Tour 5: Exclusive Jaguar Safari6 days/5 nights conducted from June to October, for groups of 2 persons and upVideo 1 - Video 2
This program concentrates primarily on searching for wild jaguars in Pantanal. As soon as you have had the opportunity (within an appropriate time frame) to see and observe a wild jaguar, the tour will be continued with the search for and encounter of other animal species in Pantanal. The tours to search for jaguars will continue to your satisfaction – until you have been able to observe a wild jaguar for a sufficient period of time. We can ensure a success rate of nearly 70 % (however, without a guarantee). The best opportunities transpire in the months of June to October – with a little good fortune, possibly even up to late November.
Day 1: Cuiabá – Pousada PiuvalYou will be picked up at the airport in Cuiabá by our travel guide. This is followed by a drive (approx. 110 km, to Poconé, on asphalted roads. Upon your arrival, you will first enjoy lunch with a typical Brazilian family, featuring typical native Matogrossensian cuisine (this depends upon the time of arrival). This is followed by a drive to the pousada Piuval along the Transpantaneira, with several stops along the way to observe the flora and fauna. After your arrival at the lodge in the afternoon, you will take a boat trip on the nearby Lake Piuval, or a horseback-riding tour on the premises of the fazenda Ipiranga, which is part of the Pousada Piuval - primarily to search for various bird species and howler monkeys. This is followed by a night safari with torches and spotlights, to observe nocturnal animals (after dinner).
Day 2: Jaguar-Eco-LodgeFirst a, sunrise tour before breakfast - to experience the awakening of the animal world in the Pantanal. After breakfast, you will take a horseback-riding tour or a boat trip on Lake Piuval. Then, lunch in the pousada. After that, you take a ride along the Transpantaneira to the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge, the starting point for the jaguar excursions. In the afternoon, in the vicinity of the lodge, you will take an excursion on foot. After dinner, you will take a tour to search for nocturnal animals (depending on the weather).
Day 3: Jaguar-Safari and animal observationAfter getting up at 5:00 am, take a drive to Porto Jofre, the end point of the Transpantaneira. Following your arrival here, you will have breakfast. After that, a boat trip (approx. five hours) begins, which takes you deep into the Cerrado, into the heart of a pristine natural landscape – in the vicinity of the Rio Tres Irmãos, Rio São Lourenço and the Rio Piquiri to search for jaguars here. At approximately noon, we return by boat to Porto Jofre, where you will have a picnic lunch. After lunch, there will be another boat trip to search for jaguars – as well as other interesting animal species that live in this area. At approximately 16:30 pm, we drive back to the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge. Dinner (followed by overnight stay) in the Lodge.
Day 4: Jaguar-Safari and animal observationAfter getting up at 5:00 am, take a drive to Porto Jofre, the end point of the Transpantaneira. Following your arrival here, you will have breakfast. After that, that, a boat trip (approx. five hours) begins, which takes you deep into the Cerrado, into the heart of a pristine natural landscape – in the vicinity of the Rio Tres Irmãos, Rio São Lourenço and the Rio Piquiri to search for jaguars here. If you have already seen a jaguar, your travel guide will concentrate on finding other animal species for you – particularly giant otters, anteaters, monkeys and numerous bird species. At approximately noon, we return by boat to Porto Jofre, where you will have a picnic lunch. After lunch, there will be another boat trip to search for jaguars – as well as other interesting animal species that live in this area. At approximately 16:30 pm, we drive back to the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge. Dinner (followed by overnight stay) in the Lodge.
Day 5: Curicaca-LodgeBy car, you will travel along the Transpantaneira to the Curicaca-Lodge. In the immediate vicinity of the fazenda, there are many hyacinth macaws; you can already hear then from a distance and then, you must only localise their calls in order to then see them in the oil palms. This creates outstanding opportunities to watch and photograph these birds – then, lunch in the lodge. After lunch, there will be an extended horseback-riding tour (on which you can observe numerous animals). With a good dose of luck, you will discover the giant toucan, the nandu and the Jabiru stork, along with coati-mondis, raccoons, ant-eaters, water-hogs and even large groups of caimans frequently observed here. This fazenda is a definite must for nature aficionados and photographers. After dinner (also in the lodge), another night safari will be conducted.
Day 6: CuiabáAfter breakfast, a drive to Cuiabá (or another excursion on horseback, according to the flight departure time). If your flight does not leave until approximately 17:00, an additional tour on horseback will take place in the late morning, to the vicinity of the fazenda. The program ends at the airport in Cuiabá. Extension days or subsequent programs possible at any time, upon request.Program subject to change due to weather influences and natural phenomena. Prices:
Services (included in the above prices):1 night in the Pousada Piuval with full board.1 night in the Curicaca-Lodge with full board. 3 nights in the Jaguar-Eco-Lodge with full board. All rooms with A/C, bath/shower, swimming pool. All transfers, all tours by car, boat, on horseback and on foot. 24-hour assistance provided by trained and skilled English speaking travel guides (according to availability). All transfers and car trips in a minivan with A/C or passenger car (according to the number of guests). The following are not included in this price:Beverages. Personal expenses. Gratuities.Required equipement:Proper footwear (light hiking shoes), long jeans or trekking pants, long-sleeved shirt, t-shirts and shirts to sleep in, hat, cap or headscarf, sun-blocker and mosquito repellent. Do not wear black clothing, because the colour black attracts mosquitoes! Sweatshirt, sweater or fibre-fur clothing strongly recommended from June to September, since in the evening, it may indeed be rather cold. Vaccination against yellow fever very strongly recommended.Extension days and/or subsequent trips to Chapada dos Guimaraes or Nobres possible any time; programs and prices accordingly by request. The JAGUARPortuguese: Onça pintada  The head and body measure 112 to 185 cm – the tail is 45 to 75 cm long. The jaguar is known to have the strongest dentition of all wild cat species, although its body is not nearly as large as that of lions or tigers. Nevertheless, the average weight of a male amounts to 103 kg – whereby reports have been made of the capture (in the Pantanal) of some animals weighing over 150 kg. The spotted jaguar, also called "Jaguaretê" by natives, is the largest cat species in the Americas. This family includes eight sub-groups which also originate from the American continent. The spotted jaguar also occurs as a black mutation (Melanismus) – here, one refers to the "Onça-preta", or the "Pantera-negra", which is common in the Amazon region. Actually, this "black one" has the same pattern of spots as its lighter-coloured cousin – according to the exposure to light, one can recognise the even-darker black spots (characteristic to this species) between the somewhat lighter brownish-black. The jaguar is a wanderer – in the pursuit of prey, it travels up to 30 km within a very short time. Therefore, whoever seeks to observe this animal during the day needs to set aside some extra dime – and display considerable patience. When it catches a prey animal in a certain area, it then avoids the same area for a long time (which enables nature to take its course in replenishing the population of this animal until the jaguar returns to capture prey there). This behaviour also leads to the conclusion that its hunting territory is most probably quite expansive. It is furthermore a rare occurrence that two jaguars can be found in the same territory, unless this happens during mating season when several males court one female.
The jaguar is diurnal as well as nocturnal – and primarily a rogue, preferring the ground as its territory – but has also been observed as an excellent swimmer taking well to water. It also proves to be a good climber; no tree is too tall or difficult. It lives in the jungle, in cerrados, in swamps with dense thickets. Its most common prey consists of: water-hogs, wild boars (catetos), deer, caimans, roe deer, fish otters and fish. The jaguar rarely attacks humans – and on those rare occasions, most of the "victims" got away with their lives. This, in turn proves that the "attack" must probably have been rather a defensive act than a targeted attack (otherwise, those involved would not have had the slightest chance against the power and agility of this big cat. It is much more probable that a person in the jungle never sees a jaguar than that this animal would attack. The human scent alone is already a sign of danger for this big cat, and it withdraws before one has a chance to see it. The jaguar is on Brazil's endangered-species list; the main reason for this is the destruction of forests – but also relentless hunting contributes directly to its elimination. Special characteristics:A male jaguar can weigh 90 to 120 kg – females 60 to 90 kg. There is information of animals weighing up to 158 kg. The gestation period amounts to 93-105 days. The litter consists of one to four offspring (with a birth weight with the range of 70-900 g). They open their eyes within three to sometimes 13 days after birth, and are lactated until the fifth or sixth month of life. They remain under the mother's care until their second year of life – and become sexually mature at the age of two to four. In captivity, a jaguar reached a life span of 24 years. During the 1960s, in the Amazon region alone, approximately 15,000 animals were shot and killed to supply the international fur market© Texts and Fotos by Günter Stysch © Fotos by A. u. E. Horn |
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