Transpantaneira Lodge Safari in the Northern Pantanal

The Transpantaneira (MT-060) is a 147 km dirt road in Mato Grosso that runs from Poconé south to Porto Jofre on the Cuiabá River, crossing about 120 wooden bridges. It was meant to reach Corumbá and was never finished, so it ends at the river. Its northern half is lined with lodges on old cattle ranches, and Porto Jofre at its end is the base for jaguar boat safaris.

For anteaters, macaws, otters and night drives, at a lodge on the northern half of the road, which is what this trip does. For jaguars, at the far end in Porto Jofre, close to the river. The best plan for most first visits is both: three or four nights at a northern lodge, then one or two in Porto Jofre. We choose the lodge by what you want to see, your dates and your budget, and name it in your written proposal.

Three nights at one lodge is the minimum we argue for, because the first and last days are partly road. That gives you two full days of outings. If you also want jaguars, make it three or four nights at the lodge and one or two in Porto Jofre, plus a night in Cuiabá before you set off.

Usually not, and it is the most common mistake we see. Connections from Rio de Janeiro or Foz do Iguaçu tend to land late, and the lodges are two to three and a half hours away on a dirt road. “Most flights from Rio or Foz reach Cuiabá late in the day. Sleep one night in town and drive into the Pantanal rested the next morning; it makes the whole trip better.” Robin Himmrich, founder

By three things. Water: a lodge with its own river or bay access gives you boat outings without a drive first. Distance from the road: far enough back that the dust of the Transpantaneira stays on the road. Comfort: air conditioning and good food, because the middle of the day is hot and long. The guiding we do not leave to the lodge at all, because your guide comes from us.

In Porto Jofre. Jaguars use the whole road and sometimes appear near the lodges, but on the boat outings at its end the chances are always very good. There are three ways to plan it: the lodge alone, for the wider wildlife; the lodge plus a day trip with your guide and a 4×4, about three hours each way, with boat outings searching for jaguars; or the lodge plus one or two nights in Porto Jofre. No one can guarantee a wild animal, and we do not try.

The dry season, roughly June to October, with July to September the strongest stretch. The ponds by the bridges shrink, the animals gather at the water and the road is dry and dusty. From December, in the rainy season, sections of the road can be closed by flooding and the animals spread out across the plain. That is a fine time for birds and skies, and a harder one for mammals.

Yes, with the right planning. The risks here are not crime but the road itself: dust, narrow wooden bridges and animals on the track after dark, which is why we never schedule the drive at night. The other things to prepare for are heat and mosquitoes. Our own guide is with you the whole time, and we are reachable around the clock while you are there.

Four days at a northern Pantanal lodge along the Transpantaneira start from US$1,830 per person sharing a double room, with the stay, meals, the outings named in your proposal, transfers from Cuiabá and our own guide included. Outings are usually shared with other lodge guests. A night in Cuiabá before you set off, and any add-on in Porto Jofre, are quoted separately. International and domestic flights are not included. The written proposal states the exact total before anything is confirmed.

It is right for first-time wildlife travellers, birders, photographers and couples who want the variety of the Pantanal at a sensible price, and for families with children from about five. It is not right for travellers whose single goal is a jaguar, who should spend their nights in Porto Jofre, and not for anyone who wants every outing private or expects a luxury resort.

About nine months ahead for July to September. The most sought-after lodges on the Transpantaneira can be full less than six months out in high season, and the lodge is the part of the trip you cannot substitute. Late inquiry is the most common mistake we see. Flights come after the lodge, not before.