Chapada dos Guimarães & Pantanal
Chapada dos Guimarães National Park & North Pantanal
A fabulous itinerary for wildlife lovers! Pantanal is the largest wetland in the World, the border between the biomes Amazon and Cerrado, and considered by many specialists as the second-best place to see wild animals, like jaguars, on the Planet (only after Africa´s safaris). Chapada dos Guimarães National Park is very sought after by birdwatchers, that can spot over a hundred species in a four-day trip. This small and orange rocky National Park, has beautiful mountains landscape, where the macaws make their nests and love to show off their turquoise-blue and red colors. Next to each other, this itinerary mix both destinations so you can enjoy the best of the wildlife in Brazil.
Highlights
North Pantanal
The wetlands are very important ecosystems in the world, they are responsible for a large amount of water supply, climate balance and soil nutrition. Pantanal is the largest wetland coverage in our Planet, with over 170.000 km² (62% in Brazil – 20% in Bolívia – 18% in Paraguai) and part of the Ramsar List. In Brazil, it´s considered North and South Pantanal due to its extension in two states: Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. Our expedition takes place in North Pantanal, closer to Chapada dos Guimarães and where we can enjoy the Transpantaneira Parkway Poconé to Porto Jofre – a 150km dirt road, that has countless bridges and from where many wild animals can be spotted: capibaras, wild pigs, caymans and many birds. In the end of the road, we reach Cuiabá River, where a boat tour takes us to try to spot the jaguars! A lot of threats are over Pantanal plains, such as the agribusiness with large scale soy production and use of pesticides and the cattle farms. We believe in Ecotourism as a way of generating jobs and economy without destroying our precious wetlands.
Chapada dos Guimarães National Park
This must be one of the most surprising National Parks in Brazil! Very small and not famous, Chapada dos Guimarães is a birdwatching paradise, where visitors can easily see dozens of species such as toucans and seriemas, during any regular tour. This is the geodesic center of South America and the mountains facing the plains of Pantanal have an orange color with stunning landscape. The beauty is mostly regarding some lookouts such as Cidade de Pedra (City of Stones) with the panoramic view of the mountains (picture above), where many colorful macaws make their nests and show off during sunset and the crystal-clear waterfalls to enjoy little oasis during a hike inside the National Park.
Birdwatching
Brazil has a lot of endemic and rare birds, mostly due to its different kind of biomes. Even if you are not an experienced birder, to be able to see those beautiful birds is certainly a great memory for your trip. The Cerrado, Brazilian savannas (kind of ecosystem found in the Chapadas), keep a great amount of birds that can be easily spotted in regular tours, a nice range of colors, songs and dances, that makes anyone fell in love with them. For the experienced birders, we have specialist guides to take you to the best locations at the right time of day, to be able to see the birds missing in your life-list!
Jabiru
A special highlight to the jabirus that can be spotted from the Transpantaneira Parkway. Those storks have 1,4m height and up to 3m with open wings, a beautiful black, white and red colored bird. Their nests have around 1m diameter on top of skinny trees making it look like dinossaur´s nests! Jabirus can be seen from Mexico to Uruguai, but in Brazilian Pantanal is where the largest population lives, making it the region´s symbol bird.
Jaguar
To see a jaguar must be in the list of every adventurer world-wide! This beautiful cat, despite being an elusive wild animal, can be spotted – with a little luck – during a speed-boat tour in Cuiabá River, by the end of the Transpantaneira Parkway Poconé-Porto Jofre. We have a special period of the itinerary to have enough time to spend looking for them, really worth the effort!
Chapada dos Guimarães
Pantanal
Itineraries
Chapada dos Guimarães & Pantanal 6 days/5 nights
This short-term itinerary has the best highlights of Chapada dos Guimarães in a 2 nights stay and more focused in Pantanal, with 3 nights to explore it. Perfect choice to combine with other destinations in Brazil.
Chapada dos Guimarães & Pantanal 9 days/8 nights - I want to go deep!
With a slow-paced itinerary, it´s possible to explore more out off the beaten track attractions, besides the highlights. With a longer stay at Pantanal, even more wildlife encounters are likely to happen. The perfect option for those willing to go deeper in the wildlife and have the time for it.
More info about your trip
When is the best season?
Chapada dos Guimarães National Park and North Pantanal have a specific time of the year when it´s the best season to visit: from May to September, during dry season.
That´s when all the animals come closer to the water and it´s easier to spot them. Also, due to the heavy rains during the other half of the year (Oct to April), when temperatures are very high (around 40ºC) and it´s mosquitoes season.
How to get there
Airport: Cuiabá, state capital.
From Cuiabá, a transfer will take you to Chapada dos Guimarães in a 1-hour drive (70km). From Chapada dos Guimarães, the distance to North Pantanal Parkway is 200km, around 3-hour drive.
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Choose and combine many destinations in your trip to Brazil! We´ve designed short-term itineraries, so you can add more destinations in a single trip and long-term itineraries, so you can go deep in those you want the most.
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Chapada dos Guimarães & Pantanal
The best wildlife expedition in Brazil! The nest of hundreds of species of birds, coloring its mountains, and many other animals, like the jaguars. Explore this rocky National Park and the largest wetlands in the world.
Birdwatching
Brazil has a lot of endemic birds and we prepare those special itineraries for those willing to see the most beautiful and rare ones! With high specialized guides, the right lodgings and the perfect trip design for birdwatchers.
