We finally get back to the Pantanal of Brazil after a year break for the Pandemic. One good aspect of traveling during 2021 was the general lack of tourism. The rivers we spend time looking for Jaguars were very quiet with boat activities and when we found a Jaguar, we would have much more quality time with just a few other boats around.

As with past experiences, the Jaguars were very cooperative and we watched and photographed several different Jaguars on every morning and afternoon outing. The real thrill this year was having several female Jag’s with cubs! This is not something seen very often. We spent time with two different families including watching one mother Jag catching a huge Caiman on the river! It took her nearly an hour to find a suitable location to drag the 10 foot long dragon out of the river.

The highlight of the entire trip and probably of my entire 12 years of coming to this place, was spending several days watching a mother Jaguar and her two small cubs on a sandy beach. The mother had made a kill near this picturesque part of the river and the family spent 3 days in the area. We watched the cubs play on the sandy beach…the family coming to the river to drink etc. The whole experience was just pure magic! Once again, with very few boats around and basically a private viewing.

Along with our great Jaguar encounters, of course we spent considerable time photographing the copious birds we typically find in the Pantanal….Hawks, Kingfishers, Hyacinth Macaws and so many more.

Looking forward to going back in Aug. 2022!