In recent years, Jaguar tours in the Pantanal in Brazil have become more and more popular. Due to conservation efforts, the number of jaguar sightings in the Meeting of the Waters park area has increased and word has gotten out, so tourism has also grown.
Jaguars can also be found in the Taiama Ecological Reserve . It is a bit out of the way from the rest of the Pantanal, so a visit to there takes a while to get there. But the advantage of going there is that there are not a lot of other people in boats, looking for the jaguars.
The area around the Meeting of the Waters Park, accessed via Porto Jofre, has long been a haven for sport fishermen and now the fishermen and the ecotourists are fighting for the limited accommodation space that is available. The best hotel is often booked well in advance by the fishermen, so that leaves lesser alternatives. There are a few basic camps and a very simple hotel nearby. There is another lodge that is down the river and yet another that is about 40km from Porto Jofre, so it is about an hour drive to go each way, to and from the river. It is also possible to stay on a boat. A brand new jaguar cruise boat has started operating this year.
The area around the Meeting of the Waters Park, accessed via Porto Jofre, has long been a haven for sport fishermen and now the fishermen and the ecotourists are fighting for the limited accommodation space that is available. The best hotel is often booked well in advance by the fishermen, so that leaves lesser alternatives. There are a few basic camps and a very simple hotel nearby. There is another lodge that is down the river and yet another that is about 40km from Porto Jofre, so it is about an hour drive to go each way, to and from the river. It is also possible to stay on a boat. A brand new jaguar cruise boat has started operating this year.
The excursions to try to find the jaguars are done by speedboat. Usually there is an excursion in the morning and one in the afternoon. So if you are overnighting on a boat, you won't be walking or anything for a few days. Because of the noise and activity in the area of the hotels, you won't see a lot if you try to do a night safari or something similar. That's why it is good to spend a night or more at one or more pousadas/lodges along the Transpantaneira Highway - so you can do some excursions on foot or on horseback in order to see a greater variety of species. It is also good to spend some time along the way because Porto Jofre is about 247km from Cuiaba, down a dirt road and over old wooden bridges, so it takes a long time to get to there - especially considering that you will want to stop along the way for photos of wildlife that you will see.
The Caiman Ecological Reserve has also developed a good program for seeing jaguars and for being educated about them. They do have regular sightings of jaguars there during high season, though not every day. Barra Mansa is another lodge that had good luck with jaguar sightings in 2019
The best time for trying to see the jaguars is when the water levels are low. Then you can see them come down to the river to drink and hunt. When the rivers are up, they don't have to come out in the open. So around June or July to October is generally a good time.
The Caiman Ecological Reserve has also developed a good program for seeing jaguars and for being educated about them. They do have regular sightings of jaguars there during high season, though not every day. Barra Mansa is another lodge that had good luck with jaguar sightings in 2019
The best time for trying to see the jaguars is when the water levels are low. Then you can see them come down to the river to drink and hunt. When the rivers are up, they don't have to come out in the open. So around June or July to October is generally a good time.
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