Pantanal Photographic Safari

If you like the idea of having superb opportunities to photograph some of South America's most spectacular wildlife as well as being taught exactly how to do it, then join me in 2008 on what I can guarantee to be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.

The location - The Pantanal region of Brazil is a pristine wilderness of marsh, savannah and forest the size of England. It is home to over 600 species of birds and a wealth of terrestrial wildlife such as capybara, jaguar, monkeys, deer and caiman, by the million. During the dry season the wildlife concentrates around ever decreasing water holes meaning we have superb photographic opportunities getting very, very close to the wildlife. It is the perfect place to master wildlife photography because it is open and bright and the wildlife is at a low level not hidden in the tree canopy as in other areas of South America.

The Tours - There are 2 separate tours on offer; the Pantanal tour and the Jaguar tour.

The standard Pantanal tour (12 days) starts in the upland Chapada region before progressing south staying at 3 separate Pantanal lodges each set in a slightly varied habitat and offering different highlights.   Key species may include, hyacinth macaw and myriad other birds, giant river otters, monkeys, caiman, tapir.

The Jaguar tour (13 days) offers all the locations of the standard Pantanal tour but also incorporate 3 full days (2 nights) searching for Jaguars and staying in the remote and newly created Jaguar research camp. This is the tour to take if you are desperate to see and photograph the most elusive big cat in the world.   Please see the details on the Jaguar camp below and note that the remote nature of the camp significantly increases the cost of this tour as well as the single supplement.

The aim on both tours is to learn the art and skills of wildlife photography and to become fully proficient and confident with your camera. This is not a normal photographic safari offered by other travel companies involving merely driving to a photographic location and being left to your own devices. I must also stress that this tour is not for those who merely want to photograph a species and then move on and find the next subject.   We shall be spending considerable time trying to obtain the best possible images and sometimes even returning to a location to do it all again.

All camera skills will be taught, from basic handling to advanced metering and exposure control. We will also concentrate on getting very close to wildlife, sometimes shooting from a vehicle, boat or just lying down in the mud of a waterhole! The subject matter in this location is endless and sometimes things will be happening all around you - no sooner has a kingfisher plunged to catch a fish than an otter will poke his head up through drifting rafts of water hyacinth. This aspect can sometimes feel daunting but the key is to relax and take your time, after all you are on holiday as well!

Most days will usually start early to arrive at a suitable spot to shoot the sunrise followed by fieldwork. Mid-morning will be a time for theory lessons. The middle of the day with its heat and harsh light will allow a little time to relax and recover from the early start, but the afternoon will comprise of an exciting activity such as a boat trip to photograph giant river otters.

Once the sun has gone down, we can opt to go on a night safari in search of owls, ocelots, tapirs and maybe jaguars!

Jaguar camp

If you choose the Jaguar tour you will stay two nights at the Jaguar camp.  This camp is set in a remote region of the Pantanal on the confluence of two rivers and their many tributaries. The region is an overlapping area of many jaguar territories and is providing remarkable statistics for sightings; between the months of July to October for the last 3 years an average of 1.5 jaguars have been seen each day by researchers and visitors, this is a phenomenon!  The Jaguar tour option is relatively expensive because everything from food and water to petrol and staff has to be shipped, driven and carried in.  

Accommodation is in spacious safari style tents and your days are spent in radio linked aluminium boats travelling the waterways searching for our magnificent quarry.   There is less time to observe other wildlife as we must make the most of our search time. If a jaguar is spotted we shoot from the boat and I can guarantee if you see a jaguar you will be left breathless and probably unable to sleep for a couple of nights afterwards!

Click here to view accommodation, camps and transport

Equipment

You will need either a digital or 35mm SLR camera. I recommend a lens of up to 500mm. One of the advantages of the Pantanal region is it is very bright and fortunately the lens does not need to be that fast so a zoom lens is suitable. Advice will be given about equipment purchases before the trip.

Who this tour is for:

• If you are eager to develop your skills in true wildlife photography
• If you don't mind getting up at 5am! (not every day though)
• You are not obsessed with merely finding the rarest creatures; often the best learning experiences are to be had spending time with the more common and obliging species.

Who this tour is NOT for:

• If you merely want to take just a couple of shots of one species and then move on to the next; this is most definitely not a STOP, PHOTOGRAPH and GO tour.   This tour is about wildlife photography not about racking up species lists.
• If you expect all features of the tour to be prepared and ready on the dot; this is South America and as such there will always be a degree of 'flexibility' to be expected.
• If you expect the wildlife to be in pre-arranged locations on cue; the very best efforts will be made to locate species, but sometimes they just don't play the game and you may be disappointed.

Dates and prices

Pantanal Tour Aug 3rd - 14th      Price £2195 + flight

                              Single supplement £195

Jaguar Tour      Aug 18th - 30th Price £2695 + flight

                              Single Supplement £430

Please contact me to pre-book and for a complete itinerary. Email David Plummer or
phone 07957 484 737 or 01273 736 650