The Pantanal – There's More Than One Way to Explore It
By Lesley | Fauna Quest Journeys
I've been travelling to Brazil's Pantanal for many years now, and with every visit I've become more convinced that some of the most rewarding wildlife experiences are to be found away from the places where everyone else is looking.
The Pantanal has become famous for its jaguars, and quite rightly so. There is nowhere else in the world where you can watch these magnificent cats with such regularity, sometimes for hours at a time. But it's an enormous region, with an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, and there's so much more to discover if you're prepared to venture a little further.
On my latest visit, I accompanied two consecutive small groups through the Northern and Southern Pantanal, returning to some of my favourite places and spending time with people I've come to know well over many years.
We saw an extraordinary amount of wildlife, including 26 individual jaguars across the two groups. But when I think back over these journeys, it's often the encounters we had entirely to ourselves, in places that very few people visit, that stand out most.
## The Paraguay River – Jaguars to Ourselves
One of the places I always try to include is the Paraguay River, near Cáceres in the Northern Pantanal. We stay at Baiazinha Lodge, a small, remote lodge that gives us access to the river, its surrounding channels and bays, and the Taiamã Ecological Reserve.
It's a very different experience from the busy jaguar-watching waterways around Porto Jofre. There are so few visitors in this part of the Paraguay River that we can spend entire days exploring without meeting another tourist boat.
And there are jaguars here. During these latest journeys, we encountered seven different individuals in the Paraguay River area alone.
There's something quite extraordinary about coming across a jaguar resting on a riverbank, or moving through the vegetation, and realising that we're the only people watching it. No gathering of boats, no competing for a position, just us and the jaguar.
The animals here can be a little less accustomed to boats, so sometimes we need to work harder for our sightings. But I rather enjoy that. It feels much more like an exploration, and when we do find something, we can take our time.
My visits here have also developed into something rather special through my friendship with Abbie at the Jaguar ID Project. The project identifies individual jaguars through their unique rosette patterns, gradually building a picture of their lives, movements and territories.
In the past, there had been little systematic research taking place along this stretch of the Paraguay River, so I've been sharing our photographs and sighting records with Abbie to help build the database of jaguars living here. Some of the animals we've photographed haven't previously been recorded by the project, which makes our observations particularly useful.
This year, Abbie invited us to name three of the jaguars we'd encountered. My first group named a male *Kuarahy, meaning *the sun, while the second group named a female *Yvera, meaning *shining water, and a cub *Ka'aru, meaning *dusk.
I think that's rather wonderful. Not only do we get to enjoy these sightings, but we're helping to establish records of animals that may be followed for years to come. And, of course, I'll be particularly interested to see whether we can find any of our three named jaguars when I return!
## Knowing When to Go Somewhere Else
We also spent time in the better-known jaguar areas around Porto Jofre, using a boat as our base, which I still think is the most enjoyable way to explore these waterways.
I've worked with the same local guides for years, and their knowledge of individual jaguars and their behaviour is quite remarkable. We know one another well, and they understand that although I love watching jaguars, I'm equally interested in everything else we might encounter.
One of the decisions we made with both groups was to head much further up the Piquiri River, away from the concentrations of boats in the main jaguar-watching channels.
And what experiences we had! We encountered neotropical river otters, which are remarkably difficult to find in this area of the Pantanal, giant river otters, a male jaguar who has just been spotted recently for the first time, and seven tapirs, including a mother swimming with her sub-adult calf.
These are the sorts of days I particularly enjoy. We might have stayed in the Black Channel watching one of the well-known jaguars, perhaps waiting for it to do something dramatic, but we would have missed everything else.
I understand why photographers sometimes want to sit with a jaguar for many hours, hoping it might leap from a tree or make a kill. And when those moments happen, they're extraordinary. But you can spend an entire day waiting for something may not happen.
I'd rather keep exploring, particularly when there's the possibility of finding so many other interesting animals.
That's not to say we don't spend time watching behaviour. Quite the opposite. But I think there's a balance between waiting for one particular photograph and being open to whatever the day might bring.
## Thirteen Giant Anteaters and Not Another Visitor in Sight
In the Southern Pantanal, we visited another place that has become a real favourite of mine, BaÃa das Pedras.
This is a remote working ranch, and one of the things that makes it so special is the lady who owns it. She's a fifth-generation farmer, and when we go out exploring, it's often with her as our guide, showing us wildlife on land that her family has known for generations.
Her knowledge of the property is extraordinary, and it's a very personal experience. We're not following the usual tourist routes or sharing sightings with other vehicles. We're simply out exploring with someone who knows the land intimately.
During our stay, we recorded 13 giant anteater sightings, including a female carrying a baby on her back.
Now, if you've spent much time looking for giant anteaters, you'll appreciate just how remarkable that is!
On several occasions, we were able to get out and follow them quietly on foot, keeping a respectful distance. Imagine being in this enormous, remote landscape, walking with your local host, watching a giant anteater going about its business, and knowing that there's nobody else around.
It's difficult to convey quite how special those moments feel.
And this is where those long-standing relationships make such a difference. We're not simply arriving at a lodge and joining whatever activities happen to be offered. We're spending time with people I've come to know personally, who share my interest in wildlife and are happy to explore at our own pace.
## The Wildlife You Don't Expect
Over the years, we have also encountered Southern Tamanduas, ocelots, armadillos, tayras and numerous other mammals, along with the incredible birdlife that makes the Pantanal such a fascinating place.
And there's always the possibility of something completely unexpected.
A couple of years ago, we had a radio call that a Brazilian Porcupine had been spotted. This is such a rare sighting, that we went faster to find it than we would for a jaguar!
But that's another reason I keep returning. However well you think you know a place, there's always something you haven't seen, something new to learn, or an animal that surprises you.
Over the years, the Pantanal has become much more than a destination I visit to look for wildlife. I've developed friendships with guides, researchers and people whose families have lived on the land for generations. I've watched individual jaguars grow older, have cubs of their own, recognised animals from previous expeditions and gradually come to know places that are well beyond the usual visitor routes.
And I love being able to share all of that with the people who travel with me.
Of course, we'll continue to visit the famous jaguar-watching areas. They're famous for very good reasons, and I'd never want anyone to miss that experience. But I also want people to see the wider Pantanal, to have the freedom to explore, and to experience what it's like to encounter remarkable wildlife without anyone else around.
After all, if you can see 26 individual jaguars, find seven of them in the quieter Paraguay River area, spend time with giant anteaters on a remote Southern Pantanal ranch, and still have days full of unexpected encounters, I think it demonstrates just how much this extraordinary region has to offer.
And I'm already looking forward to going back, not least to see how Kuarahy, Yvera and Ka'aru are getting on.
Thinking about the Pantanal in 2027?