SouthWild Jaguar Lodge

viewing wildlife from boats on the river

Set in the north-central Pantanal in southern Brazil, SouthWild Jaguar Lodge is a particularly wildlife-focused live-aboard boat.

This place is by far the best location in the world for viewing and photographing wild jaguars.

The owner of the lodge is SouthWild, a very interesting and pioneering wildlife experience operation which is driven by renowned American biologist Dr Charles Munn. When you see BBC Wildlife or NatGeo documentaries about jaguars in Pantanal or pumas in Patagonia, chances are these are the guys that made them possible.

SouthWild Jaguar Lodge is a very unusual place, one which has grown organically over time and which has been known by a range of different names, including the SouthWild Jaguar Flotel, the SouthWild Jaguar Suites and simply the Jaguar Suites.

The most obvious feature of the property is that it comprises a number of boats and barges. The fundamental reason for this is that the whole place can be regularly relocated in order to maximise the chances of jaguar sightings.

The lodge is made up of three elements …

At the front there is the newest section, a tailor-made barge that contains the largest and most comfortable rooms, called “Jaguar Suites”, as described below.

The central section is the original old ‘flotel’, with the main lounge and dining areas on the upper deck, as well as a space where regular wildlife and scientific presentations are given by the various naturalists and expert guides on board. A number of lower cost rooms are on the deck below.

Floating far to the rear is the third and final element, a smaller, purpose-built barge that houses the various large generators that power the entire complex.

As you can see from the imagery, SouthWild Jaguar Lodge is by no means a luxury operation. But it is comfortable and, above all, it’s very serious about its wildlife viewing. Over the years the place has hosted many of the world’s leading wildlife documentary film crews and photographers.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at SouthWild Jaguar Lodge is in 20 rooms, all of which have private bathrooms and air-conditioning, but which vary considerably in style …

Eight of the rooms are contained within the original ‘flotel’ vessel, situated on the deck below the public areas. They are smaller (9, 12, 13.5 and 15 sqm), have only small windows and may experience some noise transmission from the floor above.

Twelve of the rooms, the Jaguar Suites, are on a separate barge, tied immediately alongside the main vessel. Each of these is much larger (30 sqm), with a four metre wide floor-to-ceiling window and an outside terrace, perfect for viewing wildlife.

The suites are fitted with radios which will alert you if a jaguar is spotted wandering along the adjacent riverbank, which you can observe via a special viewing hatch. There is also a fan system to draw naturally river-cool night air through the room, as an alternative to running the air-conditioner.

Activities

SouthWild Jaguar Lodge is almost exclusively focused on wildlife viewing by motorboat, with a heavy leaning towards jaguars, but with plenty of other animals on view, including capybaras, giant otters and a host of birdlife.

Safari planning

The Pantanal is usually visited for a period of 7-12 nights, usually split over between two to five different lodges.

SouthWild Jaguar Lodge usually features for 3-4 nights and is generally considered to be the wildlife highlight of the safari.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Pantanal is generally considered to be during Jul-Oct, which represents the main dry season.

It’s worth noting that June and the first part of November are two ‘secret seasons’, when the jaguar and other animal sightings are usually strong, but visitor numbers can be much lower.

At other times of year the conditions become so challenging that the area only becomes suitable for visitors with very specific seasonally-driven interests, such as bird-watchers and fishermen.

Getting there

The Pantanal is generally accessed via São Paulo Airport (GRU) or Rio de Janeiro Airport (SDU) into one of two local airports.

SouthWild Jaguar Lodge is usually accessed from SouthWild Pantanal Lodge, which serves as the staging post on the way in by road from Cuiabá Airport (CGB). The journey between the two lodges involves a drive of around 80 km (48 miles) along a dirt road down to Porto Jofre.

It is also possible to charter a light aircraft direct from Cuiabá Airport (CGB) to the small airstrip at Porto Jofre.

From there it’s a motorboat ride of typically around 40 minutes up the river to wherever SouthWild Jaguar Lodge happens to be moored at the time of your visit. There are good chances of wildlife sightings along the way.

the centrepiece of a safari in Pantanal