe trees were in full bloom and painted the dusty, dry season landscape a magnificent pink. We passed many fazendas with their white brahman cattle and stopped frequently to photograph the small wetlands along the way with hundreds of Caiman and numerous water birds, all new species for us, patiently identified by Tito. We arrived at Pousada Rio Clara where we met up with Lance our photographic guide, our first overnight stop. Our first game drive introduced us to the Crab Eating Fox, Coati, Brocket Deer and the largest South America bird, the Greater Rhea.
The following morning, we had our first boat trip which provided great opportunities for photographing birds with Lance guiding us on the optimal camera settings and Tito spotting more animals and birds that were a first for us. We then slowly continued down the Transpantaneira highway to Pousada Santa Rosa at Porto Jofre, our home for the next 7 nights.
The following 6 days we explored the Porto Jofre section of the Encontro das Aguas State Park traversing the larger rivers Cuiaba and Piquri and their smaller tributaries in our comfortable 10 seater boat from sunrise (our morning alarm being the chatter of the chakalakas) to stunning sunsets. There was sufficient space for our camera equipment. We had plenty of water, ice, cold drinks, beer and guarana and enjoyed a packed warm lunch served in triffins. We rotated seat positions in the boat every day so as to experience the view from all angles. The boat had a collapsible roof to provide shade in the heat of the day and when we were not filming.
The experience exceeded our expectations! Living in Africa and having spent much time in the bush, the quantity and quality of the sightings of the wildlife in this area was phenomenal. The animals and birds are habituated to the presence of boats and people which afforded us the opportunity to follow all aspects of their daily lives. Our guide Tito was exceptional in anticipating the movements of the jaguars and other animals and making sure we were optimally positioned to photograph these beautiful creatures. Lance quickly and expertly assisted us with settings and tips to get the best photos possible. Sometimes we spent a couple of hours with a particular jaguar waiting for the perfect shot. We also spent time identifying the different jaguars with the help of the Jaguar Field Guide from the Jaguar Identification Project and Tito's knowledge and Lance's experience with big cats. The outcome was 23 individual jaguars and 54 sightings if my records are correct. We saw at least 4 jaguars a day and our record was 11 in one day.
We were able to witness all aspects of jaguar life in their natural environment:
*A few mating pairs, mostly notably Marcella and Bagua which was our first sighting
*Hunting techniques, stalking, jumping from banks, swimming and using water as a cover to catch a meal
*Witnessing a couple of kills, the most memorable moment being the male Ousado catching a caiman in front of us on Lance's birthday
Cubs. Oxum and her young cub looking down at us from a river bank, Patricia fetching her few months old cub Pantaneiro to swim across a small channel in front of us to partake of her earlier Caiman kill and the older cubs of Polyanna, Madeleina and Tango.
*Not so friendly interaction with giant otters on the side of the river
*A female jaguar Ti taking the opportunity of collecting the prize of a dead caiman floating down the river
*Patricia hunting in her territory and taking up position on a log right in front of our boat.
*Bororo taking an afternoon nap on a comfortable beach and then having a long-awaited drink from the river providing us with the opportunity to get some memorable photos
*Sleeping under the shade of the huge fig trees
Many hours were also spent watching the entertaining Giant Otters swimming, feeding, sleeping on logs and marking their territory. The Capybara with their noble gaze were also frequently seen and the very limber, athletic Howler Monkey families. Time was also taken to photograph the thousands of Caiman that lined the river banks.
We were also privileged to see the rare Tayra, a Yellow Anaconda shedding its skin and a couple of Tapir sightings, Red Brocket, Marsh Deer and feral Water Buffalo wallowing in the water. There were also a number of bats flying around at sunset, but we saw hardly any insects during this dry season.
Tito and Lance also focused on spotting and identifying the numerous birds in the area, the largest being the Jabiru Stork, the symbol of the Pantanal and the smallest the hummingbird. The entertaining Blue-capped Donacobius or pole dancer birds, beautiful Toco Toucans, Blue Hyacinth Macaws, Chestnut Eared Aracari, ubiquitous Southern Crested Caracara, Savanna and Roadside Hawks, Cocoi Herons, Agami Herons, Black Vultures, Kingfishers, Jacanas, Anhinga or snake bird, Ani, Yellow Billed Cardinals, Troupials, Oropendola, Caciques and the allegedly rare Blue Piping Guan to name a few of the 140 species we ticked, almost all lifers for us!
We were sad to leave Porto Jofre but thrilled with the many phenomenal sightings and memories we were taking back with us. Returning back to the Transpantaneira highway, we stopped to photograph birds on the way, seeing the Great Horned Owl and reaching our last stop at the Mato Grosso Hotel. Our last game drive was a real highlight, viewing Peccary families, Crab Eating Fox and finding the strange looking and rare Potoo and then Tito outdid himself and found a Giant Anteater, a real privilege to see this large elusive stripy creature. What a way to end the trip!
Huge thanks to Lance and Kirsten for all the planning, organisation and execution of this very successful trip, and also the well-used Panthera Photo Safaris cap and buff gifts. Thanks to Kirsten for the attention to detail, looking after us, always with a smile, recording all the memories and laughs, Lance for all the photographic guidance and sharing his knowledge of animals and surroundings to get the best photographs, Tito for his expert knowledge of the area and fantastic spotting ability, and all the hours of driving and navigating our vehicle and boat through many kilometers, organising coffee before our early boat rides and his tireless enthusiasm even though we were the second of back to back trips and last but not least our wonderful group sharing this experience, the many laughs and so much fun!
This trip should be on any wildlife enthusiast's and birder's bucket list!
Lynne and Martin Hopkins
