Northern Pantanal & Chapada dos Guimarães — Self-Launched Roundtrip

Fly or bus into Cuiabá (CGB) and head straight for the table mountains. Shared shuttle vans run from Cuiabá to Chapada dos Guimarães town (~65 km, about 1.5 hrs, roughly £12–18 per person with local transfer companies or the 'Expresso' vans; a private transfer is about £45). Check into a simple pousada in town, then in the late afternoon walk out to the Mirante (Geodesic Centre of South America viewpoint) for sunset over the escarpment — it's free and a 20-minute walk from the centre. Eat dinner in one of the small restaurants on the main square.

🚌Shared shuttle van Cuiabá airport → Chapada dos Guimarães, ~£15 pp

🛏Pousada/guesthouse in Chapada dos Guimarães town (~£25–35 double, ~£15 per person shared)

• →Sunset at the Mirante viewpoint (Geodesic Centre of South America)
• →Explore Chapada town square and local restaurants

The Chapada waterfalls sit outside town and are awkward without a car, so the cheapest realistic move is to join a small shared day tour arranged by your pousada or a local operator (about £25–35 including park entry), or club together with other travellers on a half-day 4x4. Walk the short trails to the Véu de Noiva (Bridal Veil) waterfall and the nearby rim viewpoints, and add the short hike across the table mountain plateau. Bring water and sun protection — there's little shade on the plateau. Evening back in town.

🚌Shared 4x4/local tour vehicle to the falls and trailheads

🛏Same pousada in Chapada dos Guimarães

• →Véu de Noiva waterfall trail
• →Table mountain (Chapada) plateau hike
• →Optional: rock sculptures and small waterfalls nearby

Take a morning shared transfer or bus to Nobres/Bom Jardim (~150 km, about 3 hrs; shared transfers around £20–25, or local bus to Rosario Oeste then a shared taxi). The draw here is the impossibly clear spring water: book a local flutuação (snorkel float) trip to Lagoa Azul or Rio Salobra through your pousada — around £30–40 including equipment and guide. Lagoa Azul is also excellent for birdwatching (araras, toucans) — go early or late. Note the springs are often closed one day a week for regeneration, so confirm opening before you commit to the date.

🚌Shared transfer or bus Chapada → Nobres, ~£20–25 pp

🛏Pousada in Bom Jardim/Nobres (~£20–30 double)

• →Snorkel float in crystal-clear spring basin (flutuação)
• →Drift-snorkel down the Rio Salobra
• →Birdwatching at Lagoa Azul

Today you get onto the Transpantaneira, the raised dirt road into the northern Pantanal. The economical option is a shared transfer booked through a Poconé-based agency or your lodge (roughly £40–60 per person for the Nobres → lodge leg), or take a local bus to Poconé and arrange a pickup from there. The drive itself is the safari: stop for capybara, caiman, jabiru storks and marsh deer at the wooden bridges. Settle into a working cattle/eco lodge and take an afternoon stalking walk to look for capuchin and howler monkeys, plus the lodge's observation tower for sunset.

🚌Shared transfer Nobres → Poconé → Transpantaneira lodge, ~£50 pp

🛏Pantanal eco-lodge/pousada (full board typically ~£55–75 pp per night incl. meals and activities)

• →Wildlife spotting stops along the Transpantaneira bridges
• →Guided stalking walk for howler and capuchin monkeys
• →Sunset from the observation tower

A full day on the lodge's standard activity programme, which is how nearly all Pantanal lodges work: sunrise walk for birds and tracks, a horseback or cart ride with a pantaneiro guide through the flooded fields (the traditional way to move around here), and an afternoon boat trip on the Rio Claro or Rio Novo — bring binoculars, this is prime giant otter and kingfisher water. Ask the lodge to confirm the activity package price up front; a 3-night full-board package with activities is typically £180–240 per person.

🚌Lodge boats and horses included in the package

🛏Pantanal eco-lodge (full board package)

• →Sunrise nature walk
• →Horseback ride with pantaneiro guide
• →Boat trip on Rio Claro or Rio Novo (paddle option available)

Continue down the Transpantaneira to its end at Porto Jofre (~145 km of dirt road, 4–5 hrs with stops), where the Cuiabá river becomes jaguar country. Shared lodge transfers along this stretch run around £40–55 per person; some lodges combine it with a transfer boat. Spend the afternoon on a first jaguar-watching boat excursion (about 3 hrs, roughly £55–70 per person shared) — the boats run out to the riverbanks where jaguars rest on the sandbars. Night at a riverside lodge or on a chalana (riverboat hotel) if you want the cheaper shared-cabin option.

🚌Shared Transpantaneira transfer to Porto Jofre, ~£50 pp

🛏Porto Jofre riverside lodge or chalana boat cabin (~£50–65 pp full board)

• →Transpantaneira wildlife drive with stops
• →Afternoon jaguar-watching boat excursion (~3 hrs)

The big day. Join a full-day motorboat safari on the Cuiabá, Três Irmãos, São Lourenço and Piquiri rivers — shared boats are typically £70–100 per person for the day if you fill the boat with other travellers at the lodge. Go early: sightings are best in the cool first hours, and August mornings on the water are genuinely cold, so pack a warm layer. Besides jaguars you have good odds on giant otters, tapir, caiman and hyacinth macaws. Bring your own packed lunch rather than relying on the boat's canteen-style stop — several travellers report that splitting costs for lunch works out better.

🚌Lodge motorboat with local spotter/guide

🛏Porto Jofre riverside lodge or chalana boat cabin

• →Full-day river safari on Rio Cuiabá, Três Irmãos, São Lourenço and Piquiri
• →Giant otter and macaw spotting
• →Optional: extra half-day boat if adding a night in Porto Jofre

If your flight is late, do a final short dawn walk around the lodge, then take the shared transfer back up the Transpantaneira to Cuiabá (about 5–6 hrs, £40–55 per person; some operators combine this with the boat transfer). You can also charter a shared 4x4 or, if you're short on time, arrange a transfer boat + van combo. Arrive Cuiabá with time for a cold beer by the river before your onward flight or bus — Cuiabá is a useful hub for onward legs to Rio, Bonito or the Amazon.

🚌Shared transfer Porto Jofre → Cuiabá, ~£50 pp

🛏Not included — onward travel or one night in a Cuiabá hostel (~£15–20 pp)

• →Optional dawn walk at the lodge
• →Cuiabá riverside evening before departure