Jaguars and Waterfalls This wildlife and jaguar holiday in Brazil offers you an almost-guaranteed chance of seeing jaguar (100% success rate since 2015, and 100% multiple sightings from 2017 to 2024) the most elusive big cat in the world, together with some of the world's least-known and most exotic wildlife in a vast wildlife reserve in the heart of the continent. The Pantanal is the Serengeti of South America, over 58,000 square miles in total, and home to many wild animals and birds, yet still with relatively few tourists. It's where the BBC and Discovery Channel go to film their documentaries. You can find jaguars..if you know where to look. You will also see otters as big as a person, giant capybara, hundreds of South American alligators (caiman), Brazilian ostriches (rhea), and giant anteaters. You'll also be taking in Rio de Janeiro, the Atlantic rainforest, and the world-famous Iguaçu Falls. As this is a Tell Tale trip, you'll spend time with expert guides and meet local people – you are guaranteed the inside track on Brazil. But this not just a Tell Tale trip, it's the ultimate Tell Tale trip! We may be nice people who do special experience holidays for nice people, but... this trip is Tell Tale, predator-style. Please kindly note this trip is best taken between June and November and must be booked well ahead. As recommended in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine, as well as in Wanderlust magazine (as a top 10 wildlife adventure).
Then it's onto Iguaçu Falls – one of the great natural wonders of our planet. The waterfalls here – 275 in total, stretching 2.7km – are almost twice the width of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and two-and-a-half times the width of Niagara. As the river thunders into the "Devil's Throat" with a defeaning roar and you are enveloped in a billowing cloud of mist, you can't fail to make memories that will last forever. The falls sit on the border of Argentina and Brazil, in a huge rainforest national park filled with wildlife including capuchin monkeys, coatimundis, and electric blue Morpho butterflies as big as your hand. You will visit both sides of the falls to get the full experience (though please bear in mind that the falls are popular, so this part of your trip is somewhat less off-the-beaten-track than the rest). Usually Saturday Day 1: Fly overnight (approx. 9pm departure from Heathrow) with LATAM airlines from London Heathrow, changing planes at Sao Paulo in the morning. Alternatively, you can fly direct with British Airways direct from Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro. If flying BA, we are also able to arrange connecting flights from UK regional airports. We are able ot arrange other airlines, however, these will entail an extra plane or extra night on the return journey. Day 2 D (dinner included): You'll be met at the airport in Rio de Janeiro by one of our drivers and driven into central Rio de Janeiro and into the hills of this city in Santa Teresa. You'll be staying in a private home, where you will you get the inside track into life in Brazil, meeting 'real local people', part of a Tell Tale trip. You'll have time to settle into your private room. Later our driver will be back to take you to visit one of Rio's famous beaches and then onto the Botanical Gardens to see hundreds of orchids, Amazonian water lilies and sloths and brown capuchin monkeys in the trees. You'll have dinner with your hosts. Alternatively, you can request to stay in a hotel (in which case dinner will be excluded). Day 3 B: Today you will be driven around Rio's highlights to explore them at your own pace including Corcovado for the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf mountain. This evening, our driver will take you into the city to have dinner at one of Rio's bustling restaurants, choose one from the tips in your Tell Tale pack you will be posted to you before your trip. Day 4 L: Up early this morning to visit a special sanctuary in the Atlantic rainforest. We feel Regua is an important place to support as it is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. Many birds are only found here. They are among the world's most beautiful. You will hopefully see toucans and brilliantly coloured tanagers, trogons with tails like a bird of paradise and darting emerald green hummingbirds. And with luck you may see tapir, sloths or the largest monkey in the Americas, the critically-endangered southern woolly spider monkey. You will walk one of the trails with one of Regua's guides or owners. Then you'll have a delicious freshly-prepared lunch made with local ingredients before heading back to Rio de Janeiro. Day 5 B D: Time to move on. You'll be driven to the airport for an internal flight to the city of Cuiabá the gateway to the Northern Pantanal (changing planes at a hub airport such as Sao Paulo or Brazil's capital Brasilia). You will be met at Cuiabá airport and driven south into the Pantanal, on the Transpantaneira, a 'dirt highway' with wooden bridges over the wetlands. You will meet your private guide who will be with you for the next week. You will see plenty of wildlife along the way, capybara crossing the road, metre long parrots flying overhead, eagles on fence posts. Arrive at Pouso Alegre, set in 8,000 hectares and surrounded by two private marshy lakes. Pouso Alegre is a traditional fazenda (ranch house) and is very much on the rustic side, but it is a good first stop for some incredible wildlife-watching opportunities. Time to settle into your room and your guide will help you spot in the grounds, you may be lucky enough to see tapir. This evening, you will have your first dinner in the Pantanal, with the sounds of the jungle as your backdrop.
jaguars in the Pantanal Footage of following a jaguar down the river, taken by Tell Tale Traveller, Julia Bond Day 9 B L D: Pack up and head off to Pousada Piuval (We also use Aymara). Although Pousada Piuval is on a 7,000 hectare ranch, it is a comfortable lodge. It even has a lovely swimming pool, you may have time for a quick dip after lunch. Then it's time for a jeep safari, exploring the diverse deciduous and non-deciduous forest and savannah to spot wildlife. This area is known for huge flocks of parakeets, toucans, Marsh deer - which are unique in having webbed feet, armadillos, as well as a vast variety of Pantanal fauna and flora. As you head back and darkness falls, you will look for more nocturnal animals and birds. A lucky spot would be the Potoo, known for its incredible camouflage. Day 10 B L D: Early this morning you will have a jeep safari in search of the Giant Anteater.You'll head back to the lodge for breakfast then walk an ecological trail. Back to the lodge for lunch and relaxation then it's time for more searching for wildlife with an afternoon jeep safari until after dark. Time to head back for your last delicious Pantanal dinner. Day 11 B L: This morning, you will go horseriding. Pantaneiro horses are relatively small, generally calm and easy to ride! They are a great way to cover more ground. (Although you can always go for a walk with your guide if you prefer). Panteneiro cowboys are descendants of Portuguese who mingled with Brazil's native Indians and live their lives in a 200-year tradition farming the special breed of Pantaneiro cattle which are unique to this area. You will then be driven back to Cuiabá for a night in a hotel near the airport in readiness for your onward journey. There is a large pool at this hotel for a late afternoon dip and there is a good restaurant within walking distance, as well as a food court in a shopping centre which is open until 10pm.  Day 12 B: Fly from Cuiabá to Foz do Iguaçu. Again, you'll need to change planes at a hub airport. You will be met at the airport by a private guide and driven a short distance to the centre. Time to settle in at Viale Tower. The rooftop area has a small pool and an incredible view of Brazil, Paruguay and Argentina. You'll be staying in the city so you can have a contrast of being in the rural Pantanal where you'd have been eating in lodges every night, Foz do Iguaçu has a variety of restaurants and cuisines to choose from. Alternatively, you can stay near the falls themselves at Sanma hotel, please see the supplements section. Day 13 B: Your private guide will take you around the majestic Iguaçu falls on the Argentinian side. On arrival you'll board a train which takes you right to the fantastically-named Devil's Throat. Here the smooth river turns into a seething torrent as it thunders over the horseshoe-shaped precipice on to the rocks 74 metres below. The Argentinian side of the falls is set in jungle, so there are lots of plants to see wildlife-spotting opportunities. However, our favourite encounter is at the falls themselves, where countless great dusky swifts dart in and out of the cascades (see Fred Barrington's fantastic photo, right – click to enlarge). If you want to get really close to the falls, you can opt on the day to take a boat trip, but be warned – you will get soaked! Day 14 B: Your private guide will take you to the Brazilian side of Iguaçu, where it's all about the view. You won't be as close to the falls today – all the better for taking those panoramic shots – but there is a walkway which makes you feel like you are at the very edge. You'll also visit a fantastic aviary where you'll see the world's largest parrots, toucans, and scores of other South American birds, some of which are rare or nearly extinct. Footage of Iguaçu Falls taken with a drone. Day 15 B: Morning at leisure (dependent on flight timings) and short transfer to Foz do Iguaçu airport for your flight to Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro airport, connecting to your international flight. You and your luggage will be checked through all the way. Day 16: Land at London Heathrow This will be a Sunday if you departed on a Saturday. This private tour based on two people sharing costs from £6,495 per person. The tour price includes international flights from London Heathrow, all flights within Brazil, accommodation, transfers, wildlife guide and trackers in the Pantanal, activities/excursions and meals mentioned. Excludes entrance fees on Days 2 and 3. Entrance fees are included for other activities including tickets and train at Iguaçu waterfalls (only optional boat ride on Day 13 to be paid locally). You can also book this tour excluding international flights for £5,495 per person. Your tour would start in Rio de Janeiro on Day 2 and end at Foz do Iguaçu airport on Day 15. Note your tour would exclude the flight out of Foz do Iguaçu. It is definitely possible to travel at the 'from' price. We recommend booking as early as possible, both for pricing and availability. We only take one booking per departure date. You can book with a deposit at which point our no surchargs guarantee applies. Supplements Change of hotel in Iguaçu to Sanma £190pp, subject to availabilty. British Airways add ons from other airports, ask us to check availability and price. We've previously made arrangements from Manchester, Edinburgh and Jersey. British Airways premium economy on the international legs from £500pp.
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