We can hardly contain our excitement as we announce today the release of our latest international trip: Jaguars of Brazil’s Pantanal.

Backcountry Journeys has developed a fantastic itinerary to explore Brazil’s best-kept secret: The Pantanal. This 13-day trip will be highlighted by multiple full days photographing Jaguars along the banks of the river systems of the Pantanal. Here we will find some of the best big cat photography on Earth!

On our photographic tour of the Pantanal, we’ll set out from the Brazilian city of Cuiabá on a safari-like journey south on the dusty Transpantaneira Highway, in search of wildlife encounters. Porto Jofre, our southerly destination where we’ll spend several days, will bring us to our primary focus –  jaguars!

Jaguars here are often found resting and hunting on the banks of several Pantanal rivers, sometimes even doing a little swimming. Vantage points are best achieved from the river, via boat, so that is what we’ll do! Jaguars are the third largest “big cat” on earth, and the Pantanal Jaguar is the world’s largest jaguar subspecies with some males weighing in at over 300 lbs.

While Jaguars are ultimately the primary draw on this fantastic South American expedition, birders and other wildlife enthusiasts will be pleased as the bird photography, in particular, is simply astounding here. We’ll spend a few days photographing whatever we might find, be it marsh deer, coatimundi, giant anteaters, tapirs, and giant river otters.

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