At 07:30h, pick-up at the hotel in Cuiabá and transfer by van along a 220km paved road until the city of Cáceres. Last shopping and embark on a houseboat that already has its engines on to start the navigation down the majestic Paraguay River, which receives all the water of the Pantanal. Lunch and a brief siesta, while we sail farther from civilization. In the afternoon, small boats are taken to explore the many small water courses, where there is an abundant presence of wildlife such as caimans, capybaras, monkeys and birds…many aquatic birds. Back to the houseboat for dinner, the navigation goes on until midnight.

After breakfast, we leave the houseboat slowly descending the river while we take small boats seeking for the jaguars in smaller rivers, streams, bays and lakes. At the end of the day, we meet the houseboat already anchored at the Tayamã Ecological Station. A part of the beautiful landscape, this protected area hosts a rich wildlife concentration where the Jaguar reigns as the top of the food chain.

After having passed by the mountainous region near by Cáceres and the many curves of the river – until now narrow- , we’ll be enchanted by seeing it get much larger, while entering in the flooded areas that justifies its title of The Largest Wetland in the World. Abruptly contrasting to the floods, there is the highest point of the Pantanal – the Amolar Hills, where is found an unexpected waterfall and many Marsh and Pampas Deer, as well as the beautiful Giant Lilly ‘Victoria-Regina’, which makes us comprehending the true mosaic of vegetation and environments present in the Heart of South America.

Having anchored last night in the neighborhood of the National Park, we navigate this morning through dense gallery forests on both sides of the river, and we take advantage of the panoramic view of the houseboat to see animals that could he hidden behind the bushes. The houseboat arrives to Porto Jofre, just 30 minutes from the Meeting of Waters Park.

During all these days, we will do small boat rides through the many water courses present at the Meeting-of-the-Waters State Park (Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas), where there is one of the highest concentration of Jaguars in the whole Pantanal. Used to seeing humans, as this is a famous fishing place, Jaguars here permit a closer contact, but we will not miss the many other examples of wildlife. In some seasons, we have the chance to see them mating or with cubs. The houseboat would be anchored right at the entrance of the park, maximizing our chances to see the largest cat in Americas, but, if weather is not cold or raining, the medium average of observation is one Jaguar per day, hunting Capybaras or Caiman or simply resting for hours on the river banks.

This day would be entirely filled with an Overland safari along the Transpantaneira park-road, in an open vehicle (a comfortable F4000, 4WD) with seats above the canopy of mostly bushes, which permits a good observation of a large variety of wildlife, such as Anacondas, Owls, Spoonbills, Herons, many other birds and many mammals too. Lunch on the way at the midpoint, on the Pixaim River banks. Arrival at the Piuval lodge at the end of the afternoon. Accommodation, dinner and a night safari in open vehicle equipped with special torches for observing the nocturnal behaved animals such as Foxes, Racoons, Snakes, Ocelots and, with luck, even a Jaguar, among hundreds of Caiman with eyes shining.

Early wake up for a sunrise walk with observation of many birds and other wildlife viewing, especially the Giant Anteater who live on the termite hills. After breakfast, another walking on a mound-hill (non-flooded areas that congregate many mammals, like monkeys and rodents, in a bush with nests of Jabiru storks and Hyacinth Macaws). In the afternoon, we do an overland safari to a remote place where is a stream that is the only source of water in a large area, what attracts a lot of Caiman, Otters and rare birds such as the Boat-billed Herons in a bushy area where are many birds colonies. After dinner, another night safari, doubling our chances to see nocturnal behaved animals

Another early wake up for a sunrise walk with observation of many birds and other wildlife viewing, giving one more chance to see the amazing Giant-Anteater, as well as Red-legged Seriema or the Sunbittern, an Amazonian bird that live in the North Pantanal. After breakfast, we do what is the most authentic way to explore the Pantanal – by horse, which crosses the flooding areas and reach the most remote bushes where is abundant the wildlife. There we will climb some canopy towers for having a gorgeous view of the Wetlands. Lunch, check-out and transfer to Cuiabá, with drop-off by 4:00pm.