Brazil Jaguar and Bird Photography Tour in Pantanal and Atlantic Forest

Your guide Tristan meets you at the airport once you have collected your luggage, then the journey continues toward Aymara Lodge in Poconé, with lunch served along the road. After checking in and settling into your rooms, a short break allows time to relax. A first meeting follows, where Tristan outlines the itinerary and shares initial tips for the trip, before a generic dinner. The lodge itself serves as a serene gateway to the Pantanal, with guided safaris and wildlife encounters across Brazil's vast wetlands.

At Aymara Lodge in Poconé, mornings unfold among gardens and forest that draw Hyacinth Macaws, toucans, parrots, and woodpeckers, with breakfast included before further exploration of the Transpantaneira. After a midday break, the afternoon returns to this wildlife-rich corridor, where Jabirus, Maguari Storks, herons, kingfishers, raptors, and caimans may appear. The route back to Aymara Lodge follows softer evening light, allowing another garden walk before dinner.

After breakfast and check-out from Aymara Lodge, the route follows the Transpantaneira south, with regular photographic stops for wildlife and light. Lunch is taken before continuing at a relaxed pace, photographing rich birdlife and other wildlife along the way. Arrival at SouthWild Pantanal Lodge in Poconé comes in the afternoon, allowing time to settle in and explore before dinner. The lodge serves as a base for jaguar safaris, horseback rides, and riverfront wildlife viewing.

A morning at SouthWild Pantanal Lodge unfolds on the water, with a boat excursion gliding through quiet channels where soft light and reflections favor photography. Black-collared Hawks are regularly seen, alongside kingfishers, herons, jacanas, and other wetland birds. Breakfast is included, while lunch and dinner are available at additional cost. The lodge, a premier base in Poconé for exploring the wild Pantanal, offers expert-led jaguar safaris, horseback rides, and wildlife viewing from its private riverfront setting.

After breakfast and hotel check-out at SouthWild Pantanal Lodge, the route follows the Transpantaneira south toward Porto Jofre, with wildlife watching from the vehicle. Lunch is followed by hotel check-in and a short rest. The afternoon brings a first boat safari along forested riverbanks in search of Jaguar, where capybaras, caimans, giant otters and abundant birds may also appear. The Pantanal Cruise in Porto Jofre, a wildlife paradise in Brazil's Mato Grosso, rounds out the day before dinner.

An early start heads into the waterways of Encontro das Águas State Park, where the Cuiabá, Três Irmãos and Piquiri rivers meet. This river network holds the highest known density of wild jaguars, and the cooler hours offer strong chances to watch them. Breakfast is included, with lunch served on the boat. Later, the route shifts with recent sightings and wildlife activity, keeping jaguars central while giant otters, capybaras, caimans and abundant birdlife appear along the banks. Photographing from small safari boats allows low-angle views and close contact with the landscape, before a generic dinner and the Pantanal Cruise experience in Porto Jofre.

Leaving the busier waterways behind, the day is spent exploring the quieter channels of the Rio São Lourenço, where fewer boats and a slower pace reveal a different side of the Pantanal. Jaguars remain the focus, with the route adapted to wildlife activity, while Giant Otters, tapirs, caimans and abundant birds shape the afternoon on the Pantanal Cruise from Porto Jofre. Longer, unhurried time with individual subjects allows natural behaviour to be observed with minimal disturbance.

After an included breakfast, check out and leave Porto Jofre, retracing the Transpantaneira toward Cuiabá. Morning hours favor wildlife viewing, so keep gear ready for possible giant anteater, marsh deer and roadside marsh birds, with stops at key bridges. Continue to Cuiabá for lunch and a flight to Campo Grande, then hotel check-in and time to settle in. Dinner follows before staying at Pequi Lodge in Aquidauana, a Pantanal retreat for river excursions, horseback rides and Brazilian hospitality.

Settle into Pequi Lodge in Aquidauana and explore its grounds, where feeders draw Hyacinth Macaw and Plush-crested Jay into soft natural light. Later, follow the surrounding tracks through Cerrado grasslands, focusing on Giant Anteaters while watching for Red-legged Seriemas, Greater Rheas and other wildlife in the gentler evening light. River excursions, horseback rides and Brazilian hospitality round out the Pantanal experience.

At Pequi Lodge, an early session around the feeders and nearby woodland offers chances to watch Hyacinth Macaws, Plush-crested Jays, parrots, and woodpeckers as the light shifts. Breakfast is included in the package. The final afternoon revisits the surrounding landscapes, searching for Giant Anteaters, Greater Rheas, and other wildlife of the Pantanal and Cerrado transition zone, with the route adjusted to conditions and recent sightings. Lunch and dinner are available separately. River excursions, horseback rides, and Brazilian hospitality round out the stay in Aquidauana.

After breakfast and checking out of Pequi Lodge, transfer to Campo Grande Airport for a flight to São Paulo. If time allows, stop at the Sítio Macuquinho feeders, a superb spot for close-up bird photography beside native woodland, where tanagers, euphonias, aracaris, toucans and woodpeckers may appear. Continue by transfer to Trilha dos Tucanos – Birdwatching Lodge, check in and settle into your rooms, then relax before dinner.

After breakfast and hotel check-out in São Paulo, transfer to Trilha dos Tucanos Birdwatching Lodge. Check in, settle into your rooms and relax before an afternoon at the reserve's renowned bird feeders. Fruit, nectar and natural perches draw an exceptional variety of Atlantic Forest birds, making this one of Brazil's best-known bird photography destinations. Depending on the day, Yellow-fronted Woodpeckers, tanagers, toucans, aracaris and other forest birds may be seen. Lunch and dinner are available before returning to the lodge for the night.

Morning at the lodge feeders offers soft light and lively bird activity, with tanagers, woodpeckers, euphonias and toucans appearing for photography. After breakfast and check-out, lunch precedes an afternoon exploring forest trails and quiet roads around Trilha dos Tucanos, a premier birdwatching sanctuary in São Paulo's Atlantic Forest. Mixed flocks, trogons, foliage-gleaners and manakins reward patient observation. Check-in follows, then dinner, closing a full day of immersive birding and nature at the reserve.

A final morning at Trilha dos Tucanos makes the most of this premier São Paulo birdwatching sanctuary, balancing time at the feeders with the surrounding forest as light and recent bird activity dictate. This flexible rhythm offers further chances to photograph sought-after Atlantic Forest species, including vibrant toucans, before leaving for the next destination. Breakfast is included, while lunch and dinner are separate. The reserve's lush biodiversity and quiet atmosphere frame a memorable close to the stay.

A final included breakfast precedes hotel check out, with time to relax and gather belongings before transferring from Trilha dos Tucanos Birdwatching Lodge to São Paulo. On arrival, hotel check-in allows a short break to settle in. Later, an evening backup and image review offers a chance to revisit photographs from the journey. The experience closes with a generic farewell dinner, priced at 50 USD, marking the end of the route through the lodge and the city.

Start with an included breakfast, then a free morning at the hotel for souvenir shopping or a photo review and photoshop session with Tristan. After gathering your things and hotel check out, we drop you off at the airport for your flight home.