Self-drive Bonito, Southern Pantanal & Porto Jofre jaguar package — 10 days

Practical hotel 500 m from the Pantanal shopping centre and 4 km from the centre of Cuiabá, with free WiFi and private parking at a supplement. Rooms have a flat-screen TV with cable channels, minibar and private bathroom with hot shower and hairdryer. Daily breakfast buffet with fresh fruit, bread and cold cuts; the restaurant serves regional and international dishes. Gym, spa, bar and meeting rooms.

Pousada Porto Jofre lies deep in the Pantanal at Porto Jofre and is known for excellent jaguar observation. Comfortable rooms with air conditioning and private bathroom overlooking the surroundings, a restaurant with local dishes and special arrangements for nature photographers. Own boats with comfortable seats and 40–50 hp engines for river safaris. Since 2024 the lodge is run by Southwild, known for sustainable nature tourism and high-quality wildlife experiences. Full board with daily excursions according to programme.

Pousada in the baroque style of the historic town of Ouro Preto, with spacious suites that each have a balcony. Outdoor pool, garden, bar, free WiFi, 24-hour reception and room service. Breakfast in the Pantanal ‘quebra torto’ style with regional dishes, including dietary and vegan options. The pousada has a sustainability programme.

Hotel and fazenda on the southern edge of the Pantanal, fully renovated (2025), reached by asphalt and a short unpaved stretch. Double rooms and rooms for 3–5 people with air conditioning, minibar, TV and private bathroom; pool; breakfast buffet with local products; restaurant with regional fusion dishes such as pacu pizza. Up to ten nests of the hyacinth macaw are found on the property each year. The package is full board with daily excursions, including a day excursion to the nearby Fazenda São Francisco, one of the best wildlife areas of the region, with a chance of seeing a jaguar.

Private driver picks up at the hotel. First stop Buraco das Araras, a collapsed cave and one of the largest sinkholes in the world (124 m deep, 500 m wide), home to red-and-green macaws, seen from viewpoints along a trail; a small lake at the bottom often has caimans. Then Rio da Prata: a short forest walk, then about 2 km of snorkelling with the current in exceptionally clear water among fish and water plants; suitable for almost everyone. Wetsuit, snorkel and shoes included; lunch at the Rio da Prata lodge. Return to the hotel by private driver. Local Portuguese-speaking guides; English-speaking guide at a supplement.

Programme of the Pantanal Hotel (applies to the mid-range option): day 1 arrival from Campo Grande or Bonito at the Pantanal Hotel in Miranda, afternoon boat trip on the Rio Salobra (birds, caimans, capybaras, sometimes giant otters), dinner at Caqui Quintal, night in Miranda. Day 2 sunrise boat trip on the Rio Salobra, then a full day as ‘Peão Pantaneiro’ at Pantanal Experiência by horse, vehicle and on foot, lunch, dinner and night at Pousada Pantanal Experiência. Day 3 Fazenda San Francisco: open-vehicle safari (capybaras, caimans, deer, giant anteaters, tapirs, hundreds of bird species, with luck a jaguar), lunch, boat trip on the Corixo São Domingos, dinner and night safari with spotlights. Day 4 breakfast and transfer back to Campo Grande or Bonito. The order may change with weather and logistics; if Fazenda San Francisco is unavailable it is replaced by a safari on the Estrada Parque with English-speaking guide and driver.

A full day devoted to jaguars and the other wildlife of the Pantanal. Pousada Porto Jofre’s own boats, with comfortable seats and 40–50 hp engines, navigate the rivers around the Encontro das Águas State Park, the place with the highest concentration of jaguars in the world. The excursion lasts 8–9 hours from morning to late afternoon; from July to October a jaguar sighting is almost guaranteed. Included on days 8 and 9. Bring sunscreen, insect repellent, camera and binoculars.

New at Pousada Porto Jofre since the 2025 season: a chance to see the ocelot. Every afternoon around 17:30 small groups walk with a local guide to a discreet hide in the ocelot’s habitat and wait in silence; with luck the cat appears from the undergrowth. Maximum 2 hours. No sighting is guaranteed; if the ocelot does not show, the activity can be rescheduled on another day at no extra cost.