The Pantanal, Brazil’s Other Jungle

Embark on a jungle adventure to the Pantanal in Brazil with travel advice from a Brazil travel expert at Brazil For Less.

Brazil is famous for its lion’s share of the Amazon basin rainforest, but this vast and sprawling country is also home to another exotic and wildlife-rich jungle, the Pantanal. Located in the southwest of the country, the Pantanal jungle is made up of wetlands and canyons, a diverse topography that nourishes many a tropical bird species, plus plenty of pumas, jaguars, anteaters, capuchin monkeys, and capybaras. And because the seasonal flooding has preserved the region from much human development, the Pantanal is an exquisite place to spend a few days exploring a pristine jungle.

Many visitors to Brazil’s Pantanal begin their jungle adventure in Cuiabá, the capital of the Mato Grosso state. Visitors can take a bus or flight into Cuiabá, where it’s easy to find a guide or information about jungle lodges, which offer all-inclusive room and board plus plenty of guided excursions. 

There are at least three great Pantanal Cuiaba lodges, the Pousada Aguape Lodge, the Baia Grande Lodge, and the Pousada do Rio Mutum Lodge. At the Pousada do Rio Mutum Lodge, visitors can spend 3, 4, or 5 days going on wildlife hikes, going piranha fishing – and then tasting fresh piranha soup – relaxing on sunrise canoe rides, or going horseback riding through the wetlands.

On a four day Pousada do Rio Mutum Lodge vacation, visitors first arrive at the bus station or airport, where they are met by their jungle lodge guide. Then they take a ride through the jungle to the lodge, and along the way, the guide points out wildlife, villages, and other beautiful scenery.

During their first day in the jungle, visitors will get a tour of the lodge and all the jungle surrounding it before returning to the lodge for dinner and an explanation of all the activities that they can enjoy during their stay.

On day 2 of this Pantanal jungle lodge stay, visitors wake early, have breakfast, and then can take a horseback ride through the wetlands to a plantation, where crops are harvested and where the jungle is rife with wildlife.

In the afternoon, visitors return to the lodge for lunch, and then spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying a leisurely boat ride along the Mutum River, where giant river otters, stingrays, and tropical fish are a common sight.

After dinner at the lodge, visitors can take a safari ride along the roads through the Pantanal wetlands and jungle to enjoy the scenery and the sunset.

The next day, visitors can choose from a variety of activities, including walks through the mountains, fields, and pastures. Or take another boat ride along the Mutum River, this time heading to the Bahia Sia Mariana and the Bahia de Chacorore, where visitors can see scores of tropical birds and wildlife. In the evening, visitors can go piranha fishing, or enjoy a nighttime safari tour. 

On the last morning in the Pantanal jungle, visitors will want to wake early to take a sunrise canoe journey along the river. The morning is when many of the animals and birds are out, and is the best time to go wildlife sighting. Returning to the lodge for a final breakfast, visitors pack up and then take a transfer back to Cuiaba for their journey home or to their next Brazil destination.

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