Adventure in the Pantanal
Brazil
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Jun 15 - Jun 22, 2025
Overall we had a great time. The locations were varied and interesting. The guides and staff were friendly and accommodating, the food was delicious, and we enjoyed the activities and for the see lots of wildlife. It's a trip we'll remember for a long time.
2 areas could use improvement: 1. Managing guests' expectations. Sometimes we weren't informed about things that would have made the experience better, like that we were to spend one night on a houseboat in Porto Jofre. B/c no one told us this, including Sara, we didn't pack clothing for the next day, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and medication. Luckily we did ok and the staff helped once they realized the situation. But all we needed was 1 guide to tell us we were going to be spending a night away from the lodge and we would've packed properly. That said, staying overnight in Porto Jofre is a must as you need to be up early to see the animals and it's too far from the lodge.
2. One guide, Yann, needs more guidance in dealing with people. He's knowledgeable in plants and animals and he did a great job helping my partner w/ a bad hip get up and down from a difficult view location and on other trails. But he could've provided more info on what we should expect, how long things take, and difficulty. By not telling us that we could swim at some waterfalls, we neglected to change into bathing suits. On a hike around the lodge, he didn't take opportunities to check in with us to see how we were doing. There was a place about halfway where my partner and another guest with a bad hip could've turned back to the lodge. Instead they ended up continuing too far and struggled to make it back. He also needs to learn to take responsibility for mistakes and apologizing. One night he told 3 of us we'd need to be up the next morning at 4:30 to take a sunrise hike when he meant 5:30. Maybe he got the numbers mixed up in English but 3 of us heard him say 4:30. He refused to acknowledge his error and apologize which made things awkward going forward.
Otherwise great trip.
Hotel Reviews
If you're going to Nobres, this is a cool place mostly b/c of easy access to the Saloda River for snorkeling. Also near the lake where macaws go at sunset. Comfortable rooms, friendly staff, and delicious food, plus lots of animals, like burrowing owls, curaçao, and macaws on the grounds.
UeSo is a nice place to stay in the Pantanal w/ comfortable rooms, friendly staff, and delicious food, plus lots of animals, like macaws, capybara, and caiman, on the grounds. There's also a tower you can hike to to get a bird's eye view of the landscape. But be warned, it's quite far from Porto Jofre on a washboard road where you'll spend at least 1 night on a houseboat to see jaguars, otters, and other animals. The houseboat is also comfortable, though beds are small, and also delicious food. Just be prepared for the long journey there and back.
This is essentially a collection of guest rooms run by a woman named Sandra. It's a fairly convenient location near the town and also the scenic locations in the area. Breakfast is included and was well prepared. The rooms were fine for sleeping. The shower was adjacent to the toilet and required squeegeeing to push the water down the drain and away from the toilet. This place is about 1 km down a washboard road from the main highway so be prepared for a bumpy ride to and from
Activity Reviews
Chapada dos Guimarães is a small cute town w/ a covered main street w/ restaurants and boutique shops. Outside the town is a scenic plateau where people gather at sunset to gaze down at the valley. There are also trails that lead to waterfalls where you can swim. It's a good intro to this part of Mato Grosso. We enjoyed the variety. It was also our first opportunity for sucos and sorvete.
A long hike to a beautiful waterfall we could swim in. The plateau at sunset.
Snorkeling in a river is different and cool. The current just takes you along. The lake where people go to watch the sunset is really to see dozens of macaws gather
It's a bit of a drive from Nobres. We stopped at a pasteleria for lunch. which was good. One of the pastels had caiman, tastes a little like chicken. We arrived at UeSo right before dinner. Nour greeted us w/ Caipirinhas which is a good way to start the experience.
We left Ueso for what we thought was a full day excursion but would return that night. Surprise! We ended up spending the night on the houseboat in Porto Jofre. Seeing jaguars was amazing.
Yann led us on a tour around the lodge before we had to depart for the airport. He did say the hike was 2 km but at the halfway point didn't check in to see how we were doing. This would've been a point where those who were tired could turn back toward the lodge. Instead we kept going and it was too much for some. My partner and I went a bit further but ended up leaving the tour and heading back to the lodge on our own. The ride to the airport in Cuiaba was faster than I thought. Thought it would be 3 hrs, Pedro Paolo made it in 2.
This was the best day of the tour. More jaguars including one swimming. A family of giant river otters. A capybara w/ birds in its ears. We felt lucky that we got to see all these animals. Followed by a long drive back to Ueso but Nour did his best to make it go fast
I did a hike w/ Nour to the tower while my partner rode a horse. We saw a lot of caiman. In the afternoon we kayaked on the river.
Thank you so much for your incredibly detailed review – it’s extremely helpful both for us to improve and for future travelers. We really appreciate the time you took to share your feedback. I’m very sorry to hear that the guide assigned to you at the lodge in the Pantanal wasn’t as empathetic and communicative as they should have been. I want to clarify that the organization of the activities included in the lodge package is managed and arranged directly by the lodge itself. This... Read more