Spotting Jaguars on the Pantanal Rivers

The northern Pantanal lies a short flight from Cuiabá in Brazil's Mato Grosso. Boat safaris along the Cuiabá and Três Irmãos rivers put you eye level with jaguars as they patrol the banks and slip between sandbars. Guides share sightings across boats, so one spotted cat can stretch into a full morning of watching it hunt caimans and capybaras. Come in the dry season, roughly May through October, when low water concentrates wildlife along the rivers.