We have visited many places in the world to see wildlife; some of our favorites are the great migrations at Serengeti, the penguins in Antarctica, the Orangutan in Borneo, and the blue foot boobies on Galapagos Island. All of them are unique animals that exist only in specific environments. Pantanal, however, is different from all of them. It is located mainly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and is the world’s largest freshwater wetland. Most of the land we traveled through belonged to private ranchers who raised Bruma cattle on this land, but they seem to have an agreement with lodges to allow guests to drive through their lands for Safaris.
The first hotel we stayed in was Baiazinha, on the Paraguay River’s bank. Capybaras, the largest rodents in South America, were everywhere, including on the hotel’s lawn (they are great lawnmowers). We saw jaguars right away on our first boat ride. She was stalking a Capybara in the river. She sneaked closer to the water’s edge, but her attack was unsuccessful as the Capybaras swam away quickly.
Our second lodge, Pousada Piuval, was much larger and provided opportunities to see different mammals and birds, especially around the waterholes. One tapir wandered over and immersed himself in the water. One animal we spotted quite easily on the field next to the lodge was Giant Anteaters. They wobble through the field and stick their 2-foot-long tongue inside the terminte mounds for breakfast.
We also saw the Lesser Anteater, which is different in color and can climb trees. We saw more jaguars, monkeys, and cowboys moving cattle on the road. The weather was pretty hot (100+ degrees F), so we took an early morning Safari before breakfast and then went on boat rides in mid-morning. After lunch is siesta time (not too many animals are out either). Many evenings, we went out for a nocturnal run and checked out mammals that are active at night. I included a few video clips in the Google link below.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Bx7tXdWPm2MM5oRXA
The third lodge, Aymara, was smaller than Piuval and deeper into the woods. Large trees surrounded this lodge, and the main interest was birds. We saw many species of birds hanging around the area. We have this blue Macaw family right in front of our cabin. It was a pleasure to see my favorite animated blue macaw movie, “Rio,” parenting their baby right in front of my eyes. We met a group of bird watchers from the USA, all equipped with elaborate cameras. We took short walks through the woods, learning about different kinds of trees and plants. The twisted vine looks very different than the one we have in the mid-west; instead of climbing up with tendrils, the vine made curves and went straight up. It is a very interesting phenomenon I have never seen before. We were deluged by two downpours, and after the rain, we saw the lovely cactus flower blooming and attracting many bees.
The last lodge we stayed at was Port Jofre on the Cuiaba River. This Pantanal region has over 4000 jaguars, the largest population in the world. On the Jaguar Identification Registration website by Cuiaba River, over 300 jaguars were listed by name, genealogy, mating partners, and the cubs born to them. Our guide, Andrea, knows each of them and their habits by heart. We encountered two females with cubs, Amber and Patricia, and watched Amber ambush and kill a caiman. With abundant food sources, the jaguars in Pantanal are the largest and heaviest of their species, weighing up to 300 lbs. There were so many iconic moments, and I took a lot of videos. If you enjoy seeing animals in action up close, click the Google link below.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/m9vXGxHLi1Mwpa63A.
In recent years, due to climate change and human activities, there have been numerous wildfires in Panantal, and many animals, including jaguars, have been impacted by the destruction of their habitats. Andrea mentioned that jaguars have been observed to change their behavior and hunting techniques to survive. The wildlife in Pantanal is so different from Africa and other parts of the world; I wish more travelers who enjoy nature and wildlife would consider Pantanal as a destination and bring attention and tourism to this precious place,