Pantanal tours in Brazil offer the opportunity to enjoy nature's majesty of the Pantanal wetlands, home to an incredible variety of Brazil's mammals, reptiles, fishes and birds. They inhabit tropical forests, savanna-type landscapes as well as a myriad of waterways. Wildlife trips, hiking, horseback riding as well as fishing excursions are a good way to observe the Pantanal's flora and fauna.
Wildlife Excursions to the Pantanal in Brazil
Tails slap and water splashes. The Pantanal waters are home to thousands of jacarés [Pantanal caymans], as well as to giant otters [ariranhas]. Both feed on a large variety of colourful fish that inhabit the streams and lakes. Among the birds are the splendid, but threatened with extinction, arara azul [bluebell-tinted macaw] as well as toucans.
Among the waterfowl are many types of herons and kingfishers as well as the jabiro stork – an aviary giant of 1.6 meter tall and the symbol of the Pantanal. Capybaras [sort of guinea pig], deer, boars, monkeys, giant anteaters and tapirs are just some of the mammals that may be spotted during a wildlife trip by car, on foot, by boat or on horseback.
Types of Pantanal Tours and Safaris in the Pantanal Wetlands
Travel agencies in Campo Grande, Corumbá and Cuiabá all offer Pantanal tours. These agencies may offer anything from a one-day excursion to an extensive vacation full of flora and fauna trips. Popular wildlife excursions to the Pantanal are:
- boat trip
- hiking, preferably around sunrise or sunset when it's most likely to spot wildlife
- horseback riding
- fishing excursions, like a day trip piranha fishing
- photo safaris by four-wheel-drive, during the day or at night.
Where to Find Pantanal Tours in Campo Grande, Corumbá and Cuiabá?
In most cases travel agencies will find the traveller the moment he steps down from the bus in any of the three cities that surround the Pantanal. If not, there are different ways of finding them:
The gateway to the Pantanal of Campo Grande has an Information Office on the corner of Avenida Afonso Pena and Avenida Noroeste, where the employees are helpful in pointing out the different Pantanal tour operators. Campo Grande is the southeast gateway to the Pantanal and the most logical when one is interested in a wildlife trip into the southern part of the Pantanal. Some of the Pantanal tours specialise in ecologically-focused excursions.
Corumbá no longer has an Information Office. Along the waterfront of the Porto Geral, as well as downtown travel agencies can be found that organise wildlife trips inside the Pantanal. Considering the distance, travelling all the way to Corumbá doesn't make sense when one is only interested in a four-wheel-drive excursion or in booking a fazenda, this can be done in Campo Grande as well. Corumbá is especially the place to go for boat or fishing trips.
Cuiabá is the northern gateway to the Pantanal. The Tourist Information has a map with brochures from travel agencies that organise Pantanal tours. The advantage of Cuiabá is the proximity of the Pantanal, which lies a mere 150 kms south of the city. It's a good place for a wildlife trip when time is of the essence.
Travel to the Pantanal Brazil – Which Wildlife Trip One to Choose?
The majority of the Pantanal tours focusses on the Estrada Parque in the southwestern part of the Pantanal wetlands. It constitutes a 120 kilometres' stretch of dirt road with 87 wooden bridges and traverses an incredible landscape. A wildlife trip around the Estrada Parque is a guarantee to see prodigious concentrations of wildlife. Along this stretch there are many fazendas [ranches] that nowadays have tourism as their core business.
When having the luxury of more time, and more money, the traveller may want to consider a Pantanal tour that leads deeper into the vast wetlands than the Estrada Parque. Because of the distance and thus transportation costs, the price will most likely by higher than staying at a fazenda along the Estrada Parque. Some of these fazendas are reachable by plane.
Visit several agencies to compare Pantanal tours before making a decision. Compare aspects like prices, the number of visitors they take on a wildlife trip, the luxury or simplicity of the fazendas where lodgings are booked, as well as the type of wildlife trips on offer. Is the car well-equipped and does the guide speak English? Some travellers want to meet the guide before deciding on a Pantanal tour. Feeling comfortable or not with the person that acts as a guide can make or break a wildlife trip.
Travel the Pantanal Wetlands in West Brazil
There are different ways to visiting the Pantanal on an organised Pantanal tour. Tour operators are situated in the gateways of Cuiabá, Campo Grande and Corumbá, but wildlife trips or fishing excursions can also be organised directly at a fazenda. It is also possible to rent a car to visit the Pantanal independently or to book directly a stay at one of its fazendas.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
Join the Conversation