Pantanal

On a positive note we had a great wildlife experience seeing five jaguar, giant otters, tapirs, ocelot and hyacinth macaws amongst many others. Tony, our guide, was one of the very best guides I have had. He spotted just about everything going and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the birds and animals of the Pantanal. The not so good was when booking, the connecting flight from San Paulo to Cuiaba was booked from a different San Paulo airport to the one I was due to arrive at from the UK. Speaking to the Exodus rep when booking I questioned why the arrival airport had a different code to the departure airport and was assured the two flights were from the same airport so booked. I was not comfortable and quick online search showed that this was not the case. Fortunately it was sorted out when I then raised the issue again but no apology for what was a basic error. Following the two reviews from 2023, the connecting flight is now a 7hrs wait. While baggage is checked through to Cuiaba you must collect your baggage in San Paula and go through immigration control and customs. You can then drop your bags off at the Latam desk 4hr before your flight to Cuiaba. This info is correct as of July 2024!

Ivan Pinto Land of the Jaguar

just like Emily I too missed my connecting flight at Sao Paulo . this was because there was not enough time to collect my luggage go through customs and passport control etc and then do the whole thing again in reverse . you really need more than just over 2 hours in my opinion .This caused a lot of unnecessary stress and time waiting for the afternoon flight (9hrs ) to join the group. having said that the trip was very good with a lot of wildlife to be seen culminating in the sighting of the elusive jaguar .food was good and price of drinks etc good. the guide Juan was excellent with a very good knowledge,of wildlife and habitat ,but as previously mentioned please be aware you may be in for a long stressful wait at the airport .

ian mcclure Land of the Jaguar

Please note you will be told, by Exodus, that your luggage will be put through at San Paulo and this is absolutely not the case. You will need to recheck your luggage. This caused people to miss their connections/sprint to catch their connection. I asked for a longer connection time and Exodus said no causing unnecessary stress. The tour leader, Tony, was absolutely lush and very knowledgeable and if there was an animal to spot he spotted it. Arasas Lodge is nice, but in reality the itinerary was really lacking here with several hours to kill between activities (10-4pm). It felt like a last minute add on as they couldn’t just make the trip 4 days. I would say the cost of the trip really is not good value for money and sadly I could not recommend this trip though we did see the jaguars.

Emily Rae Land of the Jaguar