Pantanal River Cruise 2025 7D6N

Starting 08:00am, you will meet your guide and group at the airport or hotel. In an air-conditioned and very comfortable van, we will drive for 200km on a paved highway to the city of Cáceres, from where we will drive an additional 70km on the Facão road. Facão is a beautiful unpaved road among the valleys bordering the Paraguai River and during our drive we will already begin to have our wildlife spotting opportunities. Large birds like Rheas and Seriemas, and even the elusive Hyacinth and Red-and-Green Macaws, are not uncommon to see. Brown Brocket Deer can sometimes be seen hanging around, and with great deal of luck, a Maned Wolf may also cross our path.

At Morrinhos’ wharf, we will embark on the Aguapé Houseboat, a very large and sturdy vessel. After lunch on board and a break to settle ourselves in, we will start our first Jaguar Safari: around 03:00pm, we will leave on the speedboats to have our first close contact with the Pantanal,exploring the Paraguai River and its bays, looking for Capybaras, Monkeys, Caimans, Giant River Otters, innumerable birds from an impressive variety of species… and the Jaguar!

After sunset, we will return to the Aguapé Houseboat for a delicious dinner and rest. At about 06:00pm, the vessel will start to cruise, stopping about 10:00pm near the entrance of the Taiamã Ecological Reserve to overnight.

Wake up in the northern part of the Taiamã Ecological Reserve, a remote and pristine Pantanal region! Taiamã offers us some real natural sanctuaries, with a beautiful landscape, ideal for finding Jaguars, Howler and Capuchin Monkeys, Giant Otters, Capybaras, Caimans, Anacondas, and an abundance of birds.

After breakfast, we will embark in our speedboats and travel downstream along the Paraguai River to explore the Reserve area for Jaguars. We will spend the morning at the western side of the Reserve, until lunch on the Aguapé on the southern part of the Reserve. In the afternoon we will continue the safari along the eastern side of the Reserve, still enjoying and looking for all sorts of interesting wildlife. This night, returning from our boat trip
around 06:00 pm, we will navigate again on the Aguapé, until about 10:00pm. This cruising period is the perfect time to enjoy the rooftop, have a nice conversation recalling the day’s findings, and admire the night sky.

Our journey continues downstream along the Paraguai River. In the morning, on board of our safari boats, we explore the area between the historic Conceição Harbor and the entrance to the bays that precede the Amolar Hills. Here, we will approach the most flooded area in the entire Pantanal, offering yet more opportunities to observe all kinds of wildlife! We will then enjoy
lunch while crossing the Gaíva and Uberaba Bays, which takes an entire afternoon. Due to the size of the bays, it is better to remain on the Aguapé Houseboat as we make our journey.

Photo by Robin Nagyc Taken by a sea in the past, due to its size, the bays don’t offer many opportunities to observe wildlife, though many aquatic birds
can still be spotted and photographed from the boat. The Aguapé’s rooftop provides a panoramic view, perfect for admiring the vast expanse of the bays while approaching the Amolar Hills.

Upon our arrival at this apex of the crown jewels of the Pantanal, we will anchor and enjoy dinner by the sunset, with a new opportunity to review the pics and stories of the day.

In the morning, after breakfast we will explore, by speedboat, the surroundings of the Amolar Hills, its bay (Acorizal) and tributaries.

We will find many birds, amazing landscapes, the iconic Giant-LilyPad and even petroglyphs. Black and Gold Howler Monkeys and Marsh Deer are also likely to make an appearance.

After lunch, the Aguapé will continue downstream as we head on our speedboats towards the Pantanal National Park. We will explore the Park on the Paraguai River and its tributaries and bays. We may see Jaguars anytime as we push deeper into an area with heavy concentration of them. During our cruise, we will also pass by the meeting of the Paraguai and Cuiabá rivers, a very interesting zone where waters are distinctly separated.
After a full day, we will return to the houseboat for dinner and rest. The Aguapé will continue until about 10:00pm, anchoring near the Negrão and Negrinho rivers and close to Porto Jofre.

In the morning we will explore the surroundings on the Cuiabá, as well as on the Negrinho river, a very charming channel resembling a tunnel of trees. While navigating on it, wildlife may be seen all around, including Herons, Kingfishers, and Caciques as well as Giant Otters and Jaguars. The houseboat will continue its journey towards Porto Jofre, where we meet by lunchtime.
In the afternoon, we will explore, on our speedboats, the Encontro das Águas
State Park, that boasts the greatest concentration of Jaguars in the world!
The aptly-named Park is a maze of rivers and channels, containing many river confluences as the Cuiabá and Piquiri, the Três Irmãos (Three Brothers), the Corixo Negro, and many others. The entrance of the Park is about 30 minutes from Porto Jofre, and while we cruise around on the speedboats, the houseboat will navigate to the entrance of the Park and anchor there, so we don’t lose a single minute of exploration time!

After breakfast, we start the boat safaris, we will explore the Encontro das Águas State Park, often able to approach Jaguars from a safe and respectful distance of approximately 20 meters.

Every day, we always have a great opportunities for Giant Otter, Kingfisher, Howler Monkey, and Jaguar sightings. It is rare to come away from this Park without having seen at least a couple of cats.

We may also encounter other interesting wildlife including Capybaras, Caimans, Capuchin Monkeys, Tapirs, and even Anacondas. The birdlife here is also fantastic, with many unique species present, including Jabiru Storks, Toucans, Trogons, and Ibises, among many others. Along these three nights, the houseboat will keep anchored at the entrance of the State Park.

After breakfast, we will disembark at 07:00am and start our drive back to Cuiabá. Over the course of the morning, we will cross a total of 250km overland, with the first 150km on dirt, along the magnificent and famous Transpantaneira Park Road, making this drive still a veritable safari! This road is very scenic and charming, with many classic wooden bridges. During the drive, we will frequently stop to stretch our legs and admire the beauty of the
surroundings.

Wildlife is often spotted along this route, so keep eyes open and camera at hand, saving your nap for the flight on your way home! Then, after 100km on paved road, we will arrive in Cuiabá for a lunch near the airport and finish our tour after driving you to the airport or your hotel.