Hotel Santa Rosa

jaguar and giant river otters on almost every outing

Hotel Santa Rosa sits at Porto Jofre, at the end of the Transpantaneira, with direct access onto the Cuiabá River from its own floating wooden dock.

The hotel has invested heavily in itself since 2023, and on our most recent visit the improvement was obvious. The pool area has been redesigned and set back from the river edge with new planting, and the overall package, a glass-fronted dining room, a glass-fronted lounge, and an open pool terrace with its own bar, feels well planned rather than assembled piecemeal.

Santa Rosa is meaningfully smaller and more intimate than the larger hotel nearby. Departures from the floating dock feel private rather than like a launch point for a fleet of boats.

Rooms

Rooms are modern and cleanly finished, though not large. Most have views down to the river. Two guests travelling in a twin configuration with full luggage will find the space tight but serviceable.

• Standard Room : x20 (approx) : air-conditioned, modern finish, double or twin configuration

Activities

Hotel Santa Rosa provides the following guided activities, with two river safaris a day included in the room rate:

• Motorboat safari

Jaguars and giant river otters are close to a guaranteed sighting on any outing here, and tapir are a real possibility depending on season and water levels.

We always use a private guide and boat at Santa Rosa: a shared boat here means a boatman who can spot but not interpret, and losing the ability to leave a crowded sighting and quietly look elsewhere, which matters more at Porto Jofre than almost anywhere else in the world given how many boats a single jaguar can draw.