The Pantanal

The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland on earth, a vast expanse of waterways and marsh covering some 42 million acres across Brazil’s interior. Wildlife here is easier to see than in the dense Amazon rainforest, since the open floodplain leaves jaguar, giant otter and caiman with fewer places to hide. Visit in the dry season, when the water recedes and wildlife concentrates around the remaining channels, and jaguar sightings become a real possibility rather than a hope.