Logistics
- A nine day guided trip with Bob and Richard, with two and a half days in the Cerrado around Chapada dos Guimaraes followed by six days driving the length of the Transpantaneira road from Poconé to the Cuiaba river at Porto Jofre and back. The drive down is every bit as good as when you get there, but of course the real draw is the boat safaris for Jaguar which are present in high numbers around Porto Jofre.
- Guide: A fantastic guide, Brad, organised through his company Agami Nature Tours. He is an excellent birder, but better than that he is also one of the least flustered and most calm people you could ever wish to meet, and when you are miles from anywhere and there is some kind of problem that is a very good thing. In a crisis, or even just a slight hitch, he is the guy you want. And he is great company to boot.
- Costs: This particular trip is quite a long one, as well as requiring a 4x4 vehicle as the Transpanteneria is unpaved. There were also five lengthy boat trips. I think it was the most expensive birding trip I have ever been on at around $4000 excluding the flights, which equates to £3200 or thereabouts. This is of course all inclusive - guiding services, hotels, meals, and all transport. Consider however that the big UK-based companies will charge in excess of £7,000 for a similar itinerary (albeit including flights) and you will be part of a larger group of people you don't know, and you start to see the price in a different light. This is a small group of friends, the full attention of a guide, and a customised itinerary that can be flexed as and when it needs to be. It was worth every penny! A 30% deposit was required up front, with the remainder due three months before departure.
- Flights: We flew on LATAM from London to Cuiaba via Sao Paolo, which cost around £1150 in economy. We paid over the odds to get a flexible ticket, mindful of recent fun and games during the pandemic. The transatlantic leg left at 9.30pm arriving in South America at 5am local time. We then had a perfectly reasonable transfer time to catch the onward flight to Cuiaba that takes around two hours, so we arrived before 9am local time (you gain an hour between Sao Paolo and Mato Grosso). On the way back we left Cuiaba at 6pm arriving in Sao Paolo at 9pm, and the international flight departed at midnight arriving in London at 3pm the following afternoon. Everything went like clockwork.
- Transport: All provided for - we went through several 4x4s over the week so it is a good thing this was all included! We also went on five boat trips.
- Accomodation: All included in the price, the lodges were of a high standard throughout. We shared a three person room everywhere we went, which brought the price down a bit.
- Literature/Resources: Well for starters the day-by-day trip itinerary provided by Agami told us most of what we needed to know, and then for actual literature I brought Van Perlo. We eBirded the whole thing. And of course we had a walking talking encyclopedia of Brazilian birds on hand the whole time.
- Food - Very good food everywhere we went - too good one might say!
Itinerary
- Day 1 - Early morning arrival into Sao Paolo with a two hour connection before an onward flight to Cuiaba in Mato Grosso. Brad picked us up at 9am local time and we were birding the fantastic Vale do Bencao by 10am. Afternoon birding at Jamaca das Araras. Overnight at Pousada Cambara on the outskirts of Chapada dos Guimaraes.
- Day 2 - Early start at the Water Tower track north of Chapada dos Guimaraes for our first taste of the Cerrado, and in particular to track down Collared Crescentchest. The rest of the morning and early afternoon at other spots around the town, and then in the afternoon a trip south-east to the Rio da Casca where we suffered our first car breakdown. Overnight at Chapada dos Guimaraes.
- Day 3 - With a new vehicle we went back out to an area we had attempted to visit the previous morning but had been stymied by road works. Successful here we crossed town again to mop up of some final Cerrado targets before a short final visit to the shady Vale de Bencao. We had an early lunch and then drove south through Cuiaba and to Poconé, the start of the Transpantaneira into the Northern Pantanal. We had enough time that afternoon for a mega birding drive around Pousada Piuval continuning until well after dark. We saw our first Jaguar as well as a Puma. Overnight at Piuval.
- Day 4 - All day at Piuval, but also high drama involving Ants and an emergency trip to a clinic in Poconé to avoid a full-blown anaphylactic incident. It turns out I don't like Fire Ants. This rather destroyed our afternoon birding plans but I had recovered sufficiently by the evening to go out on a nocturnal birding expedition. Overnight at Piuval again, and we also exchanged our new car for the now repaired old one.
- Day 5 - Early morning at Piuval before carrying on south to the Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso at Pixaim (just under the half-way mark) via Rio Bento Gomes. Afternoon boat trip on the Rio Sararé where somehow Brad and the boat driver pulled a Zigzag Heron out of the bag. Overnight at the the aforementioned hotel.
- Day 6 - The car broke down again, albeit with a different problem, so we spent the morning birding on foot along the river until a new one showed up from Cuiaba. We then had a slow and very birdy drive down to Porto Jofre at the end of the Transpantaneira. The habitat was amazing all the way down, in particular the marshy area known as Campos do Jofre just before you reach the river.
- Day 7 - All day on the Cuiaba river in a high-powered boat with a break for lunch. The principal aim was seeing Jaguar but of course the birding is absolutely sensational. There are lots of boats on the river and tributaries and they all stay in contact with each other so that when a Jaguar is seen they all converge. Despite the wacky races element that this inevitably created this was an amazing day of birding. And luckily we did see Jaguar! Overnight at the Hotel Pantanal Norte.
- Day 8 - Early morning birding around the hotel, and then back up the road to Rio Claro via the amazing Campos do Jofre. Afternoon boat trip from Rio Claro looking for Agami Heron and other birds. Overnight at the Pousada Rio Claro.
- Day 9 - Another boat trip from Rio Claro in the morning, lunch at Aymara lodge, and then back to Cuiaba for an early evening flight.
