Cost & Payments
Costs (in US$)
Type | Cost Per Person |
Trip Cost, double occupancy | $13,900 |
Single Supplement | $5,000 |
Costs are per person, double occupancy, not including airfare (except for three internal flights), singles extra. See Included and Not Included sections for more details.
If you are a single traveler, we will find a roommate for you, but if we cannot find you a roommate, we may charge you a single supplement. Single rooms cost extra and are subject to availability.
Payment Schedule
Payment | Due Date | Amount Per Person |
Deposit | Due now to reserve your space | $500 |
Second | July 1, 2022 | $2,000 |
Final | February 1, 2023 | Remaining balance |
Payments are due based on the schedule above. All reservations require a deposit to confirm reservation of your space.
Cancellations
Until the Final Payment due date, deposits are refundable except for a cancellation fee of $150 per person, which can be applied toward another tour if reserved within six months of the cancelled trip’s departure date. Cancellations are non-transferrable. No refunds are given after the Final Payment due date.
Included
- All leaders, transport, park entry fees, vehicles, and boat trips for all activities, unless described as optional.
- Three internal flights.
- Accommodations for the nights of August 6 through August 20.
- Meals from dinner on August 6 through breakfast on August 21.
- Bottled water throughout safari.
- Trip Materials – information about flights, packing, entry and departure requirements, airport transfers, gratuities, etc.
Not Included
- All airfare (except flight listed as included), airport and departure taxes, and excess baggage fees. Round-trip airfare is approximately $1,000 to $1,500 between the US and São Paulo, depending on origin.
- Passport and visa fees.
- Gratuities – tipping is always discretionary. However, we suggest budgeting about $28 to $32 per participant per day for August 6 to August 20 with our guides (about $420 to $480 total per participant).
- Emergency medical and evacuation insurance and trip cancellation insurance. For more information see travel insurance.
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, medical costs or hospitalization, room service, soft drinks and alcoholic bottled beverages, items not on the regular menu, etc. If you have special dietary needs, please indicate them on your Reservation Form.
Climate
The Pantanal can be very hot, from 90 to 100+°F (32 to 38+°C), especially during midday and afternoons. The occasional cold snap may blow through, dropping the temperature to the 60s°F (~15 to 20°C), so layer clothes to manage these changing conditions!
Fitness Level
Most wildlife viewing is done from small boats and vehicles. Walks to search for wildlife are generally less than an hour over relatively flat trails or along the gravel roads.
Flights
Unless listed as included, airfare is not included in trip costs. Detailed logistical information and the contact information for our recommended flight-ticketing agent are included in the Trip Materials we will send you. Please let us know if you are arriving earlier or staying later as we are happy to assist you with any extra overnights that you might want to arrange.
Flights you (or a travel agent) book: Arrive in São Paulo, Brazil (GRU) early enough to connect with a morning flight to Cuiabá, Brazil (CGB) on August 6. Depart from São Paulo, Brazil (GRU) in the late afternoon or at night on August 21.
Flights we book for you: Three internal flights are included in the trip cost.
FAQ
Should I visit the Pantanal or the Amazon to see wildlife?
While the Amazon is much more famous, the Pantanal is the best place to see Brazil’s wildlife as it has much greater biodiversity and a higher density of that biodiversity. The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland and therefore attracts many large mammals (the Big Five), smaller mammals such as monkeys and capybaras, and many beautiful birds.
When is the best time to go to the Pantanal?
We visit in July through September during the dry season when wildlife tends to concentrate around the ponds left after the wet season’s floods. Fields are now dry, enabling us to hike and drive safari-style through them to look for wildlife. It is also warmer during these months and the coolness of the river entices jaguars to the riverbanks to cool off. July through September are also good months to see plentiful birds.
Am I guaranteed to see the Pantanal’s Big Five – jaguar, giant anteater, giant otter, ocelot, and South American tapir?
Our goal is to see the Big Five, but we cannot guarantee that we will see them all as wildlife is wild and unpredictable! But to best meet our goal, we spend the maximum time in nature to greatly increase our chance of seeing the Big Five and lots more.
Why do you spend so much time on rivers in the Pantanal?
During days near the Cuiabá and other rivers, we spend a lot of time in boats as it is the best way to see jaguar and other wildlife. Wildlife are accustomed to tourist boats and feel safe around them, generally allowing us to approach to watch and photograph them.
Should I worry about seasickness on the Pantanal’s rivers?
The rivers in this region are calm and we have never had problems with anyone getting seasick.
Accommodations
All lodges have private baths and air conditioning.
Seasickness
Transportation
You will travel by air-conditioned private bus, boat, and commercial air. Some remote roads in the Pantanal are unpaved, dusty, and bumpy. Some of the drives between regions are long, between one and five hours, but most of these are on paved, modern roads. The boats are comfortable (the seats have back rests) and are easy to get in and out of. Although the boats have limited space, you have room for your daypack and camera gear near your feet and on your lap.
Conservation
By traveling with Cheesemans’ to Brazil, you directly support the local community, as well as the people who work in ecotourism that are passionate about conservation. Our local operator, Daniel Rondon has long-lasting personal relationships with the owners of the lodges and private locations you experience on our Brazil itineraries. In addition to helping nurture these grass-roots relationships, he works with the local lodges to facilitate sustainable environmental practices such as water and sewage treatments, waste separation and recycling, solar power for hot water showers, and more. Our local operator also supports specific conservation projects by promoting and sending visitors to them and by organizing groups to take part in scientific research and donation efforts. It is Daniel’s passion and belief that tourism and conservation are not separate and thus symbiotic, and when done right, tourism is an effective tool to protect and preserve important ecosystems such as the Pantanal of Brazil.
Brazil’s ecotourism industry also gives local people sustainable job alternatives that help further conservation. For example, Daniel’s company is locally owned and operated and he chooses only hand-picked guides and leaders committed to environmental and cultural values that are in line with their founders. With Cheesemans’, they work with Alexine of the Peccary Project to connect tourism to important conservation projects, and they are also involved with the Tapir Conservation Project, Giant Armadillo Project, Hyacinth Macaw Project, and jaguar specific conservation projects, Onças do Rio Negro and Onçafari.
Conditions
Read our current Terms and Conditions.