8-day Amazon & Pantanal Tour: Jaguar Safari + Jungle Adventure
PlanetaEXO
TripsBrazilPantanalNorthern Pantanal

8-day Amazon & Pantanal Tour: Jaguar Safari + Jungle Adventure

Amazon
6 Nights·8 Days
AmazonSafari & WildlifeComfort Adventures

Overview

Explore two of Brazil’s most fascinating biomes in a single, efficient itinerary! This Amazon and Pantanal tour pairs a genuine jaguar safari in Northern Pantanal’s Porto Jofre with a hands-on immersion in the rainforest near Manaus. The entire trip is highly focused on wildlife observation and deep nature immersion, guided by English-speaking local experts.

In the Pantanal, the absolute highlight is a full-day boat safari dedicated to tracking wild jaguars, alongside opportunities to spot giant otters and caimans during sunrise walks and night safaris. The adventure continues in the Amazon with captivating activities such as forest treks, motorized canoeing, traditional piranha fishing, nocturnal spotlighting, and a classic visit to the Meeting of Waters.

To ensure a comfortable adventure, the package includes full board and accommodation in different mid-range lodges selected to blend functionality with connection to nature. Guests will stay in traditional ranch-style pousadas in the Pantanal and comfortable jungle lodges in the Amazon.

  • Full itinerary: jaguar boat safari, night safari, jungle trek, canoeing, piranha fishing, and a caboclo community visit.
  • A genuine Porto Jofre jaguar safari in the Northern Pantanal, the world’s number-one jaguar-watching region.
  • Two ecosystems of wildlife: caimans, capybaras, giant otters, and anteaters in the Pantanal; pink river dolphins, sloths, monkeys, and macaws in the Amazon.
  • Amazon jungle-lodge immersion near Manaus: sunrise birdwatching, a survival trek, and the Meeting of the Waters, where the Negro and Solimões rivers run side by side.
  • One efficient 8-day loop linking Brazil’s two greatest wildlife arenas, with a single domestic flight between them.
  • Activities guided by English-speaking local experts.
  • All-inclusive experience: transfers, lodging, meals, and local guides on each leg.

  • Please note: the day-by-day below is a suggested plan. Exact activities, start times, and the optional excursions are confirmed on arrival and depend on the season, river levels, weather, and your group.

Itinerary

Day 1

Cuiabá Pickup / Poconé Ranch-Lodge / Guided Hike / Night Safari

  • DrivingCuiabá → Poconé ranch-lodge · ~140 km · ~2–2.5 h
  • Late-afternoon guided hike~1.5–2 h
  • Post-dinner night safari~1–1.5 h

Your Pantanal jaguar safari begins with a private transfer from Cuiabá into the Northern Pantanal, roughly 100 km on a paved road to Poconé, then the Transpantaneira (dirt road), and a final track to the lodge. Check in, enjoy lunch, and settle in before the first outing.

In the late afternoon, the guide leads a nature walk across boardwalks and bush, your first chance to spot coatis, agoutis, and Pantanal birdlife. After dinner, a night safari with a spotlight picks up the eyes of nocturnal animals: caimans, owls, foxes, tapirs, etc.

Meals included: Lunch / Dinner

Aerial view of a dark, slow-moving river winding through dense green tropical forest and open wetland flats on an amazon and pantanal tour, with storm clouds building on the horizon
Three travelers on an amazon and pantanal tour look up through a dense forest canopy as sunlight bursts between the treetops during a guided afternoon hike
An ocelot crouches alert on a tangle of branches at night during an amazon and pantanal tour, its spotted coat sharp against a dark backdrop of tropical foliage
Purple and pink sunset sky reflected on a glassy river with a dark treeline silhouette on the horizon, seen on an amazon and pantanal tour

Day 2

Sunrise Walk / Morning Land Safari / Transfer to Porto Jofre

  • Sunrise walk~1.5 h (tapirs, foxes, deer, birds at dawn)
  • Morning car safari across the ranch~2–2.5 h
  • Drivingdown the Transpantaneira to Porto Jofre · ~120 km · ~4–5 h

Start with a sunrise walk as the wetland wakes, then a car safari through dry forest, flooded forest, savanna, and marsh. In the dry season, shrinking waterholes concentrate the wildlife.

After lunch, transfer down the iconic Transpantaneira to Porto Jofre at the end of the road, stopping for wildlife and photos along the way, then check in for two nights on the riverbank.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A giant anteater probes the ground with its long snout on open grassland during an amazon and pantanal tour, sparse dry woodland visible in the soft-focus background.
A jabiru stork spreads its full wingspan on open grassland during an amazon and pantanal tour, its black head, red collar, and white feathers vivid against green wetland grasses
A group of capybaras grazing and wading along a flooded grassland waterway, bathed in warm golden-hour light, on an amazon and pantanal tour
A male deer with velvet antlers trotting through dry savanna grassland on an amazon and pantanal tour, with dense green shrubs behind him catching the warm side light

Day 3

Full-Day Jaguar Boat Safari (Cuiabá, Piquiri & Três Irmãos Rivers)

  • Full-day jaguar boat safari~8 h on the river (lunch around noon)
  • Wildlife photographyjaguars, giant otters, caimans, herons, toucans, hawks

The heart of the Porto Jofre jaguar safari: a full day by boat through the Encontro das Águas State Park, where the world’s highest density of wild jaguars hunts along the riverbanks. You also have chances to spot giant otters, caimans, and a wealth of birds.

Take a break for a shaded riverside lunch, then continue the search across the Cuiabá, Piquiri, and Três Irmãos rivers. Guests on this leg regularly report jaguars every day, and sightings of a dozen cats over a few days are not unusual in peak season.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A jaguar stepping off a sandy riverbank into shallow water on an amazon and pantanal tour, with two wildlife photographers watching from the opposite bank
A yellow-headed caracara perches on the back of a lowland tapir browsing green shrubs on this amazon and pantanal tour, a rare example of two species sharing the same frame in perfect calm
A giant otter surfaces in a murky brown river on an amazon and pantanal tour, gripping a large patterned fish in its jaws as water sprays dramatically around it
A wild jaguar rests on a grassy mound along a riverbank, gazing directly at the camera, surrounded by tall green reeds and dense forest on this amazon and pantanal tour
A caiman's head and serrated back gliding just below the water surface on a brazil wildlife adventure, golden light catching its textured skin

Day 4

Optional Morning Safari / Return to Cuiabá / Fly to Manaus

  • Optional half-day boat safariextra (see Optional Extras)
  • Return transferPorto Jofre → Cuiabá
  • Inter-leg flightCuiabá (CGB) → Manaus (MAO) · ~2 h (not included)

An optional early boat safari adds one more morning on the water before the return transfer to Cuiabá. From there, connect to your flight to Manaus for the Amazon leg. The transfer from the lodge back to Cuiabá can take up to 6 hours, so we time your flight around it.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A large flock of white-and-black wading birds in flight over open grassland with silhouetted trees at golden hour, seen on an amazon and pantanal tour
A toco toucan with its large orange-and-yellow bill fully spread wings mid-flight against a clear blue sky, spotted on an amazon and pantanal tour
A chestnut-eared aracari with vivid yellow, red, and dark plumage perches on a weathered bare branch against a pale sky, a species you can spot on an amazon and pantanal tour

Day 5

Depart Manaus / Meeting of the Waters / Boat to the Jungle Lodge / Canoeing

  • Transfer + boatManaus → Ceasa Port → lodge · ~3–4 h total
  • Meeting of the WatersNegro + Solimões rivers
  • Afternoon motorized-canoe outing~2 h

The Amazon jungle tour opens at 8 AM with pickup in Manaus. You stop at the Ceasa fish and fruit market, then cross the Meeting of the Waters, where the dark Negro and sandy Solimões flow side by side without mixing.

After a further drive and boat ride, watching for giant water lilies and wildlife, you reach the Amazon around midday for check-in and lunch. In the afternoon, a motorized canoe explores the Mamori River area for sloths, monkeys, and birds. Dinner is at the lodge.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

The Meeting of the Waters on an amazon and pantanal tour, where the dark Rio Negro and sandy-brown Solimões flow side by side without mixing, with green riverbank vegetation in the background
Silhouettes of flooded forest trees rising from a still river at golden sunset on an amazon and pantanal tour, with a towering cumulonimbus cloud reflected in the glowing water

Day 6

Sunrise Birdwatching / Jungle Survival Trek / River Canoeing / Night Canoe

  • Sunrise birdwatching by canoe~1.5 h (from 5:30 AM)
  • Jungle trek + survival skills~3–4 h (find water and food, use lianas)
  • Night canoe + caiman spotting~2 h

A dawn canoe outing catches the forest waking, then breakfast at the lodge. At 8 AM, an experienced guide leads a jungle survival trek: identifying the biodiversity, using lianas as ropes, and finding water and food in the forest.

An afternoon paddle looks for more wildlife along quiet channels, and after dinner a night canoe heads out for nocturnal fauna and caimans caught in the guide’s beam.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A hiker in a teal long-sleeve shirt walks away from the camera along a narrow rainforest trail, carrying a water bottle, surrounded by tall trees, ferns, and leaf-covered ground on an amazon and pantanal tour
A capuchin monkey perched on leafy branches gazes upward during an amazon and pantanal tour, surrounded by dense green forest foliage
An elder local guide with grey hair works with a yellow palm frond deep in a lush rainforest understorey on an amazon and pantanal tour
A guide's hands hold a freshly cut cross-section of a forest root or trunk, revealing hollow chambers and a small larva inside, with a machete blade visible below, on an amazon and pantanal tour jungle trek.
A red-headed bird with dark blue-black plumage, white chest markings, and a striking orange eye perches on a bare branch amid green tropical foliage during an amazon and pantanal tour
Golden sunset over a wide tropical river on an amazon and pantanal tour, with deep blue storm clouds reflected in the calm water and dense forest silhouetted on both banks

Day 7

Caboclo Community Visit / Cassava & Rubber / Piranha Fishing

  • Caboclo home + plantation visit~3–4 h (morning)
  • Piranha fishing~2 h (afternoon)

After breakfast, visit a local family’s home to learn about caboclo life, customs, and the relationship with the forest, stopping at a cassava and rubber plantation to see (and taste) how locals harvest fruits, nuts, and spices.

In the afternoon comes the classic piranha fishing session on the river. The evening is free to relax and take in the sounds of the Amazon after dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

A smiling local family of five paddling a wooden canoe on a dark river during an amazon and pantanal tour, with a boy waving and lush aquatic vegetation in the background
A woman sits at the bow of a metal boat on an amazon and pantanal tour, looking out at a calm flooded forest channel lined with tall trees reflected in still water
A pink river dolphin seen from above, its orange-flushed body and broad tail visible just beneath the dark surface of a blackwater river on an amazon and pantanal tour
A sloth clinging to thin branches high in a tree canopy on an amazon and pantanal tour, viewed from below against a pale blue sky

Day 8

Optional Dolphin Excursion / Return to Manaus

  • Optional early dolphin excursion~2–3 h · seasonal (Feb–Jul)
  • Return transferLodge → Manaus · ~3–4 h (arrival ~5 PM)

Depending on the season, an optional early excursion navigates the igarapés and flooded igapó forest for pink river dolphins, best from February to July. After lunch, transfer back to Manaus, arriving around 5 PM to connect with your onward flight.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

A small group of ecotourists in rubber boots walking single file along a narrow muddy trail through dense tropical rainforest undergrowth on an amazon and pantanal tour
A pink river dolphin surfaces close to the camera on an amazon and pantanal tour, its long beak open and pale pink pectoral fin glowing against the dark tannin-stained water
A traveller stands with arms outstretched between two massive rainforest trees on an amazon and pantanal tour, surrounded by hanging vines, palm fronds, and sunlight filtering through the canopy above
A tufted capuchin monkey with golden-brown fur and a dark cap clings to a pale tree trunk in dense green forest, part of a brazil wildlife adventure across two biomes.

What is Included

  • Round-trip ground transfers on each leg (Cuiabá ⇄ Pantanal; Manaus ⇄ Amazon lodge)
  • 3-night Pantanal stay: 1 night in a Poconé ranch-lodge + 2 nights in Porto Jofre
  • 3-night stay at your selected Amazon jungle lodge near Manaus
  • Meals (full board) on both legs, with mineral water at meals and seasonal juices on the Amazon leg
  • Pantanal: private night safari, guided hike, sunrise walk, morning land safari, and a full-day jaguar boat safari
  • Amazon: motorized-canoe outings, sunrise birdwatching, jungle treks, river and night canoeing, piranha fishing, and a caboclo community visit
  • Guided tours throughout, with a private English-speaking guide on the Pantanal leg and English or Spanish-speaking guides on the Amazon leg

Not included

  • Flight tickets, including the inter-leg domestic flight Cuiabá–Manaus (CGB–MAO)
  • Accommodation in Cuiabá or Manaus before or after the tour
  • Beverages and alcoholic drinks not listed above
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal expenses, laundry, and gratuities
  • Any items not previously mentioned

FAQ

Reviews

“We booked our Amazon excursion through PlanetaEXO and the experience was brilliant from start to finish, professional friendly and super helpful, communicated well on all channels and ensure our trip went according to plan. The guide and staff at the lodge were excellent and made our time a memorable experience! Thank you and highly recommend them.”

— Natasha Barker

“Did a four-day Pantanal Jaguar Budget Safari adventure earlier this month, and it was honestly amazing from start to finish! Everything was super well-organized and totally stress-free. Huge shoutout to my guide-he had incredible professional knowledge and even top-notch photography skills! Seriously, it felt like he knew every single jaguar in the Pantanal by name. Highly recommend!"”

— J Wang

“Brilliantly organised 4 day/3 night Amazonian eco-lodge adventure at Turtle Lodge. Communication over email during trip planning and booking was excellent from Beatriz at PlanetaEXO. She was quick in her responses which were all personalised for us. Transfers to and from Manaus were well organised, with good communication by WhatsApp on the first day of the adventure. Turtle Lodge was a beautiful setting. The rooms were clean with beautiful towel art, plentiful soap, mosquito nets, powerful AC, and beautiful design. Buffet food - while not hugely varied - was plentiful with different fish/meat/soup/vegetarian options and choices of dessert at every lunch/dinner and plentiful breakfast options. The fresh fish was absolutely delicious every day and the best I ate in Brazil. Caipirinhas were also delicious and well-priced at the bar. The activity schedule was well-designed and well-run. Our guide was friendly and always willing to answer questions. Highlights were the nighttime caiman spotting under the beautiful starry sky and the first boat safari, spotting spider and howler monkeys. My friend and I also enjoyed taking out the kayaks ourselves to paddle around the lodge area as an optional activity. We also enjoyed having the downtime in the middle, hottest part of the day which really helped us relax on the trip. We were made to feel safe and secure throughout the trip and the whole experience felt much more relaxing than we might have originally expected with all the forewarning at home about mosquito-borne tropical diseases! A truly unforgettable experience.”

— Emma

“This was a fantastic experience. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and personable, and took care to point out local species of birds, tell us about the wildlife and Indigenous culture, and tailored the experience to our interests. The lodge had a very welcoming, almost family-like atmosphere. Everybody was happy to answer questions at any time, and they went out of their way to make delicious vegan main courses and desserts, which was highly appreciated. The food was INCREDIBLE. I would highly recommend this experience to anybody and it truly exceeded my expectations in every way.”

— Sophie

“I liked it very much: the natural beauty; the organization of the trip stages; the cozy simplicity of the hotel; the helpfulness and availability of the hotel staff; the perfection of the service from the guide (Chico) - he was in fact the highlight of the trip! What bothered me was the apparent lack of sustainability in relation to the people who work at the place. Staff sleep together in lodgings without proper infrastructure, very hot and without even an air conditioner. Labor relations seem precarious and there is no investment in the people. I witnessed a guide, from Manaus, treating the staff in an aggressive, disrespectful and even humiliating way. Something that seemed to be an everyday occurrence. I think that if European tourists notice this condition of the staff, they will certainly stop supporting the place, since such things run counter to the idea of preservation and sustainability, which are values sought in contemporary times regarding environmental issues. I believe that if guaranteeing sustainability in relation to people increases the cost of local tourism, it will not risk losing tourists, quite the opposite. We all fear enjoying a tour sustained by the exploitation of the local community.”

— Liberia Neves

“Our experience was excellent and we left the trip extremely satisfied. From the first day, everything was very well organized. The activities were incredible and took place in a quite exclusive way, which allowed us to enjoy every moment of the experience in the Amazon. The great differentiator, in our opinion, was the team. Everyone was very friendly, helpful and always willing to help. You can tell they do their work with dedication, and that makes the experience much more enjoyable. We also want to thank our guide, Alípio. He was excellent throughout the whole trip: very competent, attentive and always concerned with making sure everything went well. Besides knowing the region very well, he led all the activities with safety and good humor. The pousada also surprised us. It is very comfortable, well kept and offers excellent facilities, exceeding our expectations. Overall, it was an experience that was well worth it. We came home with great memories and we certainly recommend the company to anyone who wants to get to know the Amazon.”

— Otávio Sírio

“We had an outstanding experience from start to finish. The entire safari package was extremely well organized, with seamless coordination from the hotel pick-up to all transfers between the lodges. The accommodations were excellent, offering a perfect combination of being close to nature while still providing a high level of comfort and great food. The transfers between the lodges were smooth and enjoyable, but the safari tours themselves were on a completely different level. The diversity of wildlife was incredible. We were able to get remarkably close to the animals and felt right in the middle of the action throughout the entire trip. A very special thank you goes to our guide, Marcos. His knowledge of the local flora and fauna was exceptional, but even more impressive was his enthusiasm and passion. He made us feel comfortable at all times and elevated an already fantastic experience to a completely new level. Overall, this was a truly first-class experience and deserves the highest possible rating. We honestly cannot imagine how it could have been any better.”

— Justine

“We did a four-day Amazon tour and were absolutely thrilled with the experience. The Turtle Lodge was really excellent – the rooms were comfortable and clean, and we felt very at home there. The food was simple, but always very tasty and freshly prepared. A special highlight was our guide: extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and dedicated. The excursions were very well organized, diverse, and gave us an amazing insight into the beauty of the Amazon. The organization by the PlanetaEXO team was also outstanding. We could reach out to them at any time with questions, and they were always attentive, helpful, and caring. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience that we would highly recommend to everyone! Thank you!”

— Henriette Hellwig

“Great and quick communication. They really help you to create the perfect trip suitable for your travel schedule. The pantanal trip was amazing, we really enjoyed our stay and activities. The people were really nice.”

— Anna

“Diese Tour ist super organisiert. Der Hin- und Rücktransfer hat perfekt funktioniert. Die Unterkunft (Turtle lodge) ist absolut okay und das Essen ist hervorragend. Unser Guide und unsere Bootsführer waren super. Das Programm sieht nur 1 jungle trek vor. Uns hätte es besser gefallen, wenn an einem Vor- oder Nachmittag ein zweiter trek stattgefunden hätte, anstatt einer Bootsfahrt. Dafür sollte aber nicht die Bootstour bis "hinter das Ende der Zivilisation" geopfert werden, sondern eine der Tierbeobachtungstouren.”

— Wilfried Schmutzler

Check availability for your trip

Free inquiry – no commitment

Who's joining the adventure?

2
0

Your next trip

Travel date*

Tell us about your trip

Contact details

How should we contact you?*

From

$ 2,600/ per person

8-day Amazon & Pantanal Tour: Jaguar Safari + Jungle Adventure — PlanetaEXO