Jaguar's of Brazil's Pantanal

Photography Workshop and Adventure Tour

September 17th-25th 2013

Brazil’s Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland – 54,000 square miles of savannah, scrub land, floodplain and waterways, and home to an estimated 5,000 jaguars and much more will be our location for this fabulous photography adventure.

Located in central-western Brazil, the Pantanal is half the size of California a mosaic of seasonally flooded savannahs and tropical forests that features the finest wildlife viewing in Latin America.

This area harbors a world record 82 species of large birds, thousands of which can be seen during a 1 hour drive on the raised Transpantaneira Road, the only all year route that penetrates the heart of this enormous wild land.

At the end of the Transpantaneira Road winds a labyrinth of rivers on which our specially trained trackers and boatmen showed Jaguars to our guests 1,200 times on 900 days with guests between 2005 and 2010. No other location in the world can offer so many Jaguars per day. Many of the big cats are so accustomed to humans watching them from small boats that they allow guests to observe their private lives for hours from close range. Furthermore, in 2010, 100% of our guests saw Giant Otters, often from very short distances and for extended periods. Finally, more than 90% of guests also saw Brazilian Tapirs, often during the day.

At 150,000 square kilometers (the size of England and Wales), the Pantanal is the world's largest freshwater wetland.

Located just south of the Amazon Basin, it drains water from the upper reaches of the Paraguay River Basin. The Cuiabá River flows into the Paraguay River, which then later joins the Paraná River to form the Rio da la Plata, which enters the Atlantic Ocean much further south at the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires.

"LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION"

In Jaguar viewing, as in real estate, location is everything. Our outfitters have spent seven years now refining and perfecting the location of our Jaguar Experience, and now they have by far the best and definitive location for the SouthWild Jaguar Experience—the floating hotel called SouthWild Jaguar Flotel. They anchor this floating, mobile hotel 20 km up the Cuiabá River from the end of the Transpantaneira Road.

In July 2005, their special research teams began systematic boat surveys of the rivers upstream from Porto Jofre, as all informants at that time told us that the Tres Irmãos River, Cuiabá River near the Tres Irmãos, and the last 30 km of the Piquirí River represented the best location in the entire Pantanal to find habituated Jaguars relaxing and hunting on the riverbanks. They were correct. Since then, they have shown Jaguars to over 2,000 visitors and have amassed over 2,400 hours of direct observation of wild Jaguars on these rivers.

From this great facility we will explore the region by boat to photograph the elucsive Jaguar and the other wildlife. Our guide will be connected by radio to the others on the river so that when one boat finds our quary the others will soon be in route. Much like the proper African Photography Game drive vehicle our, flat bottom low profile, boats are built for 6 guest. But for our adventure we will only have 3 people per boat so there will be plenty of room and mobility to get that special photo.

Our Jaguar Camp is operating from the Floating Balsa Hotel located near the mouth of the Tres Irmaos River. It features 10 double rooms with A/C, private bathroom with excellent hot water showers, excellent local cuisine and drinks. The Balsa runs on a generator.
Morning and afternoon excursions in our radio equipped motor boat feature several families of incredibly tame Giant Otters, Kingfishers, Howler Monkeys and Jaguars. Jaguar sightings can vary from brief encounters to several hours of observations.

The basic itinerary is:

Sept 18. Pickup at Cuiabá Airport at 1140 am (meeting the flight of GOL #1624 from GRU to CGB). Drive to SouthWild Pantanal Lodge, which takes 2:40 if you drive straight, but with some photo stops along the way, it might run to 3 or even 3 1/2hours to our air conditioned bedrooms at the lodge, which is the single richest photo location in the Pantanal (even with some Jaguars in some periods of the year).

Sept 19 . Drive from SWP to end of the Transpantaneira Road in our open photo safari truck (2 hours if you drive straight, but with photo stops, might go to 3 or 3 1/2 hours of slow driving and stopping). Then 30 min motorboat transfer upstream for 15 km on the Cuiabá River to the air conditioned SouthWild Jaguar Flotel. This flotel is located right in the center of the Jaguar Zone, and often Jaguars are seen within just a few minute boat ride. A Jaguar even walked 4 m from the dining room window TWICE in Aug 2012, calm as could be.

Sept 20. SouthWild Jaguar Flotel

Sept 21. SouthWild Jaguar Flotel

Sept 22. SouthWild Jaguar Flotel

Sept 23. SouthWild Jaguar Flotel

Sept 24. boat and drive back to SouthWild Pantanal Lodge in time for lunch. Photo sessions on the small river there and in the forest and/or from the two fauna observation towers. SouthWild Pantanal Lodge overnight.

Sept 25. Leave SWPL at 900 am to drive 2:30 back to the Cuiabá Airport.

The included meals start at lunchtime on 18 Sept and run through breakfast on morning of 25 Sept.

Our first lodge has WIFI internet that works 90% of the time.

This itinerary includes:

1) A superb naturalist guide from the Cuiabá Airport to the Cuiabá Airport
2) The meals detailed
3) All lodging in air conditioned rooms
4) All activities and outings (including two four-hour radio-transceiver-equipped boat outings per day while at the Jaguar Flotel, except for 19 Sept, when the morning outing will run from 9:00 am or 10:00 am until 12 noon and the afternoon outing will run from 14:00 to 18:00 pm)
5) free mineral water from large coolers at SWPL and SWJF (but please bring your own refillable bottle to fill up there). There is a charge for sealed, small, plastic bottles of mineral water.

EXCLUSIONS:

The following items are NOT INCLUDED:
1) Canned and bottled drinks and beer, wine, and hard liquors
2) Laundry service
3) Tips
4) Airfares

Price from and to Cuiabá Airport Double occupancy $6880. Single supplement is 688 dollars.

Non refundable deposit $1500. guarantees you a place. Personal check, paypal, or credit card accepted.

Current Newsletter subscribers ask about your discount.

jess@jessleephotos.com