Brazil 2026: Jaguars, Beaches, and a Whole Lot of Dirt Roads
Fourteen days. Four cities. one carry-on suitcases each and no checked bags. This was our family trip through Brazil in 2026 — from the chaos of São Paulo, deep into the Pantanal wetlands for jaguar safaris, along the beaches of Rio and Bahia, and back again.
Getting There, and Packing Light
We flew out on a Wednesday evening and slept through most of the flight, landing in São Paulo on Thursday morning feeling reasonably human. With so many internal flights ahead of us, checking bags simply wasn't worth the risk, so we travelled with four carry-on suitcases between us plus a backpack each. That meant packing for both the safari and the beach in one small footprint — the plan was to do laundry along the way rather than pack for every eventuality, and it worked out fine.
Day One: São Paulo
First stop after breakfast at the hotel was a museum, mostly to keep the kids entertained after the overnight flight. We grabbed an Uber over, picked up a snack while we were there, then swung by Decathlon and a supermarket to stock up on supplies for the trip ahead.
The Uber back to the hotel was a different story — São Paulo traffic lived up to its reputation, and what should have been a quick trip dragged on. We had dinner at a hotel near the airport and got an early night, since we had another early start the next morning.
Into the Pantanal
The next few days were the heart of the trip: the Pantanal, one of the world's largest tropical wetlands, and prime territory for jaguar spotting.
We were up early again, cereal bars in hand for the kids, and took a taxi to the airport for our flight — which landed on time. Waiting for us was our guide, Luiz, who drove us out to begin the safari properly. The roads start out well paved, but once you pass through Pocone, it's all dirt roads from there. We stopped in Pocone for supplies, snacks, and water before continuing on to our first lodge, Mato Grosso do Pantanal.
A pattern quickly emerged across the lodges: basic accommodation, and largely the same food with small variations from place to place. This first hotel was fine, but noisy at night — not ideal with another early start ahead of us for the drive to Porto Jofre.
Porto Jofre and the first jaguar sightings. Breakfast was a takeaway of cheese sandwiches, apples, and bananas for the 2.5-hour drive, again on dirt roads. Once we arrived and had a proper breakfast, we headed straight out for our first water safari. The boat broke down partway through, so we came back to let the engine be fixed and went out again in the afternoon — this time with better luck, spotting four jaguars across three separate sightings.
The following day, our last chance for a jaguar safari, we stayed out longer. We watched a jaguar working through some plants, which turned into a caiman hunt — and a successful one. Later we spotted another jaguar, our last of the trip, before the heat got to everyone and we headed back to pack up and move on to the next lodge (with cheese toasties made for the road).
The land lodge. Another 2.5 hours on dirt roads brought us to a lodge with much more open land around it, where we spotted tapir, ocelot, an owl, and toucans on driving safaris.
The last Pantanal lodge. This one had a lake at its centre — and, like the others, its share of quirks. There were gaps in the fittings, and we discovered a bat had taken up residence in our room, complete with scratching and rustling from a nest nearby that didn't do much for anyone's sleep. The water also stopped working for most of our stay, eventually fixed after half an hour, though it seemed common across these lodges that mains water simply wasn't a given.
On to Rio
We tried to move our flight to Rio earlier the next morning but couldn't make it work — even the airline's app wasn't cooperating. Instead, we found a nearby mall, did some much-needed laundry, had lunch, and eventually caught our flight, landing in Rio fairly late.
The next day was a slower one: breakfast, then most of the day by the pool. The hotel itself was lovely, but the pool area was extremely busy, with barely any loungers free — not the most relaxing day, but a needed one after the early Pantanal mornings.
That evening we'd booked a traditional Brazilian steakhouse. A sudden turn in the weather brought heavy winds, forcing us to abandon the car partway and walk the rest of the way along Copacabana. Worth it, though — dinner was excellent, with plenty of meat, and everyone left happy.
Bahia: Beach Mode
An early flight took us to Salvador in Bahia, and we treated ourselves to a premium economy upgrade — a good call, since it gave the kids a couple of extra hours of sleep. From the airport it was a short Uber to the hotel, and we made it to breakfast just before it finished.
From there, the pace dropped entirely. This was an all-inclusive stretch of the trip — breakfast, lunch, and dinner all taken care of, with days spent by the pool, in the ocean, and on the beach. One day brought wind and rain, but it was the only disruption in an otherwise easy, sun-soaked stay.
Back to São Paulo
The final leg took us back to São Paulo for one last night. We wandered around Ibirapuera shopping mall before dinner at Kinoshita, a Japanese restaurant where we sat right in front of the chefs preparing the food — a hit with the kids, who loved watching it all come together.
Our last morning was low-key: a walk around the area, a coffee, and back to the hotel to pack up for the flight home.
A Few Things We Learned
Traffic in Rio and São Paulo is genuinely bad — build extra time into any plans that involve getting across either city.
Download a translation app before you go. Not everyone speaks English, including at airports.
The Pantanal lodges are basic across the board — expect similar food at each one, and don't assume things like mains water or soundproofing.
The Itinerary at a Glance
DayPlan1Overnight flight to São Paulo2Day in São Paulo3Fly to Cuiabá, first lodge on the Transpantanal road4Early start to the lodge near the water for jaguar safari5Final jaguar safari, drive to the last Pantanal lodge6Fly to Rio, spend the day there7Full day in Rio, dinner at the churrascaria8Fly to Salvador, beach day9–12Stay in Bahia13Fly to São Paulo, day there14Morning in São Paulo, fly home
Fourteen days, three very different landscapes, and one very memorable jaguar hunt — Brazil delivered.
