With roughly 60 percent of the Amazon Rainforest housed within its borders, Brazil has earned worldwide acclaim for its top-tier ecotourism opportunities—but there’s a lot more to this storied nation than just the jungle. In the western reaches of Brazil, the Pantanal plays host to the earth’s largest expanse of flooded grasslands, providing plenty of pristine habitat for a wealth of native fauna to flourish. The entire region spans roughly 150,000 square kilometers across Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, but for an in-depth immersion into the biodiversity of the Pantanal, Brazil’s Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas is the perfect destination.
Established in 2004 in the state of Mato Grosso, this scenic preserve is renowned for its high concentration of rivers and streams, with resident waterways including the Cuiabá, Piquiri and São Lourenço Rivers. Across the park, visitors can spot large herds of capybara—the world’s largest extant rodent species—lounging by the edge of the river, while the occasional pod of giant river otters can be spotted snaking through the water as well. Beyond these two signature Pantanal species, fortunate visitors might be able to catch a glimpse of a South American tapir or a marsh deer—both of which serve as potential prey for the park’s most famous resident.
While jaguars could once be found from the U.S.-Mexico border down to Argentina, the species now resides in just a small fraction of its former range—and the Pantanal is an ideal destination for observing these captivating big cats in the flesh. From roughly July to October, dry season draws plenty of jaguars to the banks of the Cuiabá River, with local tour operators like Nossa Terra and Pantanal Safaris offering small boat excursions to aid in the search. While guests can spot the cats taking a dip in the shallows to beat the midday heat, the Pantanal also offers an opportunity to observe a successful hunting session, with plenty of resident capybaras and caimans—a small type of crocodilian—for the jaguars to snack on.
Big cats are a major draw for visitors to Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas, but the region has also earned widespread recognition for its abundance of native birds. More than 600 different avian species have been recorded across the Pantanal over the years, with eye-catching parrots and a wealth of waders thriving across the region. On the larger side, visitors can keep their eyes out for hyacinth macaws and jabiru storks, while colorful passerines include the silver-beaked tanager, orange-backed troupial and saffron finch.
Though Brazil is best known as the home of the Amazon Rainforest, this sprawling country also offers a paradise for ecotourism in the form of the Pantanal. During a visit to Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas, visitors can marvel at South America’s most iconic extant big cat, all while encountering captivating species like the giant anteater, toco toucan and yellow anaconda along the way. If you’re planning an unforgettable ecotourism-filled getaway in the depths of South America, be sure to save some room on the itinerary for this fascinating park, with plenty of native mammal, bird and reptile species thriving within its boundaries as they have for millennia.