For a long time it was assumed, that this big cat was only active at night. However, the absence of natural enemies, a strict ban on hunting on the large rural properties in the Northern Pantanal, called Fazendas, increased environmental awareness and new species protection programs have contributed to the fact that the predator now likes to show during most part of the day.
In the Year 1997, when the idea of organizing a Jaguar Photo Safari sounded absurd for outfitters catering for wilderness tours, Peter Rohmer and his Southern Cross Tours & Expeditions disagreed and launched a trial balloon that was an immediate success. With an experienced wildlife guide, born and brought up in the depths of the Pantanal, Peter continuous to offer regular Jaguar Photo Safaris in the Northern Pantanal, more precisely in the region of the São Lorenzo, Piqueri and Cuiaba rivers and around the State Park “Encontro das Águas”. There the presence of the Jaguar is dense.
The rate of success of being able to get great pictures during a stay of at least 5 days in the region is almost 100%. Whether you catch the feline on the hunt, while mating, males fighting, females with pups or just relaxing on the river banks, permitting lose up shootings of p to 5meters, you will get what you came for and most possibly more than that. Besides, the region is also host to Giant otters Pteronura brasiliensis, Caiman cayman yacare, tapir tapirus terrestris, Capivara Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, and Giant anteater Myrmecophaga tridactyla .all of which belong to the Jaguar food chain.
An ideal connection to the Jaguar Safari and as good place to relax is a stay in Bom Jardim/Nobres near the Serra dos Guimaraes National Park. A region surrounded by mountain ranges with waterfalls, caves, grottos, Crystal clear rivers and lagoons. Here you can hike through tropical forest, and swim and snorkel surrounded by schools of fish.
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How to get there By air to Cuiabá Varzea Grande airport (CGB)
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Best time to travel May - October
Get more details from Peter Rohmer, e-mail: request@scte-brazil.com
| Private Tour | Duration | Price (PP) |
|---|---|---|
| Jaguar Photo Safari | 6-8 days | from US$ 3,900 p. person |
| Jaguar Photo Safari + Bom Jardim / Nobres | 8-10 days | from US$ 4,500 p. person |
We spent our long-awaited vacation in Brazil in September 2022. We decided to book this trip with Southern Cross Tours & Expeditions, because of their attractive Internet presentation and the following very professional consulting service. We landed in Rio, and flew on to the waterfalls in Iguacu the next day. The trip included other destinations like North Pantanal, Bom Jardin, South Pantanal with Rio de Janeiro being the last stage. It was a beautiful and exciting journey. In the Pantanal we saw an enormous variety of wild animals, many species of birds, reptiles, armadillos, anteaters, jaguars, caimans, monkeys, a tapir, various species of parrots and much more.
Snorkeling in the crystal clear river in Bom Jardin was a particularly beautiful experience. The accommodations were very good and comfortable. We spent a few days on a Fazenda in the South Pantanal. There you could still experience the authentic life on a large cattle ranch, with cowboys, horses, cattle and many wild animals up close. We would like to thank Peter Rohmer who planned and organized our trip. We would like to emphasize particularly that he always provided friendly, reliable and professional guides for us, who always tried to fulfil our wishes. Peter was also available at all times and always gave us advice and support over the phone during the trip.
Dear Peter, thank you very much for the beautiful Journey!
Hans und Nadja Dester
Berlin, September 2022
Saying goodbye to the lovely people and the crew on the IARA was difficult, but the highlight of our trip was still ahead of us, the sighting of the last big cat we were missing - the jaguar.
Already on the first stalk from Porto Jofre, we discovered not one, no, three of the beautiful cats, a female with her two teenagers. Unbelievable, and that at distances of 5-10 meters from a safe boat. More sightings were to follow, we were able to observe a total of 9 different jaguars. But there are also countless cute giant otters, capybaras, caimans and two other anacondas. Endless birds in the idyllic, narrow gullies, which always offered something new.
Then we went back to the civilization of Rio de Janeiro, where we had another 4 wonderful days With 2000 photos and 90 videos in our luggage it was time to say: Adeus Brasil, foi muito lindo!
Southern Cross and by that we mean mainly Peter the owner definitely delivered and never over promised. The four guides who looked after and guided us all this time were top class. Both as people and as highly experienced specialists in their field. We were able to learn a lot and take it with us from this fantastic, most biodiverse country on earth, many thanks for everything Peter.
Our next destination was the northern Pantanal. We want to go on a Jaguar Safari! The drive on the Transpantaneira, an earth road with 125 wooden bridges, was like traveling through an animal or bird park. Masses of caimans cavort here at water holes, capybaras, anaconda and flocks of large water birds. We stayed overnight at a typical Ranch where we went on safari next morning before continued our journey to Porto Jofre, at the end of the Transpantaneira road. We went on the jaguar stalk by boat. It had an outboard engine and light aluminum casing for fast moving when it was necessary. During the 6 days of our stay in the region, we were able to observe several jaguars every day. We saw him prowling along the bank, hunting and fighting with a competitor. We could also watch him mating. Once he swam next to the boat. Another time he suddenly jumped into the water in front of our boat. Fortunately, he was not aiming at us, but at a caiman, which for once got away from him.
We also observed cute capybaras (the largest species of rodent) and the giant otters. On walking safaris and game drives we were able to watch anteaters, coatis, tapirs regularly and the jaguar came across our way twice.
The entire organization of the trip was perfect! The boat with two cabins on the Rio Negro in the Amazon, the vehicles (cars, small aircraft) as well as the driver and guide surpassed our expectations. Next year or the year after we want more of the same. I will get in touch with you in due time.Our sincere thanks go to Peter Rohmer from Southern Cross Tours & Expeditions and his strong team, whose perfect planning made our individual trip so successful and which gave us a lot of pleasure.