" Ailton Lara guided has guided me twice in the Pantanal and thecerrado savannahs and shrublands north of Cuiaba. With a group of US teachers, he successfully ensured that we were comfortable and were able to see abundant wildlife. On my second trip, Ailton and I explored the fresh water streams, associated forests, and remote cerrado that yielded exceptional encounters with birds, fish, mammals, herps, and flora. In addition, Ailton knows the people of the Pantanal. He is one of them and he enjoys sharing his knowledge. Ailton has a deep interest in nature and making sure that his clients needs are met. Being with Ailton, I felt at once excited about being in exotic Brazil but assured by his friendliness, knowledge, and motivation to help me meet mytrip goals."

John Egbert
Educator, naturalist

Albuquerque, New Mexico
"We arrived in the Pantanel unsure as to what level of service wewould find. Ailton met us at airport. His warm greeting, huge smile and mastery of the English language assured us that we were in very good hands. Before departing for the remote region, Ailton took us shopping for a camera battery in town. He was always calm, competent and eager to please us. His knowledge of the wildlife and tricks to excel in the Pantanel were awesome! He knew where to find the animals, the names and ways of each and helped us get terrific photos. He took us horseback riding and waded in shoulder deep water to clear the way through overgrown pathways that the horses swam through. He was fair, honest, trustworthy and a gentleman at all times. We started with a guide and finished our 5 day tour with a friend. As other travelers complained about their guides, we felt so fortunate. This man is a real find...a treasure...a jewel of a guide. You would be lucky to employ his services!!!"

Paul & Maria
Woodstock, New York

We spent a week in te Pantanal,3 nights in lodges and 3 nights camping in Porto Jofre area. It has been a great experience. We saw over 100 bird species,in addition to several reptiles and mammals. In te Porto Jofre area we tried to track down te elusive jaguar – it was fun and exciting. At te end we not only saw a jaguar but an ocelot as well! Ailton was knowledgable,flexible,friendly and commited to wildlife spoting.We can highly recommend him for any tour to te Pantanal.

Alessandra Woicik Helsingborg - Sweden
Jan Hejzler 2008

I have used the guiding services from Ailton for several yearsnow, 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 concernsyou may have. You can reach me at vperry@nmt.edu .

Dr. Vannetta Perry
International Educational Consultant

Hi! My name is Laurette and I used to live in Rio de Janeiro. Ivisited the Pantanal 3 times in that period and have been lucky enough to meet Ailton on my first trip there. He is a fantastic guide and has taught me so much about nature and life in the Pantanal. Because his English is really good, he actually manages to go into detail and he is very proactive in sharing his knowledge about the Pantanal and will not hesitate to lure crocodiles to the boat for a great close-up! It is very clear that he loves every aspect of this marvelous area and he is proud to show off this wonderful concentration of flora and fauna. And another extra bonus: Ailton has many friends in the Pantanal, plays guitar and mixes a wicked caipirinha: perfect ingredients for a relaxed evening after an intense day in the swamp! I would (and have!) definitely recommend Ailton as a guide to anyone who want the most out of their visit to the Pantanal!

Laurette Amsterdam – Netherlands

We spent 3 nights in the Pantanal on a tour organized by Ailton. Found him in Lonely Planet and it turned out to be one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever taken. 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. He 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. Thanks Ailton!

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.