See jaguars in the Pantanal

It's never easy, but in the Pantanal the odds of seeing jaguars in the wild are high!

Jaguar in the Pantanal, Brazil

This is the best place to see jaguars in the wild

Seeing jaguars in the wild has never been easy, so you might think that a jaguar safari doesn't really give you a great chance of seeing these elusive cats. Well, we're delighted to let you into a little secret ... we can give you VERY high odds of spotting jaguars in the wild! Where? In Brazil's Pantanal region.

At the end of a dirt road in the Pantanal, a long drive from the nearest airport, the Cuiaba River is a remote spot that has attracted fishermen for years. Fishermen pay scant attention to the jaguars that come to the river banks to hunt for their favourite prey, caiman and capybara. A generation of jaguars has therefore grown used to seeing fishing boats pass them by without disturbing them, and they no longer flee the approach of boats as jaguars everywhere else in South America do.

Observe jaguars in natural surroundings
Get close to the riverbank with your skilled boatman and guide
See a range of natural behaviours
An experience never forgotten

"The jaguar strolled down to the river bank for a drink of water, just a few metres from where I was sitting in my boat."

Talk to our expert, Paul Cook, about his experience with jaguars in the Pantanal.

Watching jaguars from the Cuiaba River in the Pantanal, Brazil

Travelling in a small boat along the Cuiaba River with an experienced boatman and guide, you can often watch jaguars for long periods on the banks of the river. This is a unique experience; professional cameramen spend years trying to get a few minutes of footage of jaguars in the wild, but here you can sometimes watch them for hours at a time, seeing a range of natural behaviours such as hunting, playing with their cubs, even mating, as well as indulging in their favourite pastime, sleeping.

When is the best time to see jaguars in the Pantanal?

Of course nothing is guaranteed, but if you give us about 3 days, we can give you a very strong chance of spotting jaguars in Brazil’ Pantanal. The best time to spot them is between July and September, though June and October are also decent months too.

Where to go

Jaguars exist in many places in the wild, but finding them is notoriously difficult. There is one place, however, where spotting wild jaguars is indeed possible – along the banks of the Cuiaba River in the Pantanal in Brazil.

When to go

The best time to travel to see jaguars in the Pantanal is between June and October because it’s the dry season and in other months it’s quite inaccessible.

How to do it

You need to get yourself on a boat on the right spot of the Cuiaba River! The best way to do this is either join our Jaguar Safari staying on a flotel on the river, or we can tailor make a trip for you perhaps using a land-based lodge or the flotel.