High and Low Pantanal Tours
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The High and Low Pantanal tour is a combination tour that spends time at one lodge in the High Pantanal and one in the Low Pantanal, so that you can experience a variety of ecosystems and hopefully a greater variety of animal species. Our normal guide for this has been a guide for more than 30 years so he is very experienced and has a lot of knowledge about the wildlife.
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High Dynamic is the region of gallery forests that line countless waterways—a resource that, during the dry season (June-November), is scarce and essential for attracting numerous examples of wildlife, such as birds (herons, storks, cormorants, kingfishers...), mammals (capybara, otter, tapir), reptiles (crocodiles, anacondas), etc.
The Dynamic Lowlands are the region of the floodplains, which form 'vegetation islands' that host the perennial nests of Tuiuu and the Hyacinth Macaw, and provide refuge for a plethora of mammals such as Jaguars, Pumas, Tapirs, Giant and Lesser Anteaters, primates, deer, and rodents. Rare birds like the Chestnut-eared Aracari, Boat-billed Heron, and Great Potoo are more frequently seen in this environment. These are destinations to visit year-round, with some variations, and are the tours with the most reasonable prices.
Just as the environments are diverse, the visiting activities are also distinct: motorboat or canoe rides at the start or end of the day; walks through the forests; horseback rides across the fields (especially recommended during the rainy season); and land safaris (from dawn to night) reward us with sightings of a wide variety of animals.
At both destinations, the lodges are very comfortable with swimming pool with waterfall, games room, auditorium and offer 25-45m2 rooms or suites with private facilities, equipped with Air Conditioning (some with also a ceiling fan), verandah and excellent and varied menu in the restaurants with a view to the river or to the fields.
The Dynamic Lowlands are the region of the floodplains, which form 'vegetation islands' that host the perennial nests of Tuiuu and the Hyacinth Macaw, and provide refuge for a plethora of mammals such as Jaguars, Pumas, Tapirs, Giant and Lesser Anteaters, primates, deer, and rodents. Rare birds like the Chestnut-eared Aracari, Boat-billed Heron, and Great Potoo are more frequently seen in this environment. These are destinations to visit year-round, with some variations, and are the tours with the most reasonable prices.
Just as the environments are diverse, the visiting activities are also distinct: motorboat or canoe rides at the start or end of the day; walks through the forests; horseback rides across the fields (especially recommended during the rainy season); and land safaris (from dawn to night) reward us with sightings of a wide variety of animals.
At both destinations, the lodges are very comfortable with swimming pool with waterfall, games room, auditorium and offer 25-45m2 rooms or suites with private facilities, equipped with Air Conditioning (some with also a ceiling fan), verandah and excellent and varied menu in the restaurants with a view to the river or to the fields.
Sample 4 Day Itinerary
1st Day CUIABÁ/ PANTANAL Dynamic High 3-4 hour drive D
Transfer from the hotel or airport in Cuiabá to the Pantanal, arrival to a hotel, at km 65 - half way down the Transpantaneira park road. Boat ride on a small river with a chance to see lots of aquatic birds, including the pretty rare Agami Heron, Pygmy Kingfisher and Sungrebe. Dinner and overnight.
2nd Day PANTANAL Dynamic High/ Low 1 hour drive BLD
Transfer from one to another lodge, changing the environment from the High (Gallery Forests) to Low (Flooding Fields). Arrival to the lodge by the middle of the afternoon, in time to do the check-in and have an afternoon jeep safari through the flooding fields and visiting an ‘island of vegetation’ where many birds’ nests (Hyacinth Macaws, Jabiru Storks) might be observed. Back to the lodge for a brief time, then we depart again for a night safari – using open vehicles especially equipped with flashlights to spot nocturnal animals, such as foxes, deer, puma, jaguar, tapir, etc. Dinner and overnight.
Transfer from the hotel or airport in Cuiabá to the Pantanal, arrival to a hotel, at km 65 - half way down the Transpantaneira park road. Boat ride on a small river with a chance to see lots of aquatic birds, including the pretty rare Agami Heron, Pygmy Kingfisher and Sungrebe. Dinner and overnight.
2nd Day PANTANAL Dynamic High/ Low 1 hour drive BLD
Transfer from one to another lodge, changing the environment from the High (Gallery Forests) to Low (Flooding Fields). Arrival to the lodge by the middle of the afternoon, in time to do the check-in and have an afternoon jeep safari through the flooding fields and visiting an ‘island of vegetation’ where many birds’ nests (Hyacinth Macaws, Jabiru Storks) might be observed. Back to the lodge for a brief time, then we depart again for a night safari – using open vehicles especially equipped with flashlights to spot nocturnal animals, such as foxes, deer, puma, jaguar, tapir, etc. Dinner and overnight.
3rd Day PANTANAL Dynamic Low BLD
In the early morning, we do an overland safari through the Termites mound-hills, trying to see the Giant Anteater. Later in the morning, we visit a remote stream with a large concentration of birds, many caimans and some otters. In the afternoon, we do an Overland safari through the fields and forests, in the Jaguar territory, with a good possibility of seeing Americas’ third largest cat. Back to the lodge for a brief time, then we depart again for a night safari – using open vehicles especially equipped with flashlights to spot nocturnal animals, such as foxes, deer, puma, jaguar, tapir, etc. Dinner and overnight.
In the early morning, we do an overland safari through the Termites mound-hills, trying to see the Giant Anteater. Later in the morning, we visit a remote stream with a large concentration of birds, many caimans and some otters. In the afternoon, we do an Overland safari through the fields and forests, in the Jaguar territory, with a good possibility of seeing Americas’ third largest cat. Back to the lodge for a brief time, then we depart again for a night safari – using open vehicles especially equipped with flashlights to spot nocturnal animals, such as foxes, deer, puma, jaguar, tapir, etc. Dinner and overnight.
4th Day PANTANAL Dynamic Low/ CUIABÁ 2h BL
In the early morning, we do an overland safari through the Termites mound-hills, trying to see the Giant Anteater. Transfer to Cuiabá, with drop-off at the convenient time.
In the early morning, we do an overland safari through the Termites mound-hills, trying to see the Giant Anteater. Transfer to Cuiabá, with drop-off at the convenient time.
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Price per person in US$ for 2025 : (ask for rates for other dates, can add more days)
Prices are with standard rooms at Piuval. Can upgrade.
Children's prices (1 per couple) = 0 to 5 years = free; 6-11 years = 65 % (1 per couple in dbl) Private Tour price: add 30% in high season, 15% in low season Price includes: transfers, accommodations, all meals, all touring, English, German or French speaking naturalist guide with binoculars, books, check-lists Does not include: tips, drinks, except for water, coffee and fruit juices at breakfasts Why not add a visit to Nobres and/or Chapada dos Guimaraes to your itinerary so you can experience more great ecosystems? "I think it is fair to say that everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed the visit, activities and experiences there. The staff and owners of the lodge were very friendly and clearly attempted to make our stay as pleasant as possible. I personally had interesting chats with the owners on their experiences in living in this remote location. The accommodation was just fine for us. The main guide, was outstanding. We found him to be very knowledgeable in regard to a broad range of birds, other animal life, insects and plants, and was well informed on the geology, ecology and history of the Pantanal. We also found him to be well-organized, personable, down to earth, and practical. He communicated very well in English and Portuguese. He gave us a power point presentation that was well illustrated and based largely on his own observations and experiences in the Pantanal. He has clearly done a lot of homework. In short, he is a top notch guide for the Pantanal, and in my opinion, given appropriate opportunities, could effectively and successfully run his own tours and tour company. We were extremely pleased with the number and spectrum of birds and animal species that we were able to see during day and night outings. Two of us (birders) each identified around 100 bird species "for sure" during the first 3 days. The continual presence and ambiance of wildlife and nature as a whole simply made the visit awesome. Simple things such as daily visits of the jacares (caymans)to the cowboy's house added to our pleasure." John Sutton "It was great! Our guide was really knowledgable and really fun. We loved the lodge also. Everything went well." Cheryl Hornbaker "We had a marvelous trip in spite of the weather. It did not become cold in pantanal until Monday night so we were able to have a good view of the birds etc before things quieted down with lower temp. Our enthusiastic guide was the key to our trip success. His excitement for the pantanal remains our best memory." Martin Elliott "Our trip was really nice. Many animals, plants and loads of other things we could see and get to know and a competent and caring guide.Thank you very much!" Corina |
"The whole Pantanal trip was amazing, and perfect! Thank you. Munir picked us up on the dot of 8am. He is very knowledgeable about Brazil generally, and of course knows all the birds and animals of the Pantanal. Also very thoughtful. We stopped en route to buy a huge container of water, so that we didn't have to buy dozens of small bottles in the Pantanal, and a straw hat! (very good investment). On the Transpantaneira we stopped every few yards to look at something! In the afternoon we went out with him to a mound hill, and walked. He led us to 7 Hyacinth Macaws, and we had a great view of them. For the next three days he left us with Max. Max was also excellent, amazing at spotting birds and always considerate. On the last evening we went out on a night walk, and Max communicated with a Pygmy Owl, eventually leading us to it, a tiny bird high up in a tree in a wooded area! The Piuval Lodge was very nice, with pretty gardens around it and a wide view over the flat wetlands. The Rio clara Lodge was also fine - a different feel to it - the bedrooms faced inwards to a gardened courtyard, but it's on a river, so that was different. The staff were very nice and friendly in both places. All went very smoothly, and it was a great experience. Thank you again." Nicky "Thank you for your help in organising this trip. I had a wonderful time. I wish I could have arrived earlier and join the original itinerary. Mr Munir is a phenomenal person, I am glad to have met him, and very happy that your efficiency was able to team up with his enthusiasm." Alon Head Guide Congo Conservation Company "All went well. Munir was knowledgeable and competent. We learned a lot about the Pantanal and Brazil in general." Regards - Michal. Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science |
