The southern Pantanal is an expansive, largely uncharted area in South America blessed with magnificent wildlife and landscapes, providing excellent opportunities to observe some of the area's grassland inhabitants.
The capital of Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state, Campo Grande, acts as the gateway to the southern Pantanal. A drive of roughly three and a half hours (230 kilometres) takes you into untamed wilderness where you can stay at simple, but comfortable lodges or fazendas and embark on wildlife excursions by boat, safari vehicle, on foot and even by horseback. Pousada Aguape is a popular option and offers an excellent chance of encountering giant anteater.
With a greater extent of savannah compared to the north, this area has a diverse range of wildlife and is particularly rewarding for mammals such as giant anteaters, six-banded armadillo, pampas deer, and birds including burrowing owl and red-legged seriemas.
While the southern Pantanal undoubtedly possesses a healthy jaguar population, the region is not generally regarded as a reliable place to see the majestic elusive jaguar, unless visiting Caiman Lodge where jaguar ecotourism is being developed under the banner of Projecto Onçafari. Alternatively, the northern Pantanal provides more reliable jaguar watching opportunities.
Bonito, on the southern fringe, is a mecca for ecotourism, where you can find grottos with blue lakes, crystal clear snorkelling and walking trails surrounded by howler monkeys and an abundance of birdlife. Just 60 kilometres from Bonito is the Buraco das Araras sinkhole, where dazzling red-and-green macaws soar from the cliffs, providing remarkable photographic opportunities.
Our Brazil’s Big Five Photo Safari travels to both the northern and southern Pantanal providing the best of both experience and offers exceptional opportunities to photograph jaguar, giant anteater, hyacinth macaw, giant river otter, Brazilian tapir and much more prolific wildlife. Alternatively, we have a variety of other incredible wildlife trips in the southern Pantanal to choose from, or we can tailor-make an itinerary to suit your requirements - speak to our team to find out more.
Visit Brazil's contrasting habitats as we explore its tropical savannahs and woodlands, the Amazon rainforest and the Southern Pantanal. We go in search of the iconic wildlife of Brazil including maned wolf, jaguar, giant river otter, giant anteater and giant armadillo, plus a variety of birds, amphibians and reptiles. Find out more about Best of Brazil
The Pantanal is one of the greatest wildlife watching destinations in the world. It is also perfect for wildlife photography and this itinerary has been carefully designed to focus all of our time on photographing the wide range of wildlife that lives in this captivating area of Brazil. Find out more about Brazil’s Big Five Photo Safari (Was North Pantanal Photo Safari)
The Pantanal, a seasonally flooded grassland dotted with cerrado woodland, is home to a vast array of birds, including jabiru stork and hyacinth macaw, and mammals, such as giant otter and jaguar. We search this naturalists’ paradise for its wildlife, often at close quarters, by vehicle and boat. Find out more about Wildlife of the North & South Pantanal
Join award-winning photographer Nick Garbutt on the ultimate Pantanal wildlife photo safari. This extensive itinerary provides no end of intriguing and rewarding photographic opportunities for the region’s iconic species as well as the chance to explore both the north and south of this exceptional wetland. Find out more about Z) Pantanal Wildlife Photo Safari: Jaguar Special (Was North & South)
Set on a 53,000 hectare ranch in the Southern Pantanal wetland, Caiman Lodge is one of three operations of Caiman – the other two being an important nature conservation programme and Caiman Ranch. Caiman Lodge comprises two independent lodges situated 22 kilometres from each other. Find Out More about Caiman Lodge
Pousada Aguape offers comfortable, homely accommodation on a typical Pantanal farm. Surrounded by rich wetland vegetation, open pastures and gallery forest, the lodge offers guests the opportunity to experience first hand the exuberant nature of the region, home to a diverse range of wildlife. Find Out More about Pousada Aguape
Just metres from the Abobral River, Pousada Xaraes is a comfortable lodge on a commercial cattle ranch, with traditional rustic décor throughout. The verandah is a perfect place to relax in a hammock and listen to the morning birdsong, mixed with the roar of howler monkeys in the trees along the riverbank. Find Out More about Pousada Xaraes
