Let’s fill up some memory cards in the world’s most undisturbed environment, the Pantanal, and at the most unique ranch, Pousada Piuval, on this 7-day adventure in Brasil.

There are no roads, no development, no sign of human habitation once you’re on the river in the Pantanal. It’s just you, the boats and the jungle full of wildlife in a density that will stun you. From jaguars moving along the banks, caiman lurking in the water hyacinth, Giant River Otters playing along the banks, to the kingfishers, osprey and eagles diving for fish, to capybaras, tapirs, howler monkeys…no matter where you look and no matter the time of day, there’s wildlife to watch. We’ll spend 4 nights at Santa Rosa Hotel on the river in Porto Jofre so we can maximize our time on the river without breaking the bank.

Then we’ll spend 2 nights with 4 game drives in an open safari vehicle at Pousada Piuval. This model working cattle and horse ranch is on 7000 hectars in Mato Grosso has perfected the co-existence of ranching and wildlife, including jaguars. This ranch is home to the complete ecosystem of the dryer land in Pantanal: jaguars, anteaters, 6-banded armadillos, rheas, tapirs, capuchin monkeys, macaws, eagles, hawks, skimmers, roseate spoonbills…all listed as vulnerable or endangered, but safe on a property that truly cares about getting along with nature.

We’ll maximize your camera time so you will go home with the skills to keep taking your best shots long after you leave- you’ll know the settings and the WHY behind them. With only 5 guests on this trip, you’ll get plenty of photography assistance and coaching from Karen.

Not a photographer? Just enjoy immersing with us at sightings to enjoy nature. Karen will help you get the best from your phone or tablet camera.

Where Are We Staying?

Santa Rosa Hotel, Pantanal

The hotel is not fancy, but we’re only going to be sleeping at this clean, cozy riverside lodge, right? We’ll be on the river from dawn until dusk (yes, we will hop off the boat when necessary!) We’ve got cold drinks, shade, and a picnic lunch plus snacks on the boat…but you’re going to be so busy watching everything happening around us that you might forget to eat! Breakfast and dinner will be at the lodge and you’ll have time in the evening to enjoy the refreshing swimming pool or download those full memory cards, or both!

Pousado Piuval Lodge

One of the first true eco-lodges in Brasil, Piuval has it all:

• It’s a working cattle and horse ranch on 7000 hectares.
• It’s home to Impacto, a conservation organization dedicated to sustainable solutions to the conflict between wildlife and human’s use of the land.
• It’s home to jaguars, Giant Anteaters, Crab-Eating foxes, tapirs, rheas, monkeys, ocelots, 6-banded armadillos, Marsh and Pampas deer and other endangered and vulnerable species. Healthy bird populations bring the forests and savannas to life.
• Piuval has set the bar for co-existing with wildlife with ethical, non-lethal solutions, creating an Eden not far from civilization.

We’ll explore every inch. We’ll watch the pantaneiros (cowboys) bring the cattle in. We’ll sit by waterholes whilst the monkeys come down for a drink. We’ll seek the secretive tapier. We might run into a jaguar on the road and watch it hunt in the fields. Who knows what we’ll see, but we promise it will be the coolest juxtiposition of the wild and the tame that you never thought possible.