The Jaguar Ecological Reserve is a 1200-hectare federally registered reserve (R.P.P.N. - Reserva Particular de Patrimonio Natural) in the heart of the Pantanal. The Jaguar Reserve is owned by a local Pantaneiro family who has pledged to preserve it. The land has been passed from father to son, and the owner-manager Eduardo was brought up in the region and knows the land and its people and wildlife intimately. Profits from the Reserve's lodge are re-invested to purchase more land for the Reserve with the intention of significantly expanding the conservation area, and the lodge has funded the construction of a school for local children on its land.
For over a decade guests have enjoyed the comforts of a family-run lodge, the expertise of local guides, and the spectacular setting; taking in some of Brazil's most beautiful scenery and some of The Pantanal's finest wildlife habitat, while supporting a community-based ecotourism project. The Reserve and the surrounding ranches are one of the best places in Latin America to see a jaguar, with an excellent chance of seeing jaguars on the cuiaba river or on the land around the lodge. While we can't promise that you will see a jaguar or puma, we know that you will see other breathtaking wildlife during your stay. Smaller cats such as the ocelot, as well as tapir, giant anteater, peccary, howler monkey, caiman and hundreds of bird species, are regularly seen here.
The lodge does not set out to offer luxury accommodation but Eduardo is proud to offer a comfortable lodge in a remote yet accessible setting.
The main activities offered from the lodge are boat trips along the Cuiaba River, about a 45 minute drive from the lodge on a bumpy road with excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. The boat trips offer the best chance of seeing jaguars in the wild, and also allow sightings of giant otters and numerous bird species. The lodge also offers guided walks through the Pantanal which are an excellent way of seeing the local wildlife, culture and scenery of the region as well as night drives to see nocturnal wildlife.
The Jaguar Ecological Reserve is one of the southernmost ecotourism lodges along the Transpantaneira, and the extra driving time is well worth the effort. The remote location offers the opportunity to enjoy the Pantanal at its most pristine. Wildlife tends to be more abundant near the Reserve than at other lodges closer to Poconé and Cuiabá and without doubt the jaguar sightings along the Cuiaba River are better than anywhere else in the world.
















