Pantanal and Rio de Janeiro: Home of the Jaguar and Unique Mammals and Wonderful City

EXPLORATION JOURNEYS

This Trip's Photo Summary

Why Guests Choose to Travel with Us

Icon
Read trip reviews from guests
whom you can contact!
Icon
Enjoy the peace of mind of a Worry‑Free trip
Icon
Experience unparalleled personalized care 24/7
Icon
Hand-picked tour guides to guarantee a First‑Class experience

Contact over 195 Past Guests for firsthand accounts.
See their booked itinerary and trip photos.
No other travel company can offer this!
see all »

WHERE WORRY‑FREE MEETS FIRST‑CLASS: EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES.

"A truly unique, first class and worry free experience!" - Michelle Bonnet & Family

"Fred and Exploration Journeys is the only way to travel first class and stress free in Argentina." - Betty and Paul Boram

"We have never been so impressed with a tour company, and we have been traveling the world endlessly for six years." - Sally & Wayne Schmidt

Hear It from Those Who've Lived It: Explore Our Guests' Reviews! »

Your Itinerary at a Glance
(everything mentioned below is included in your trip price)

Trip start date: you can choose any starting date you want for your trip, because all our trips have private departures. That is, you won't be traveling as part of a group.

Icons

Trip Duration & lodging included:
7 days / 6 nights.
Lodging for 6 nights Included.

Icons

8 First‑class tours with the best tour guides included
(1 of them are private tours).
All necessary entrance fees to national parks included.

Icons

Includes all needed airport transfers detailed below
(all of them are private transfers).

Icons

6 breakfasts + 2 lunches + 2 dinners included in this trip.

Icons

2 Destinations included:

  • Icons Pantanal (Best place to see jaguars and largest wetlands on Earth. Home to the highest concentration of wildlife in the Americas): 3 nights - YOUR STAY HERE IS ALL-INCLUSIVE (breakfast, lunch, and dinner included, with non-alcoholic beverages. Also snacks during tours.)
  • In the Pantanal we work with the most exclusive lodge in the area, called Refugio Ecologico Caiman. This place is the only area where you have a significant chance to spot jaguars year-round, and because of the high density of jaguars in and around the hacienda, and their habituation to the place, sightings are more probable, and encounters tend to be closer and longer than in other spots in the Pantanal. Besides running a very nice lodge with good food, Caiman takes their tours professionally: every tour is guided by a local "Pantaneiro" who has the expertise to track any of the unique animals found there, and also by a naturalist, some of them having had academic training in biology.

  • Icons Rio de Janeiro (Breathtaking landscapes & home to one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World"): 3 nights

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Pantanal

DAY 1: YOU ARRIVE IN PANTANAL

(staying for 3 nights, with 7 tours included)

Flight arrival in Campo Grande. Welcome at the airport and transfer to the Pantanal lodge with private vehicle and guide.
Note:
the order of the tours are determined by Caiman Refuge a few days before the tour dates, so they won’t necessarily be in the same order as listed here. The staff will hand you the program for your stay when you arrive.

Depending on your flight arrival time, you can relax at your hotel, enjoy your own explorations, or ask our local representative about suggested activities for your free time.

Getting Acquainted with "Caiman Ecological Refuge": 130,000 Acres of Wetlands and Wildlife

It’s time to immerse yourself with a newfound knowledge and understanding of how the Caiman Ecological Refuge’s work with conservation and eco-tourism helps provide an amazing balance between humans and nature. We’ll learn all about the inner-workings of the refuge and the Pantanal’s history and ecosystem, as well have the awesome opportunity to closely observe the spectacled caimans who call the wetland waters home.

 

This is a half-day group tour.

DAY 2: PANTANAL

A 4x4 Jeep Safari Excursion through the Pantanal Wetlands

The exotic and exciting wildlife of the Pantanal wetlands awaits, as it’s time to explore on a jeep safari the mosaic of flooded grasslands, savannas, and tropical forests that make up this richly diverse and vast expanse of land! We’ll travel through open fields, lagoons and flooded areas in search of the many intriguing animals that call these wetlands home, including the royalty of the Pantanal... the jaguar!

This is a half-day group tour.

A Sunset Canoeing Expedition to Spot Wildlife around the Pantanal Lakes

It’s time for an up close and personal experience with the lush vegetation, majestic wildlife and the cacophony of nature’s sounds of world’s largest wetlands as we paddle our way through marshes and lagoons on a canoeing adventure that involves witnessing a beautiful sunset while on the waters of the Pantanal.

This is a half-day group tour.

Pantanal in the Dark: a Night-Spotting Experience

As darkness falls upon the Pantanal wetlands and we return on our vehicle to the lodge from our afternoon tour, we’ll experience the unique orchestra of sounds of the Pantanal’s wildlife, and we’ll take this opportunity to spot the animals that wake up and become active as the coolness of the night sets in. Beneath the starry skies of these exotic wetlands, we may see owls, brocket deer, tapirs, foxes and waters filled with caimans, whose eyes glow in the dark under the moonlight.

This is a 20 to 30-minute group tour.

DAY 3: PANTANAL

Through the Lens: Pantanal Photo Safari Experience

Immerse yourself in the vibrant, lush wetlands scenery while capturing awesome shots of Pantanal wildlife with your lens as you embark on a photo safari. Get your camera ready as we cruise through open fields and flooded areas in search of the perfect picture!

This is a half-day group tour.

A Hike Through Pantanal: The World’s Largest Wetlands

The incredibly diverse and exotic wildlife of the largest wetlands in the world and a sense of adventure awaits us as we take a trek through the Pantanal in search of fascinating biodiversity, including the star of Pantanal: the majestic jaguar!

This is a half-day group tour.

Pantanal in the Dark: a Night-Spotting Experience

As we return from our afternoon tour, we’ll ride our safari-adapted vehicle in a mini-excursion to spot the night-time wildlife of the Pantanal.

This is a 20 to 30-minute group tour.

DAY 4: LAST DAY IN PANTANAL

Transfer with private vehicle and guide to Campo Grande airport.

Rio de Janeiro

DAY 4: YOU ARRIVE IN RIO DE JANEIRO

(staying for 3 nights, with 1 tour included)

Flight arrival in Rio de Janeiro. Welcome at the airport and transfer to hotel with private vehicle and guide.

Depending on your arrival time, you can relax at your hotel, enjoy your own explorations, or ask our local representative about suggested activities for your free time.

DAY 5: RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio’s Most Iconic Highlights: the Corcovado Mountain, its "Christ the redeemer" Statue, and the Sugarloaf (private tour)

Get ready to marvel at the most important icons and most eye-popping panoramic views in Rio de Janeiro! You’ll get a up-front look at one of the winners of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" worldwide competition, in which more than 100 million votes were cast: the Corcovado Mountain and its “Christ the Redeemer” statue. And we’ll embark on a ride in a cable car to the mountaintop of one of the city’s most recognized icons: Sugarloaf Mountain. This is one of the main highlights that made Rio de Janeiro the #1 destination in South America, as voted by millions of travelers on Trip Advisor in 2017. On our way, we’ll go through the Tijuca Tropical Forest, the largest tropical forest in an urban setting in the world, and one of the main reasons why Rio was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Also, in a leisurely walk across the newly renovated Olympic Boulevard, we’ll see the largest graffiti on the planet, a colorful and detailed depiction of Brazilian faces. To top the day off, we’ll end this tour relaxing at Arpoador peninsula, a beach that boasts one of the best views of Rio’s beaches and coastline.

This is a full day private tour.

DAY 6: RIO DE JANEIRO

Free day to relax and enjoy your own explorations.

DAY 7: RIO DE JANEIRO

Transfer in private vehicle and guide to the airport.

We look forward to welcoming you again in Brazil!
IMPORTANT: The order of the activities in each destination can change depending on weather conditions or other circumstances.

Lodging for 6 nights Included

Image
SUGGESTED COMFORT CATEGORY LODGING
Image
SUGGESTED DELUXE CATEGORY LODGING
Image
SUGGESTED UNIQUE & EXCLUSIVE CATEGORY LODGING*

* For this itinerary the Unique & Exclusive accommodation is only available in Rio de Janeiro. For The Pantanal the hotel included is the one mentioned in the deluxe category.

Meals Included

Icons
6 BREAKFASTS
Icons
2 LUNCHES
Icons
2 DINNERS
Meals included in Pantanal:
  • 2 lunches with non-alcoholic beverages (alcoholic beverages are available for an extra fee) at Caiman Ecological Refuge.
  • 3 dinners with non-alcoholic beverages (alcoholic beverages are available for an extra fee) at Caiman Ecological Refuge. If your arrival at the lodge is before dinner time, then that dinner will also be included in your stay.
While Argentina is famous for its delicious steaks it also has a great variety of delicious vegetarian dishes!
All of our tours which include meals have vegetarian options available.

4 Airport Transfers Included

You will travel to and from airports in the privacy and comfort of your own vehicle,
so there will be no stops for other travelers and no waiting time.

Icons
Private airport transfers included in the following destination:
  • In Pantanal: 2 private transfers
  • In Rio de Janeiro: 2 private transfers

Domestic Flights Duration & Route

Brazil is a huge country, the 5th largest in the world, so flights tend to be long, because of the long distances. Also many flights have connections. Needless to say, traveling by land is unfeasible in almost every case.

We can take care of booking all the needed domestic flights for your trip.

Flight Route Total Flight Duration
Campo Grande to Rio de Janeiro5 hours and 25 minutes (there is no direct flight, so a connection is needed)

For a worry‑free travel experience, we strongly advise letting us take care of your domestic flights. It’s common for local airlines to make several flight changes before (and sometimes during) a trip. Taking care of domestic flights will allow us to closely monitor any flight changes, adapting your trip itinerary as needed.

Our flight issuing service includes: flights booking, daily tracking of flight status and changes, reconfirmation with the airline of each flight before each departure, booking of your flight seats, web check-in (not available for all flights) and assistance with your flights arrangements if there is any flight delay, change or cancellation before or during your trip.

Brazil Map

Prices per Person in US Dollars
(price does not include flights)

PRICE PER PERSON FOR ALL GROUND SERVICES

(Prices do not include flights. Click on prices below to change currency)

Comfort Category LodgingDeluxe Category
Lodging
Unique & Exclusive
Category Lodging
**
Double occupancy room:
$ 3,086$ 3,601$ 4,169
Triple occupancy room:
$ 3,756$ 3,903$ 4,451

Our prices above include all hotels, tours and airport transfers mentioned in this itinerary.

Discounts available for groups of 4 or more travelers. To get a quote for
4 or more travelers or for a single traveler, click here and fill out the form

Our prices do not include international or domestic airfare.
Our prices are final, you won’t have to pay anything extra no matter what payment method you use.
We accept all major credit cards.

** For this itinerary the Unique & Exclusive accommodation is only available in Rio de Janeiro. For The Pantanal the hotel included is the one mentioned in the deluxe category.

We accept Paypal Credit: finish paying your trip up to 4 months after your trip starting date, paying no interest or fees.

Icons
DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

The total price for the domestic flight needed for this trip starts at $ 81 per person, subject to availability at the time of booking.
Our airfares include a luggage allowance of 1 carry-on and 1 piece of checked luggage (up to 50 pounds / 23 kilos), and also they allow reserving seats in advance, at no additional cost. Most airfares for domestic flights in Brazil don't include allowance for checked baggage and some don't include seat reservation, but we always book airfares that allow these. Also, we use flexible airfares which allow us to make any needed flight changes (with no additional cost if the new airfare booked is not higher than the issued airfare).
This is a promotional rate, please note that regular airfares can be significantly higher. This means that the sooner you book your trip, the greater our chances of booking this, or similar, airfare.
As soon as we receive your feedback about your itinerary we'll check for flights availability and let you know which are the best flights for your trip and which is the lowest airfare available.

Prices for domestic flights depend exclusively on their availability at the time of booking, usually with much lower rates available for flights booked well in advance. So the sooner you book your trip, the lower the airfare you'll pay (the most expensive airfares are a lot higher than the most promotional ones).
As soon as we receive your feedback about your itinerary we'll check for flights availability and let you know which are the best flights for your trip and which is the lowest airfare available.

For your comfort and peace of mind, we can take care of booking your domestic flights for you. Our services include: checking for all possible flight options to suggest the best flight itinerary and rate for your trip, flight bookings and issuing, daily tracking of flight status and changes, reconfirmation with the airline of each flight before each departure, booking of your flight seats, web check-in (not available for all flights) and assistance with your flight arrangements if there is any delay, change or cancellation before or during your trip.

Letting us take care of your domestic flight arrangements will let you enjoy a worry‑free travel experience, as it is very common for local airlines to make flight changes before (and sometimes during) a trip.

NOTE: All services are subject to availability and subject to price modifications until the trip booking is requested and confirmed.

Our Renowned Travel Booklet

We will provide you with the perfect travel companion: our renowned Travel Booklet!
This one-of-a-kind sidekick is full of useful information and personalized tips,
to help you make the most out of your trip experience.

"I received the Travel book and it is absolutely the best trip plan that I have received in over 40 years of traveling. Not only are the daily trips described, but the essential data travelers seek as climate, clothing and phone contact numbers are included. Wonderful job." - Mitch Samuelson and Joan Raskin

"The travel booklet was beyond helpful, from the restaurant recommendations to the tipping guidelines, to the suggested clothes to bring. They answered all our questions before we even had them." - Sophia Yuen & Liza Chau

"The customized booklet prepared for us was with us every step of the way. What a terrific source of information from places to eat and shop, to hints on tipping, etc." - Neal & Barbara Eisner

"The Travel Booklet was the best travel tool ever. I cannot think of any way to improve this excellent hand guide book." - Joan McGirr

"The travel booklet had all sorts of additional important information and recommendations for shopping and dining. I had never seen anything like this before and it proved to be very helpful resource throughout our trip." - Neill Allen and Nancy Van Gelder

"The travel booklet was excellent and it had all the information we needed for the trip so there was no need to do extensive research" - Irina Mindel & Mitchell Olshansky

In your Travel Booklet you'll find lots of useful information and tips personalized for your specific trip itinerary such as:
Icons

Contact information for our local assistance team, who will go above and beyond in providing you with prompt, precise and meaningful assistance during your trip.

Icons

Day-by-day itinerary with detailed tour descriptions, pick-up times, etc.

Icons

Our favorite restaurant suggestions for each visited destination.

Icons

Full information about your hotels: addresses & phones, check-in / check-out times, distance to downtown and to airport, Wi-Fi availability, etc.

Icons

Detailed weather information for your travel dates and destinations, such as average rainfall and minimum and maximum temperatures expected.

Icons

Our clothing suggestions for each destination in addition to specific suggestions for some tours.

Icons

All the information you'll need for your flights: airline and flight number, flight times, luggage weight limits, cost for extra weight, available mileage programs, etc.

Icons

Taking your mobile phone to Brazil, how to dial to and from every destination, etc.

Icons

Helpful tips and other useful information to make the most out of your vacation: time zones, pointers on currency exchange, tipping, advice on museums & art galleries of note, useful info to make the most out of your free time, shopping tips, electricity & voltage information, etc.

Icons

All the necessary travel vouchers for your trip.

The Travel Booklet is designed and sent to you after full trip payment has been made. We will send you a printed version via FedEx, as well as a digital version via e-mail. Many guests download their digital version to their mobile phone (iPhone, Android, etc.) or tablet, which they bring on their trip.

Also Included in the Trip Price

Icons

All taxes for the ground services are included

Icons

To provide a worry‑free trip experience we include all the necessary entrance tickets to national parks, as well as all other tour-related fees, which are sometimes not included or even mentioned by other travel agencies.

Rio de Janeiro
  • Admission tickets to the Corcovado Mountain and to the Sugarloaf Mountain for the "An Exploration of Rio de Janeiro’s Most Iconic Highlights" tour

Not Included in the Trip Price

Icons

International airfare to and from Brazil is not included.

Icons

Domestic flights for this trip are quoted separately from ground services. Prices for domestic flights depend exclusively on flight availability at the time of booking, with much lower rates available for flights booked well in advance. This means that the sooner you book your trip, the lower the airfare will likely be.

The total price for the domestic flight needed for this trip starts at $ 81 per person, subject to availability at the time of booking.
Our airfares include a luggage allowance of 1 carry-on and 1 piece of checked luggage (up to 50 pounds / 23 kilos), and also they allow reserving seats in advance, at no additional cost. Most airfares for domestic flights in Brazil don't include allowance for checked baggage and some don't include seat reservation, but we always book airfares that allow these. Also, we use flexible airfares which allow us to make any needed flight changes (with no additional cost if the new airfare booked is not higher than the issued airfare).
This is a promotional rate, please note that regular airfares can be significantly higher. This means that the sooner you book your trip, the greater our chances of booking this, or similar, airfare.
As soon as we receive your feedback about your itinerary we'll check for flights availability and let you know which are the best flights for your trip and which is the lowest airfare available.

Prices for domestic flights depend exclusively on their availability at the time of booking, usually with much lower rates available for flights booked well in advance. So the sooner you book your trip, the lower the airfare you'll pay (the most expensive airfares are a lot higher than the most promotional ones).
As soon as we receive your feedback about your itinerary we'll check for flights availability and let you know which are the best flights for your trip and which is the lowest airfare available.

For your comfort and peace of mind, we can take care of booking your domestic flights for you. Our services include: checking for all possible flight options to suggest the best flight itinerary and rate for your trip, flight bookings and issuing, daily tracking of flight status and changes, reconfirmation with the airline of each flight before each departure, booking of your flight seats, web check-in (not available for all flights) and assistance with your flight arrangements if there is any delay, change or cancellation before or during your trip.

Letting us take care of your domestic flight arrangements will let you enjoy a worry‑free travel experience, as it is very common for local airlines to make flight changes before (and sometimes during) a trip.

Icons

Tips to hotel staff, tour guides, etc.

Icons

Visa issuing expenses to enter Brazil. Travelers who have passports from the following countries do not require a visa to enter Brazil: United States*, Canada*, Andorra, Argentina, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong (with English passport), Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, the Vatican and Venezuela.


*IMPORTANT: Brazil has recently announced the reinstatement of tourist visa requirements for visitors from the USA, Canada, and Australia. Originally scheduled to take effect in November 2023, this policy change has now been postponed and is set to be implemented on April 10, 2024.
We provide full assistance to our guests in the Brazil visa application process, ensuring a worry-free experience.

Icons

Anything not expressly mentioned in this itinerary proposal.

How Our Booking Process Works

The trip booking process generally takes from 3 to 5 business days. Once all services are booked, we will send you an invoice with the trip booking confirmation and payment instructions. If your trip start date is in fewer than 60 days, we’ll request a full trip payment. If not, we’ll request a first payment of 25% to 35% of the total trip cost, with final payment due 60 days before your trip start date.
We accept all major credit cards (we use Paypal as a credit card processor but you won't need a Paypal account to make your credit card payment), bank wire transfers or check deposits. Our prices are final, you won't have to pay anything extra no matter what payment method you use.

Important: If you use PayPal account as your payment method, they are running a promotion called "PayPal credit", where you’ll have up to 6 months to complete the payment of your trip (without any interest or extra fees). You can choose to apply during the payment process and your application will be subject to their approval. This is a great way to finance your trip payment, without any extra cost.
For more details please visit: https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/paypal-credit

Our Trip Cancellation Policy

For all payments which have already made at the time we receive written notice that you must cancel your trip, the following fees will be charged:

  • » When only the first payment (approximately 25% to 40% of the total payment depending on the trip) has been made: up to 80% cancellation fee over the first payment will apply, as most domestic flight tickets are non-refundable after being paid for and issued.
  • » After your total payment has been made and longer than 60 days to the trip starting date: up to 50% cancellation fee over the total payment will apply. Or up to 60% if the itinerary includes the Pantanal (as lodges have stricter cancellation policies).
  • » After your total payment has been made and 36 to 60 days before the start date of the trip: up to 70% cancellation fee over total payment is applicable. Or up to 80% if the itinerary includes the Pantanal (as lodges have stricter cancellation policies).
  • » After your total payment has been made and 20 to 35 days before the start date of the trip: up to 90 % cancellation fee over total payment is applicable.
  • » After your total payment has been made and 19 days before the trip starting date, or later: there will be no right to refunds.

We’ll always try our best to get as much of a refund as possible, depending on the trip cancellation date, and the conditions of the service suppliers.

Important note: certain hotels, boats, lodges and airlines may have deposit terms and cancellation policies which vary from our own. We may need to collect an additional deposit from you to hold some reservations. The cancellation penalties on payments will be determined by these individual organizations and will override our policy.

Refunds will only be issued to you once we have received the funds back from the supplier(s). Generally, flight tickets cannot be refunded if they are partially used. We are not responsible for a supplier’s failure to pay a refund.

If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your travel insurance policy, you may be able to claim these cancellation charges through your insurance company.