The dry season, August - January, for the Pantanal is approaching. September is considered the peak of the dry season and the best time to see wildlife. There are a large number of tour operators that provide trips into the Pantanal, usually at very steep prices. Yet, it’s difficult to find really good information about these trips. What’s the qualities of the tours? How much do they really cost? What kind of wildlife do you actually see? Do you really need to spend thousands of dollars to go to the Pantanal? I’m going to be doing some research on the various sites on the Web that discuss the Pantanal and share my findings with you.

Most tour operators for the Pantanal that are listed in travel books or online offer only upmarket services, i.e., expensive. Indeed, there are also several luxury tour operators that cater to the really wealthy.

The general consensus is that you can wait till you arrive in the Pantanal region before booking a trip. The competition among operators is intense and a little bargaining and negotiating should work well. I’ve heard reports of 4 day/3 night tours available for $250-350 reales based on face-to-face negotitations in Corumba. But, be careful and ask a lot of questions about exactly what you get for your money.

Most lodges, or fazendas, are located in the southern Pantanal. So Corumba is a good place to head as a base to seek out a reasonably priced tour. Yet, Cuiabá in the north reportedly has some lower priced fazendas. The fazenda prices generally include meals and other activities such as horseback riding, guided hikes, etc. But, it still seems like $100 US per person per day is costly for even all that, which is a fairly low price that you see quoted on many web sites.

Other types of tours include jeep tours from Corumba and other locations, but you´re not likely to get very far into the Pantanal one of those trips. A better approach would be a 4 or 5 day boat trip, which can range from an independent boat that you contract with in Corumba to a luxury vessel.