This ten cabin floating hotel is moored on the Cuiaba River, near the mouth of the Three Brothers in the Northern Pantanal. The accommodation is fairly simple, but despite its remote location it offers 24 hour electricity, modern air conditioning and hot showers. You don't come here for luxury, but you do come here to stay in the heart of the world's best jaguar spotting territory.
To reach the flotel, you have to drive along the length of the Trans-Pantineria Highway from Cuiaba to Porto Jofre. It is a long and bumpy drive from Cuiaba to Porto Jofre, and there is plenty to see on the way, so it is best to break the journey and stay at a lodge along the Trans-Pantineria along the way. From Porto Jofre, you board a small boat for the journey along the river to your accommodation. The non-stop journey time by boat from Porto Jofre is about an hour, but you are bound to stop along the way, diverted by the rich wildlife of the river.
Radio-equipped boats are sent out from the lodge each morning to search for jaguars and reporting sightings back to the lodge. This is the only lodge that offer this service, adn so gives the best chance of seeing jaguars. Uniquely, the jaguars along this stretch of the river have become accustomed to seeing boats thanks to years of sports fishing in the region, and the jaguars are no longer disturbed by the presence of humans. They will sit on the banks for hours, allowing for prolonged sightings and unparalleled opportunity for photography. Guests at the flotel have seen jaguars fighting, hunting and mating, undisturbed by their observers. Nowhere else in the world offers such an excellent chance to see these big cats acting naturally in the wild.
A stay here is not just about the jaguars, although they are the biggest attraction. The Cuiaba River is also the best place in the world to see giant river otters. The same factors that have allowed the jaguars to become accustomed to people have also worked with the giant otters, and large family groups can regularly be seen swimming along the river banks and emerging on the banks to rest and play. In addition, the gallery forest that lines the river banks teems with birds and monkeys, and of course the river is home to countless capybara and caimans.
Stays at the flotel are arranged in small groups on set departures, led by experienced naturalist guides and using boatman who have been plying the river for years. The boats have been designed to allow the best sightings of jaguars and are not equipped with canopies which can obstruct vision. Parasols are available when the sun is directly overhead, but you do have to be prepared for the strong tropical sunshine.
