Pantanal travel guide: north vs south Pantanal

The Pantanal is one wetland split between two states. Mato Grosso do Sul holds about 65% of it, and Mato Grosso holds the rest. The choice that matters is your base: Cuiabá and Poconé for the north, Campo Grande or Corumbá for the south. The north is the classic jaguar trip by boat. The south mixes wildlife with ranch life and pairs easily with Bonito.

Why go to the Pantanal

The Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland and the best place in South America to see big wildlife. Open grassland, gallery forest and shallow lagoons make animals easy to spot. In the Amazon, dense forest hides most of them.

Expect capybaras, caimans, giant anteaters, marsh deer, giant otters, howler monkeys, hyacinth macaws, toucans and the jabiru stork, the wetland’s symbol. Jaguars are the headline animal. The Pantanal is one of the most reliable places in the world to see them in the wild.

Most of the land is private cattle ranches, called fazendas. Many now host guests, and Pantaneiro cowboys still move cattle across the flooded fields. Treat them and their families as hosts, and ask before you photograph people at work.

How the two sides differ

The two sides sit in different states, so the access roads, protected areas and agencies differ.

North (Mato Grosso). The road in is the Transpantaneira (MT-060), which runs 147 km (91 mi) from Poconé to Porto Jofre on the Rio Cuiabá. It is unpaved and crosses more than 100 bridges, many of them wooden, though a growing number have been rebuilt in concrete. Lodges sit along the road, and the wildlife viewing starts from the car window. At Porto Jofre the road ends and boats take over. The Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas, about 108,000 hectares, is reached by river from there. Jaguar watching by boat along the riverbanks is the main draw.

South (Mato Grosso do Sul). Driving times from Campo Grande are about 2 to 3 hours to Aquidauana and Miranda, about 5 hours to Porto Murtinho and about 6 hours to Corumbá. Corumbá is about 420 km (260 mi) from Campo Grande by BR-262 and is the largest municipality of the southern Pantanal. Lodges offer photographic safaris, horseback riding, trails, river cruises, catch-and-release fishing, night drives and birdwatching. The Estrada Parque Pantanal, a dirt road near Corumbá, is a scenic route for wildlife.

Protected areas. UNESCO’s Pantanal Conservation Area, inscribed in 2000, is a cluster of four protected areas totaling 187,818 hectares at the south-west corner of Mato Grosso. It represents 1.3% of Brazil’s Pantanal. The Parque Nacional do Pantanal Matogrossense, created in 1981 in the municipality of Poconé, was expanded in March 2026 from 135,000 to about 183,095 hectares. Entry needs a formal request to ICMBio. Access is by river, about 150 km (93 mi) down the Rio Cuiabá from Porto Jofre or about 230 km (143 mi) up the Rio Paraguai from Corumbá. The park has little infrastructure, and visits are limited to a small area near its headquarters.

Check before you go: To visit the national park, contact ICMBio well ahead of your trip. For the state park and the Transpantaneira, ask your lodge or the Mato Grosso state environment secretariat (SEMA-MT) about current rules and any fees.

Getting there

Both sides start with a flight. Fly to Cuiabá for the north. Its Marechal Rondon airport sits in Várzea Grande, next to the city. Fly to Campo Grande for the south. Both airports have direct flights from São Paulo and Brasília, and connections from the rest of Brazil. See domestic flights in Brazil.

From Cuiabá, a paved road runs south to Poconé, the start of the Transpantaneira. Most lodges arrange transfers, and many travelers rent a car. From Campo Grande, buses run to Aquidauana, Miranda and Corumbá from the rodoviária. Lodges usually collect you from the nearest town. Buy bus tickets at the rodoviária or on the operator’s site, and see long-distance buses in Brazil.

Corumbá is a border town. If you arrive from Bolivia, the Polícia Federal stamps you in at the Corumbá post. Hours and rules are on the land border crossings page.

When to go

The Pantanal’s year turns on the flood. May to September is the dry season and the best time for watching animals, which gather at permanent bays and river edges. October to April is the flood season. The land is greener, and boat trips and horseback riding through water work best.

For jaguars in the north, July to October is the prime window. Low water pushes the cats to the riverbanks, where boats can find them.

Floods vary a great deal from year to year. The 2026 flood stayed below the historical average. The Ladário gauge read 1.95 m on 19 April against a median of about 3.18 m for that date. Rainfall from October 2025 to March 2026 ran about 10% to 12% under the long-term average. Navigation and tourism were expected to run normally, while fishing would suffer. 2024 was the driest year in four decades in the Pantanal.

Fire is a risk in the dry months. Mato Grosso do Sul declared a statewide environmental emergency on 3 June 2026, valid for 180 days, citing drought, heat and El Niño. At least 15% of the Pantanal burned in 2024. Smoke can affect visibility and air quality in August and September.

Check before you go: Mato Grosso sets a dry-season fire ban each year. Ask your lodge about fire and smoke conditions a week before you travel, and check the current ban dates with SEMA-MT.

Where to base

For the north, the base towns are Cuiabá and Poconé, with lodges spread along the Transpantaneira. Spend part of your stay at Porto Jofre if jaguars are the goal. For the south, the base towns are Campo Grande, Miranda, Aquidauana and Corumbá, with fazenda lodges in the surrounding countryside. Onçafari’s Caiman Pantanal base, 53,000 hectares in Miranda, has hosted jaguar-viewing guests since 2011.

Most lodges sell full-board stays that include meals, guided outings and sometimes transfers. Ask each lodge in writing what is included, and compare.

What to do

Wildlife is the reason most people go. Days usually follow the animals. You head out at dawn, rest through the hot middle of the day, then go out again in the late afternoon and after dark.

• Boat trips. In the north, boat safaris from Porto Jofre search the rivers for jaguars and giant otters. In the south, river cruises are slower and focused on birds and caimans.
• Safari drives. Open vehicles cover ranch tracks at dawn and dusk.
• Night drives. Spotlight outings find anteaters, foxes, owls and, with luck, ocelots.
• Horseback riding. This is a classic Pantanal activity, especially in the flood season.
• Walking trails. Short guided walks through forest patches are good for monkeys and birds.
• Birdwatching. The Pantanal has hundreds of bird species. Bring binoculars.

See where to see jaguars, macaws and giant otters for target species.

Costs

The lodge is the main cost on either side. Full-board stays fold meals, guides and outings into one nightly rate. Jaguar boat trips from Porto Jofre and private guides add to the bill.

Prices rise in the dry season and over Brazilian holidays. Ask lodges for written quotes, and confirm whether transfers are included. For park fees elsewhere, see Brazil’s national parks: fees.

Practical tips

• Both states use UTC−4, one hour behind Brasília time. See Brazil time zones.
• Wear long, light clothing in neutral colors, and bring strong insect repellent.
• Pack a light jacket for cold fronts in June and July, and for early boat rides.
• Bring a hat, sunscreen and a refillable water bottle.
• Carry cash for tips and small purchases. Lodges are remote, and connections are slow.

Skip it if

• You have fewer than three nights. Corumbá alone is about 6 hours from Campo Grande, and the Transpantaneira is 147 km (91 mi) of unpaved road.
• You expect guaranteed sightings. Floods and fires vary from year to year, so wildlife conditions do too.
• You dislike heat, insects or early starts. All three come with the trip.
• You are on a tight budget. Full-board lodges are the main way to visit.

Next steps

To combine the south with Bonito, read Bonito: snorkeling rivers and how booking works and the Pantanal and Bonito in 7 days itinerary. Plan your clothes and time zones with Brazil time zones and best time to visit Brazil.