The Pantanal
The Pantanal, in a few days
The largest tropical wetland in the world and the best place in South America to see wildlife: jaguars, caimans, capybaras and macaws along the Transpantaneira, then the clear rivers of Bonito and the port of Corumbá. The map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.
- Day by day
- 1 The Transpantaneira, lodges from km 25 to km 42 Days 1-3
- 2 Porto Jofre Days 4-6
- 3 Cuiabá Day 7
- 4 Bonito Days 8-10
- 5 Corumbá Days 11-13
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
Day by day
The Transpantaneira, lodges from km 25 to km 42
Ranch lodges along a red dirt road heading due south from Poconé, with caimans, capybaras and macaws on every side.
- The fazendas and horseback ridesa full day · from Some of the big cattle ranches of the Pantanal take in travellers without ever stopping grazing their herds.
- The Transpantaneira, from Poconé to Porto Jofre
- Caimans and capybaras
- Macaws and the wildlife
Porto Jofre
The fishing hamlet at the end of the Transpantaneira, on the Rio Cuiabá, where the boats leave to look for jaguars on the riverbanks.
- The Porto Jofre jaguar safaria full day · from Motorboats leave this fishing hamlet on the Rio Cuiabá and head up the Piquiri and Três Irmãos rivers to look for jaguars on the banks.
- Pantanal Matogrossense National Parka full day · from Created by decree on 24 September 1981, 135,606 hectares protecting the south-western tip of the Pantanal, where the Rio Cuiabá meets the Rio Paraguai.
Cuiabá
A night in the city after five and a half hours on the road from Porto Jofre, before the connecting flight south to Bonito.
Bonito
An underground lake of dense blue down a hundred-metre stairway, and clear rivers to float down with a mask and snorkel.
- The Gruta do Lago Azul, Bonitoabout 1h · from About twenty kilometres from Bonito, a stairway drops some hundred metres through the rock to a chamber holding an underground lake of dense blue.
- Floating the Rio da Pratahalf a day · from About fifty kilometres from Bonito, in Jardim: an hour's walk through the forest, then 2,200 metres drifting with the current, mask and snorkel on.
Corumbá
A river port founded in 1778 on a limestone bluff over the Rio Paraguai, the gateway to the southern Pantanal.
- The Porto Geral in Corumbá
- The Estrada Parque Pantanal
Worth sorting before you go
A 4x4, then a domestic flight · The Transpantaneira is driven in a 4x4. Getting from Cuiabá to Bonito takes a flight with a connection.
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Feijoada: black beans slow-cooked with pork, eaten on a Saturday.
- Pão de queijo: small cheese breads, chewy and served warm.
- Açaí: the Amazon berry, frozen into a bowl.
- Moqueca: fish stewed in coconut milk and dendê palm oil.
- Caipirinha: cachaça, lime and sugar, and nothing else.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Go out light: no jewellery on show and only the cash you need that evening.
- Use Uber rather than a street taxi, above all after dark.
- Do not walk into a favela without a guide.
- On the beach, keep an eye on your things. Nothing left on a towel stays there.
Words that help
English ↔ Portuguese
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Olá |
| Thank you | Obrigado |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sim |
| No | Não |
| Excuse me | Com licença |
| Goodbye | Adeus |
| Do you speak English? | Fala inglês? |
| I don't understand | Não compreendo |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Onde fica a casa de banho? (BR: banheiro) |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favor |
| Help! | Socorro! |
| Cheers! | Saúde! |
The practical page
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/pantanal
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos: Pexels and Wikimedia Commons (MTur Destinos, Public domain ; Leonardo Ramos, CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Rosenbergmesquita, CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Bruno L Wagner, CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Cynthia Doutel Ribas, CC BY-SA 3.0) · Details are indicative, check before you leave.