Incrível Brazil!
Bret Charman led his first tour to the Brazilian Pantanal for our Brazil’s Big Five Photo Safari and was overwhelmed by the remarkable diversity of wildlife and world-class photographic opportunities.
After nearly three years of delays (thanks to Covid), I was delighted to lead our dedicated photography trip to both the north and south of the Pantanal. The trip has been designed specifically to maximise our chances of photographing five of the region’s iconic wildlife; jaguar, Brazilian tapir, giant river otter, hyacinth macaw and giant anteater.
In the north of the Pantanal we started our trip with excellent views of tapir, just off the famous Transpantaneira, although photographically speaking it was a bit of a challenge. It was great to see one of the big five on our first day in this vast wetland, but there is much more on offer here. The Pantanal is a haven for all sorts of species, with marsh deer and capybaras, herons and egrets galore, roseate spoonbills and ringed kingfishers all delighting us as we made our way further south.
The waterways of the northern Pantanal were the perfect place to indulge in wildlife photography, with two members of the ‘Big Five’ on the agenda. We were treated to some absolutely incredible encounters with several giant river otters, one of which swam right up to the boat. It was the perfect opportunity to capture some intimate portraits of these charismatic mammals as they hunted for fish and chattered with one another.
However, it was definitely the numerous jaguar encounters that stole the show. Seeing these huge big cats as they swam, rested and posed perfectly for the group – it was hard not to take stunning photographs. With the strongest bite of any member of the big cat family, we hoped we maybe privileged to witness a jaguar hunting a caiman, but on this occasion that particular behaviour eluded us.
The second part of the trip, was in the southern Pantanal, where our primary target was giant anteater (another member of the big five). It certainly didn’t disappoint. Getting out of the vehicle, and tracking the anteaters on foot, meant we were able to enjoy remarkably close encounters. A couple of individuals walked within only a few metres of the group and left them with some memorable photographs.
The final target species, which had kept us waiting, finally decided to show itself on one of our last days. A pair of hyacinth macaws put on a great show, while red-and-green macaws put the cherry on the cake at the dramatic Buraco das Araras sinkhole, near the town of Bonito.
If you'd like to join our wildlife photography tour to Brazil to watch jaguar, river otter, anteater, tapir and macaws contact our team.
