The Brazilian Pantanal, one of the best travel spots in South America, offers the finest wildlife viewing in the Americas, exceeding even the wildlife experience of the Galápagos. That last statement may seem like hyperbole, but consider that the Pantanal offers the New World’s greatest diversity and abundance of large, charismatic mammals such as Jaguars, Giant Otters, Brazilian Tapirs, Capybaras, and Giant Anteaters, and spectacular birds such as Jabiru Storks, Hyacinth Macaws, and Toco Toucans. The first is the largest cat in the New World, while the other seven species are the largest in their taxonomic families in South America. The Pantanal South America is truly a land of giants.

This flat-as-a-pancake, 350-km-by-550-km floodplain, the world’s largest freshwater wetland, also harbors four million Paraguayan Caimans, the world’s largest concentration of crocodilians. Of the 404 species of birds of the Pantanal, 82 weigh more than a pound, the world’s widest variety of large birds.

In 1967, Brazil surprised the world by being the only large country on Earth to outlaw all kinds of hunting. Fast forward 53 years, and the wildlife of Brazil has thrived and become astonishingly accustomed to photographers, creating what we call “the Brazilian Ecological Miracle”. In 2021, the wildlife in the Pantanal is more abundant and visible than it has been for 12,000 years, since before the advent of the first humans. It is truly a “peaceable kingdom” on Earth.

South America’s Pantanal harbors 5,000 Jaguars, the world’s greatest stronghold of the species. A 2.5-million-acre chunk of the north-central Pantanal contains no cattle, no humans, and no hunting. Therefore, Jaguars and their prey all thrive at their maximum possible densities.

Ten percent of that Jaguar paradise, namely 250,000 acres, represents a mere one half of one percent of the Pantanal National Park. In that “small” part of the Pantanal, which is twice as large as the largest national park of Costa Rica, international travelers enjoy spectacular, daily viewing of Jaguars and Giant Otters that are as relaxed as the protected Lions and Leopards of famous African parks. In 2005, SouthWild was the first international tour company to guarantee viewing of Jaguars and Giant Otters in this best Jaguar location. In 2006, we named this area “Jaguarland” in honor of the 80 astonishingly relaxed in the presence of humans, individual Jaguars that our delighted guests observe each year there.

Jaguarland is without doubt the richest location in the world for Jaguars, and the SouthWild group of companies owns and protects the “filet mignon” of Jaguarland, namely the 7,475 acres of central Jaguarland, representing most of the lower Three Brothers River and all of the Black Channel. Most of the annual sightings of Jaguars in Jaguarland take place on the rivers of SouthWild’s Private Jaguar Reserve.

SouthWild Pantanal Lodge and Jaguar Suites floating lodge locations are strategically-sited at the very best locations in the entire Pantanal to have a tour and see Ocelots, Brazilian Tapirs, Giant Otters, and Jaguars. We guarantee sightings of all four species, and we are the only company to guarantee any of these species. In a feat worthy of Fitzcarraldo, SouthWild has created air-conditioned, stateroom-sized Jaguar Suites floating on a more private part of Jaguarland, on the Piquiri River, creating the best possible base to view Jaguars whenever they reveal themselves. Let us design a flexible program for you with safety and comfort in this amazing South America destination.