Jaguar!
I hear our guide call out “Jaguar” in a loud stage whisper and see him pointing to the bank of the river. At first I see nothing and think he is joking, but then sure enough, between the trees and bushes, I see her eyeing us suspiciously.
It is our first full day in the Pantanal in southern Brazil – a wetland area that covers over 80 thousand square miles.
We’re out on a small motorboat on an early morning trip down the river and we’ve already seen a tapir swimming ahead of us, as well as numerous caiman and more colourful birds than I can count!
But, I was not expecting this. We’d been told it was possible to see jaguar in the area, but I hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up, particularly after our fruitless attempts to find sloth in Bolivia.
The shy female jaguar slopes off into the bushes away from our prying eyes. We continue downstream for a short while and then our guide turns the boat around to see if she has returned to her spot on the bank, but she has gone, at least for now.
After continuing our trip and spotting more kingfisher, as well as other birds and more caiman, we take a refreshing dip in the waters and start heading back to our lodge.
And then! We have more luck! Coming up to the bank where we first saw the female jaguar, we see that not only has she returned, but she is joined by a slightly less nervous and bigger male. Unfortunately, we still didn’t manage to get a good photo of him!
The guide kills the engine on the boat and we float closer to the bank to get a better look. The female doesn’t hang around for too long, but the male is less cautious and eyes us up for a bit longer before disappearing into the undergrowth.
We can’t believe it! We have seen not one but two jaguar on our first day and our first trip out! What will the rest of our time in the Pantanal hold for us?
Have you been to the Pantanal? Were you as lucky as us? Did you see any jaguar? What else did you see?
Have you been to the Pantanal? Were you as lucky as us? Did you see any jaguar? What else did you see?
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Where we stayed – Brazil
12 thoughts on “Jaguar!”
Would so LOVE to see a jaguar (or two!) and Pantanal, Brazil is on my list now of places to go! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard
Wow! Luck was definitely on your side! I have heard the possibilities of seeing a jaguar in the Pantanal are higher than in other places. But, with nature, things are never sure. I would love to see them too!
The Pantanal was beautiful. The jaguar helped make our trip more special, but we also loved seeing capybara, toucans, blue macaws, monkeys, caiman …. definitely worth a trip!
Yes we were very lucky. I'm still a bit amazed that we saw them. It was a very special experience.
So lucky! What a beautiful animal. I don't think I've seen one in person before… not even at a zoo? Also, what a great photo of that bird too!
Good to see you at #TheWeeklyPostcard, guys! I've been in Brazil only for a day, at the border with Argentina. I'd love to visit more of it someday and see some wildlife. Jaguars? Brrr…. sort of scary!
Ahhhh!!! Did you jump in the water where there are crocs?? After seeing one, there is no way I could get in the water!! Your photos are just lovely. How special that you got to see two!
Very lucky indeed – such a beautiful animal. The birds in the Pantanal are beautiful too – the colours are just amazing! Thanks for stopping by.
Loving #TheWeeklyPostcard – such a great way to connect with other bloggers.
Did you go over to Brazil at the Iguazu falls. Great to see them from both sides.
It wasn't scary when we saw them. I think they were more scared than us.
Yes we did jump in the same water. Come to think of it, some of the guys went piranha fishing in the same river later on. It didn't seem weird at the time, but perhaps not such a great idea on reflection!
Glad you like the photos. Thanks for stopping by.
Hello – saw your post on lonely planet re booking a tour to Pantanal – do you have any contact details of who your tour was with pls?
Hi Wendy,
It was with the Pousada Santa Clara: http://www.pantanal-pousadasantaclara.com.br/ We actually booked with them when an agent visited our hostel in Puerto Iguazu in Argentina. They also have an office at the bus station in Campo Grande. They organised all the transfers and everything from Campo Grande to the ranch. Hope that helps. Enjoy the pantanal!
Sarah