Trip reports

A friend of mine and me did the 6-day jaguar tracking tour with Pantanal Nature and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The arrangements for transport, lodges and food were very well organized and inexpensive. The staff was very hospitable, and the guides had an excellent command of English and were very knowledgeable about every aspect of the Pantanal, whether it was the people who lived there, the manner it which they protect the region, or the names of animals and their behavior. Both driver and guide went to great lengths of showing us  as much as possible and put in long days. We did see our jaguar - for which we are still grateful  - and a lot of other beautiful animals as well. Having traveled a lot in Latin America, we can not only say that the northern Pantanal is the best area South America to see wildlife, but also that Pantanal Nature offers very good value for your money and does an excellent job as a tour agency in this wetland.

Kind regards,

Derk and Wilfried
The Netherlands and United KIngdom

Paul & Maria
Woodstock, New York

I have used the guiding services from  Pantanal Nature for several years now, both with teacher and students groups from the US. He is very knowledgeable about flora and fauna, culture, and communities of the Pantanal. Also, very importantly, he communicates effectively with diverse individuals. Last, he keeps his clients safe, a very important aspect for me, since I bring minors from the US for educational experiences.I am happy to speak with anyone interested in using his services to answer questions or address concerns you may have. You can reach me at vperry@nmt.edu .

Dr. Vannetta Perry  

International Education Center of Excellence - New Mexico

We spent 3 nights in the Pantanal on a tour organized by Pantanal Nature. Found the agency in Lonely Planet and it turned out to be one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever taken. our guide Ailton knows everything about everything in the Pantanal - if you asked him about a plant, he had a story about the origins like women used to use it to wash dishes because the leaves are rough. We were also looking at this bird and he pulled out his ipod that had bird calls on it to call the male bird so we could see him. He also does animal calls himself which was an amazing trick to make nimals come out from their hiding spots. We saw caimans, hawks, a jaguar, macaws, and jabirus - which are amazing funny-looking birds, really up close. He spotted monkeys in the trees and even stopped the car so we could see a toucan flying overhead – things we never would have noticed on our own. I felt safe the entire trip. He also speaks English very well so we didn't have any problems. We taught him how to play kings (card game) and hung out in the lodge at night. It was really an incredible experience all around and I definitely recommend taking a tour with him.We had 4 people and we were the only people on the tour that week so he was our own personal guide - compared to other tours we looked at which had up to 20 people on them. It was also surprisingly cheaper than these other tours as well. This operator set up everything we wanted to do and focused on what we wanted to see. I liked watching the caiman so he took us to the river where two caiman swam right up to the boat while a monkey watched us from the tree. You can never see these things anywhere else. If you would like to contact me, I’d be happy to tell you more about our adventures or send pictures. whitecyn1@yahoo.com. Enjoy the Pantanal! This is the best way to see it!

Cindy White, New York.

 J’ai tourné tout récemment, en avril-mai 2010 un documentaire sur le Pantanal et ses environs pour la chaîne franco-allemande Arte qui sera probablement diffusé cet été 2010, dans la collection « Les nouveaux Paradis ». 
Ailton Lara a été l’homme multi-tâches de ce tournage qui a duré 18 jours : organisateur du plan de travail et des différentes séquences à tourner dans beaucoup de lieux tels Nobres, Chapada dos Guimaroes, Poconé, Porto Joffre et tout le long de la route Transpantaneira, de jour comme de nuit. Il avait la charge aussi pour chaque séquence de nous trouver un personnage-clef, ce qu'il a assuré à merveille. Il était responsable aussi de toutes les commodités : hôtels, lodges, restauration etc.
Tout reposait sur lui car je n’avais pas repéré les lieux avant de venir tourner ce film.
Il nous a permis de tourner la vie des cow-boys, des pêcheurs traditionnels ou de pêche sportive, et des animaux bien sûr dont c’est la passion de naturaliste, en bateau, à cheval, en voiture, et même en tracteur pour filmer le passage d’un troupeau dans les marais et leur traversée d’une rivière !
Il a débusqué très patiemment bon nombre d’animaux que le plus souvent nous n’avions même pas entendu ou repéré de nous-mêmes, en imitant leur cri ou en les débusquant dans les marais, à pied ou à cheval ! Il ne baisse jamais les bras. Vous voulez un fourmilier, il vous le trouvera, alors qu’ils ne courent pas les marais. Il a su pour chaque personnage ou chaque animal filmé nous communiquer toutes les informations.
Bref, il est devenu le personnage principal du film, autant acteur que guide, nous parlant de son enfance chez les cow-boys, ou expliquant le monde du Pantanal  où il est né, nous communiquant aussi toute  sa passion.
Très sympathique, habile, disponible et intelligent. Nous l'avons finalement surnommé "Le Jaguar du Pantanal Nord"
Bref grâce à Ailton ce tournage fut un succès : pour le film, pour notre aventure personnelle et pour le plaisir de tous.
Jean-Bernard Andro,Réalisateur      

Paris