Five Jaguars in One Day: Michael’s Family Pantanal Safari in Brazil

A Swiss family of five, a novel read 15 years earlier, and four days on the Transpantaneira and the rivers of Porto Jofre, told in Michael’s own words

Michael Lang, 51, is a general practitioner with a small private clinic in northwestern Switzerland, 10 kilometers from the German and French borders. While organizing the vacation alongside his family and some friends, the trip’s destination shifted from Sri Lanka to Africa and Costa Rica before ultimately settling on Brazil.

Michael had three goals: Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, and a safari in the Amazon or the Pantanal. Ultimately, the Pantanal came out on top, especially because, about 15 years ago, he read The Testament, John Grisham’s novel about a lawyer sent into Brazil’s wetlands to find a missionary.

Michael, his wife, and their three children, aged 17 to 21, spent four days of July 2026 on a Pantanal Jaguar Budget Safari, organized by PlanetaEXO and led by a local guide. This is his story. Check it out below!

Four days on the Transpantaneira (and never bored)

While The Testament is set on the Southern Pantanal, Michael and his family traveled to the Northern Pantanal. To get there, they flew to Cuiabá and drove into the wetland. The trip moved between two places: a first lodge farther north, then the river country around Porto Jofre, where the Transpantaneira road ends.

Michael liked the change of scenery. “It was so interesting to see these different places, and I was never bored,” he said. The pace suited him too: “It was quite relaxing, sitting on a boat and gliding across the river.”

Asked for the hardest moment, he came up empty: no tough trail, no bad weather, no boat ride that went on too long. “Actually, there’s nothing I can say was challenging to me,” he replied. He knows four days is short by Pantanal standards and that longer trips exist, but he could not name a single negative point.

👉 Read more:

• North or South Pantanal: Which One Should You Visit?
• How to Get to the Pantanal, Brazil

Five jaguars in one day

Michael loves animals, and he is a keen amateur photographer, though not a wildlife specialist. His Pantanal wish list came down to one animal. “I really want to see some jaguars. And we saw a lot of them.” On one day alone, the group found about five jaguars in five different spots.

The rest of the list filled up fast: birds everywhere, a tapir, deer, otters, and plenty of caimans. Naturally, this made his animal enthusiast heart very happy.

That is why travelers come this far. The rivers around Porto Jofre (the Cuiabá, Piquiri and Três Irmãos) run through Encontro das Águas State Park, the part of the Pantanal with the best odds of seeing a jaguar. Sightings peak in the intermediate and dry seasons, from May to October.

What struck him was how few people were watching. At Iguazu Falls, he said, “there are hundreds of people on a platform and on the sidewalks.” The Pantanal river was different: “There are maybe one dozen or 10 boats. There’s no over-tourism, I would say.”

👉 Read more:

• Where is the Best Place to See Jaguars in the Pantanal?
• When is the Best Time to Visit the Pantanal?

A private, personalized tour

Michael expected to share his guide, Fábio. He pictured him leading 10 or 12 people. Instead, the guide was theirs alone. “He was like a private tour guide for us. That was not my expectation,” he said. “That was a big surprise for me. But for us it was excellent, because we could ask everything.”

It also meant the family set the rhythm. “We can go our own pace. We said, okay, we want to do that or that, or we want to leave then or then. So it was so individual,” he praised. Along with the jaguars, it is the part of the trip he rates highest. “The personal contact to the guide was excellent.”

Fábio’s English mattered beyond the wildlife. Elsewhere in Brazil, the family struggled to talk to locals, but with their guide, conversations went deep. “We always talk about culture, religion, finance themes, politics, and whatever,” he said. “I think that was the closest contact we had during this trip.”\

👉 Read more: Where to Stay in the Pantanal?

Frogs in the bathroom and an otter named Cheetah

Michael glanced at his daughter when he was about to tell a funny moment from the trip. Small frogs had found their way into the family’s rooms, and she was afraid to go to the bathroom. His answer to her sums up the Pantanal in one line: “We are not in a city. We are in the wilderness.”

Then there was Cheetah, an otter well used to people. The family met her twice on the river, and both times she tried to get on board. “She always wanted to jump in the boat. It was so funny,” he chuckled.

His other favorite moments were quieter ones on the water, contemplating the beautiful natural view during boat rides on the sunrise and sunset.

👉 Read more: 15 Amazing Pantanal Animals and Wildlife

Was Brazil safe? Michael’s honest answer

Michael never felt unsafe in Brazil, and he explains why without drama. The family stayed out of the sketchier parts of Rio and São Paulo, used ride-sharing apps to get from place to place, and moved as a group of two families.

He told his main rule to smoothly navigate unfamiliar places. “If you have a certain alertness about what can happen, you don’t have to go through unpleasant situations.”

He thought Avenida Paulista, the city’s most iconic avenue, looked like Paris, with clean and wide streets. Around landmarks like Sé Cathedral and Mercadão, a 93-year-old public market, urbanity was rougher. Having seen similar places before, he wasn’t shocked, but the gap between the two stayed with him.

A slower pace and better food than expected

For many Europeans, Michael says, Brazil means football and little else, but for him and his family, reality is richer and much more diverse. While the language barrier was a bit challenging, what won them over was the people and the pace.

His wife fell in love with the country, which surprised him. “She said the people are so nice and they are so relaxed compared to Switzerland,” he shared, adding how even a trip to the supermarket is a rush back at home. “In Brazil, it was all slow down. And I like that.”

The food was another surprise. Michael expected it to be very simple but found a real feast. “Brazilian food was much better than we anticipated and cheaper than in other countries. I was really surprised about that.”

His summary of Brazil is a list: warm, sunny beaches, relaxed people, big cities, waterfalls, and wildlife. The one catch is scale, because “the distances are huge,” so plan on internal flights. “I recommend Brazil to everyone who asks where they should go for a holiday. It has everything,” he stated.

Michael’s tips for a first trip to Brazil

Asked what he would tell a friend planning a first trip, Michael kept it practical:

• Mix cities, nature, and wildlife: his family combined São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Iguazu Falls, Ilha Grande, and the Pantanal.
• Give Ilha Grande, in Rio, a few more days: the family spent three days on the island, and his children count it among their top experiences of the trip, for “just beach and a lovely village.”
• Budget for the safari from the start: a Pantanal safari is not exactly cheap, even on a budget. In the end, Michael found the private guide and the organization worth the cost.
• Choose an English-speaking guide: outside the hotels, English can be scarce, so a fluent guide is your best window into the country.

 

👉 Read more: 10 Pantanal Travel Tips for an Unforgettable Trip

Next: Salvador or Lençóis Maranhenses

Michael wants to return. Salvador is on his list, as are the gorgeous white sand dunes and crystal-clear lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses.

After his trip to Iguazu Falls, he would also like to explore more of southern Brazil, although he doesn’t yet have a specific destination in mind. The possibilities are endless!

👉 Read more: 10 facts about Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil

Visiting the Pantanal with PlanetaEXO

Now that you have seen the Pantanal through Michael’s eyes, you know what this fascinating place has in store for you. It’s time to see it up close!

PlanetaEXO is an ecotourism platform specializing in Pantanal tours. Working alongside experienced local guides and operators, we handle the logistics (transfers, lodges, meals, and boat safaris) so your family can focus on the experience itself. Contact us now!