Brazil
Quest for Jaguar and Other Wildlife on the Pantanal
July 30 to August 16, 2011

| At a Glance | Itinerary | Costs | Sign-up | Other Details |

This exciting tour to the Pantanal is designed to maximize field time for watching and photographing the diverse wildlife in this famous region on the east side of the Andes. Wildlife is concentrated here in the hot, dry season before the big rains later in the year. The rivers, marshes, lakes, and streams that nourish this area provide a diverse combination of ecosystems, accommodations, and activities that will increase our wildlife encounters. We'll have the chance to see such rare mammals as Jaguar, Giant Anteater, Maned Wolf, and Tapir. Hyacinth Macaws and many other birds will be a joy to encounter as well. This trip includes seven days on the Paraguay River in a comfortable, air-conditioned houseboat to look for Jaguar and other river wildlife. Experience the magnificent wildlife of the Pantanal! Each day we will begin by dawn at 5:30 am, return for breakfast, then go back out for more wildlife encounters until lunch followed by a big siesta and more game viewing by 3 or 4 pm, depending on how hot it is. Some days stay out until after dark for some night viewing. Some mornings we may start by 4:30 am when it is still dark out to get some extra special nocturnal viewing before dawn.

Jaguar

At a Glance

Costs: $6,600 per person, double occupancy, not including airfare. Single supplement is $1,200. Review cost details.

Leaders: Gail and Doug Cheeseman with guides, Carlos Grandez Perez and Helder Freitas.

Group Size: 8, not including our leaders.

Number of Days: 18, including travel days.

Conditions: A non-smoking safari for people who are very interested in all wildlife and spending the maximum time in the field.

Update: This itinerary was updated in July 2011. View the plain text version, great for printing!

Synopsis:

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Detailed Itinerary

This itinerary may vary from day to day depending on road conditions, weather, river conditions, and circumstances beyond our control.

July 30 - 31, Saturday - Sunday: Fly to Cuiabá for overnight on July 31
Fly to Cuiabá (CGB) in Brazil. We will arrange transfers to the hotel on arrival on July 31. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the hotel with shuttle service close to the airport on July 31. Review flight details.
Lodging: Cerrados Park Hotel

August 1, Monday: Travel to the Pantanal
After breakfast, Carlos will meet us at the hotel then we will travel 250 km by car to the Canto do Dourado Lodge in Cáceres near the Paraguay River. Take an afternoon walk in search of howlers, two species of deer, toucans, hawks, macaws, snakes and other wildlife. After dinner, we will go on a night excursion by motorized boat to look for nocturnal creatures.
Lodging: Recanto do Dourado Lodge

Giant River Otter

August 2, Tuesday: Explore by boat up the Jauru River
Enjoy a full-day boat trip along the Paraguay River into the remote and wildlife-rich Jauru River to search for Giant River Otters, two species of caimans, Tapirs, Capybaras, birds, and Jaguar. Today Carlos and his staff will prepare a big traditional Brazilian barbecue lunch on the shores of the river. After lunch, relax in hammocks under the trees by the riverbank in traditional Brazilian siesta style. Later this afternoon, perhaps try fishing for piranha and definitely indulge in more wildlife spotting as we make our way back to the lodge. The sunsets are beautiful in the Pantanal and by the time we reach the lodge we will have done some night spotting again to find nocturnal animals on the river. We'll have a late light dinner at the lodge.
Lodging: Recanto do Dourado Lodge

Jaguar

August 3, Wednesday: Embark on our river cruise for seven days
After an early morning breakfast, we will embark in our comfortable, air-conditioned houseboat, the the Bonança, and travel downstream along the Paraguay River to arrive at the Taiama Reserve late in the afternoon. Staying in a houseboat avoids the hassle of traveling to and from the river, giving us the maximum time in the field. It also allows us to be on the river earlier and later in the day allowing us to cover more of the river to give us the best opportunity to find Jaguar.
Lodging: Aboard the Bonança

August 4 - 9, Thursday - Tuesday: Cruise the Paraguay River for Jaguar and other wildlife
We will spend our time searching the mighty Paraguay River for Jaguar and other fabulous wildlife along exposed riverbanks. We'll have two aluminum boats that will provide greater flexibility for in-depth explorations and photography along the shores and in the river channels to look for birds and other animals, including anaconda, caimans, and monkeys. We will float through the Taiama Reserve, which has the highest concentration of Jaguar in the Brazilian Pantanal. On the third day, the houseboat will travel to the second part of Taiama Reserve. We will also explore areas outside of the reserve near Fazenda Conceição. Carlos knows how to track Jaguar, which will be our main quest this week, but we will encounter many other mammals, birds, and reptiles as well. With a full week here, we should have great looks at anaconda in addition to the hundreds of caiman that thrive in the Pantanal. Enjoy siestas in the hot part of the day, as we will concentrate our tracking time in the early morning and late evening, when spot-lighting is very productive, especially for Jaguar, owls, and other wildlife that are active at night. Jaguars are also apt to come to the river to drink in the middle of the day.
Lodging: Aboard the Bonança

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Capybara

August 10 - 12, Wednesday - Friday: Disembark and travel to Poconé and down the Transpanteira
Begin early this morning along the Paraguay River and keeping a sharp eye out for wildlife. Disembark from Bonança and start our travel to the Transpantaneira. The second part of the trip will include explorations of the famous Transpantaneira Road, where we will stay at Pouso Alegre with air conditioning in our rooms. Pouso Alegre is 150 km from Cuiaba and 17 km from Poconé, the official entrance to the northern Pantanal where the Transpantaneria begins with all its wooden bridges. The lodge is a few kilometers down a side road off the beaten track of the main Transpantaneria. We have a variety of options available to us at this wonderful fazenda: walks to view wildlife, safari in open vehicles, boating, and night drives. Elusive wildlife is very challenging to photograph, so we will spend a lot of field time to be sure to get some great photographic results, including photographing Hyacinth Macaws. Each day we will begin by dawn at 5:30 am, return for breakfast, then go back out for more wildlife encounters until lunch followed by a big siesta and more game viewing by 3 or 4 pm, depending on how hot it is. Some days stay out until after dark for some night viewing. Some mornings we may start by 4:30 am when it is still dark out to get some extra special nocturnal viewing before dawn.
Lodging: Pouso Alegre

August 13, Saturday: Pousada Piuval off the Transpantaneira
Today we will move to Pousada Piuval to experience another Transpantaneria location. Piuval is named for the beautiful pink flowering tree, the Piuva, that all blossom at the same time in August. This fazenda extends across 7000 acres of Pantanal savanna and is 7 km off the main Transpantaneiro, about 10 km from Poconé. Here we will continue our tracking for the more elusive wildlife. We will again go on a night safari to search for cats and other nocturnal mammals and birds either late in the evening or well before dawn when nocturnal mammals are still active.
Lodging: Pousada Piuval

August 14, Sunday: Travel back to Cuiabá and Varzea Grande
After breakfast, we will drive back to Varzea Grande for overnight at the Cerrados Park Hotel beside the airport. Lunch will be along the way at a local restaurant. Dinner and remaining meals are on our own.
Lodging: Cerrados Park Hotel

August 15 - 16, Monday - Tuesday: Flights home
Transfers from the hotel to the Cuiabá Airport will be arranged through the reception at the Cerrados Park Hotel for flights on August 15. Arrive home on August 16.

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Costs

Costs, Payments and Cancellations: All reservations require a deposit due at the time of making the reservation. Once we receive your deposit, we will send trip materials and travel insurance information. Until the final payment date, payments are refundable except for a cancellation fee of $150 per person. This fee may go toward another tour if reserved within six months of the departure date of the cancelled trip. There are no refunds given after the final payment due date. We reserve the right to charge for cost increases that occur between now and the date of travel.

Included:

• Expert guiding, lodging and boat trips as listed in the itinerary.
• All meals from breakfast on August 1 through lunch on August 14.
• Airport transfers on dates listed.

Not Included:

• All airfare. Airfare round trip to Cuiabá is approximately $1,200 to $1,400 (subject to change, quoted November 2009).
• Brazilian visa fee.
• All meals after lunch on August 14.
• Gratuities: Tipping is, of course, discretionary, however we suggest budgeting $8 to $10 per day per participant (a total of $112 to $140 per participant) to be distributed among all the resident naturalists, crew, and drivers. Doug and Gail also contribute their share. The gratuity will be collected at the end of the tour.

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Sign-up

To Make a Reservation: Please contact us to assure space availability and to let us answer your questions. Then, print our reservation form, fill it out, and post it to us in the mail with your deposit. Or fill out our handy online information request and we will send you more information.

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070

Toll Free: (800) 527-5330
Local: (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358
Email: info@cheesemans.com

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Other Details

Leaders: Doug and Gail Cheeseman have found leading safaris to be a fresh way of blending a desire to observe nature with a wish to inspire travelers towards the values of conservation and education. Doug turned on biology majors with zoology and ecology at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, during his long career. Gail is an avid birder and naturalist, plus a meticulous coordinator of trip logistics. Gail and Doug have led wildlife safaris since 1978 to many different counties on every continent on the planet.

Carlos Grandez Perez

Carlos Grandez Perez was raised in the Peruvian Amazon where his father was also a guide. Brazil captured his heart during a visit over 20 years ago and ever since he has guided throughout the country as well as in the Pantanal region of Bolivia and the Esteros del Iberá wetlands of Argentina. His long guiding experience has given him a thorough understanding of the flora and fauna in the Pantanal region and his energy, good humor, and enthusiasm make him a highly sought-after guide. He works with and supports several community and social projects in the Pantanal and Amazon regions and is a keen defender of the environments in which he works. Carlos is multilingual, speaking English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian.

Helder Freitas is a Brazilian biologist, ecologist and naturalist who has been guiding in Brazil for over 20 years. Helder grew up in São Paulo, where he studied. He received his guide license in 1990, starting off his career in Florianopolis on Brazil's Atlantic coast. For the past 15 years he has guided in the Pantanal. He earned a degree in Biology at UNIVAG (Centro Univeritario de Várzea Grande) near Cuiabá. His knowledge of ecology, wildlife and culture is remarkable, including the bird songs of the birds of the Pantanal. He is also well versed in Brazil's economics, politics and history and speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Flights: Arrive in Cuiabá, Brazil (CGB) by July 31 and depart from Cuiabá on August 15. More flight information will be given once airlines have their flight schedules firmed up about eleven months before the return dates. Please let us know if you would like assistance reserving your flights.

Accommodations: The houseboat and all the lodges have private baths and air conditioning.

Travel Insurance: Emergency Medical Insurance is optional, but encouraged, for this tour. Read about travel insurance and our recommendations and requirements.

Non-smoking Policy: We have a strict non-smoking policy - smoking is not permitted at any time or any place during our tours.

Mailing List: If you would like to be on our mailing list or request information, please use our online information request form or contact us to give us your name, address, email address and phone number. Please note we will never share your personal information with anybody!

Responsibility: Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage, or injury to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the agency or default of such agency suppliers. We reserve the right to cancel the tour prior to departure in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking. All rates are based on current tariffs, exchange rates and fuel prices and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. By sending your initial deposit, you agree to accept our payment schedule as a contract. If payments are still outstanding two weeks after the due date, your space may be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner's risk.

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is registered as California Seller of Travel #2063050-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation (TCRC). In event of a client canceling where a refund is applicable in accordance with the schedule above, or in the event that CES needs to cancel the trip, all payments for transportation or travel service not provided to the client shall be promptly refunded, unless the client instructs us otherwise in writing. All client payments are deposited into a trust account in accordance with California law. If for any reason a valid refund is not forthcoming, the client may request reimbursement from the TCRC within six months of the scheduled end of the tour. Please feel free to ask us for more information.

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All material © Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris.
All photos © Doug or Ted Cheeseman, unless otherwise credited.
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