Comments on: Pantanal Luxury Safari at Caiman Ecological Refuge

By: Angela Sloan

Angela Sloan — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Excellent experience and service
PlanetaEXO were extremely helpful from the very first enquiry to the end of our experience. All arrangements worked seamlessly, and the communication was fantastic. We had an excellent time at the lodge, saw lots of wildlife, including several jaguar sightings. We would also highly recommend spending a day with the wildlife monitoring team. Overall, a wonderful experience that we would highly recommend.

By: kstraveler81

kstraveler81 — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We absolutely loved this place. Magical!
The Lodge is not an easy place to get to. Even once you reach Campo Grande, you still have a four hour drive of which the last hour is over a bumpy dirt road. However, the Lodge is well worth the effort!

The hotel is really stunning with the all artwork, furnishings, the grounds, common areas, the Layout and views. There are small animals and all kinds of exotic birds on the grounds. Our room was nice and comfortable. The service is exceptional as is the food and most of the staff speaks English. Meals in the dinning area are served buffet style with lots of healthy options. There are are also many traditional Brazilian dishes to try. One evening the staff hosted a churrasco (Brazilian BBQ) outside the hotel gate for all guests . Another night we had another off site constellation lecture followed by dinner under the stars.

However, the highlight to the Lodge are the safaris. Each morning early and then again in the late afternoon we left the lodge to look for birds and animals. We saw jaguars (including two mating couples), tapirs, marsh deer, capybara, toucans, macaws, rheas, monkeys just to name a few. Each 4×4 had a local as a driver and an English speaking guides. The drivers and guides we had were outstanding! They were passionate about the animals, genuinely excited to find animals for us and to share their knowledge. Each safari is approximately 3 hours in length and I never wanted them to end. I can’t say enough good things this experience.

By: John H

John H — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Outstanding Pantanal Safari with Conservation at its Heart
The Lodge is an outstanding option for a Pantanal safari, and not just because the chances of seeing Jaguar’s are incredibly high. Getting there is not easy – fly to Campo Grande, then a four hour drive, but well worth it.
We took the four night package, and the game drives were also excellent. Expect early starts, chilly mornings (it was winter when we were there) and a few hours in the jeep. The Oncafari day with the conservation team was excellent, and it is great to learn about the emphasis on ensuring the wildlife lives in harmony with ranchers.
We saw a vast array of animals – Jaguars, a Maned Wolf (rare apparently here), Giant Anteater, birds, caiman and lots more. Fabulous.

By: Wimandrefrans

Wimandrefrans — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

superb experience with only minor room for improvement to maximize wow factor
This lodge is beautifully located and it is all that you expect from a secluded nature getaway. We stayed in a lodge and our room was spacious, clean and well equipped. Airco was functioning well and this is essential as this area is HOT!

As mosquitos are everywhere and bite even through your clothes (wear 2 layers!) we were very surprised not to have a mosquito net around the bed, we found this to be incomprehensible.

The safaris we did with our guide were amazing. We saw a lot of wildlife and were adequately informed. We forgot to bring binoculars but you can rent them at the front desk.

We were very pleased with our stay and the experience but however we feel we can not give the highest rating because 2 factors are really in need of evaluation by the management:

1. lack of physical mosquito protection in room (there is a plug-in chemical repellent option but mosquitos are not impressed 🙂 )
2. the buffet-style meals. Food is good but the scale of the hotel certainly allows for meals to be served and guests to have their dedicated table which would add to the experience as it would feel more personal and would better suit the overall service level which is very attentive and client-oriented.

In conclusion we would surely recommend to include it in your itinerary.

By: Jennifer M

Jennifer M — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better...
After spending 6 fantastic days in the Northern Pantanal, we arrived at the Refuge wondering if it was just going to be a rehash – we were so WOW’ed! The lodge and grounds are beautiful, warm and welcoming. Wi-fi was not great in our room (I think our particular room was just out of range), but I was more than happy to relax in the posh and comfy public living spaces to get online. The gym was probably the best I have seen at a hotel/lodge. It’s brand new, the equipment is well-designed and it has everything you need for a good workout. The staff is young, hip, friendly and helpful. Dining is easy, healthy and fresh, lots of yummy options with a couple very special dinner experiences. Our tracker and guide were so lovely and truly exceptional. I appreciated that our guide started off our visit with a short and informative presentation about the Pantanal that gave great background and perspective. The second guide had a great eye and instinct. The animal experiences: not only did we see jaguars, giant anteaters, tapirs, peccary, capybaras, agoutis, foxes, marsh deer and birds of all sort; we saw jaguars mating, climbing trees, eating fish, with cubs, guarding prey; anteaters carrying babies on their backs; toucans mating. We caught glimpses of the elusive ocelot and tayra. (In contrast with the northern pantanal, we didn’t see giant river otter or anaconda here and the number and size of caimans were much smaller. Just noting, if those animals are important for you to see. We were there in the dry season, I don’t know if that makes any difference.) We thoroughly enjoyed the other couples in our open air safari vehicle and since some did optional tours with Oncafari and the Hyacinth Macaw project, our safari jeep was not always full. We spent a morning with the Macaw project and the experience was well-worth it. We went along for nest visits, learned so much and even saw a newborn chick! The vet and biologist we spent time with were delightful and so dedicated. They also had a lot of admiration for the owner of the ranch as a visionary and supporter of conservation efforts and the community. We stayed in the lodge; there are individual villas, as well. Unless you are with your own group or truly seeking total privacy, I would recommend the lodge. The facilities are fabulous and there’s plenty of places and spaces for quiet space. You can tell, they put so much into every detail to make it a beautiful, memorable experience. Other helpful bits… The road from Campo Grande is really good, until it’s not – lol! Once you turn off the main road, there’s quite a long drive on an uneven, unfinished road. It’s expensive, but probably worth hiring a driver. The lodge will provide options. Regarding bugs, they were only an issue starting at dusk for a while until after sunset – but they were really pretty bad. There was mosquito spray in the vehicle, use it and cover up as much as possible. I had insect repellent clothing and it didn’t help alone. But seeing everything we saw on those evening game drives was worth it.

By: Dan S.

Dan S. — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The best location for a safari in the world
I can’t remember staying anywhere better. The tours of the surrounding area were extraordinarily interesting, thanks to the knowledge and lovely demeanor of the guides. Incredible walks, unforgettable moments. I’ll never forget this place

By: JTZ

JTZ — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A special place
We really enjoyed all the activities on offer. The accommodation was good and the food was delicious.

The highlight was a walk with giant anteaters – we were lucky enough to find a mother with a baby on her back and were able to watch them for a considerable amount of time.

A brilliant team whose excitement was infectious and in one day we saw ten different jaguars! Some truly magical sightings of mother and cubs, as well as large male jaguars. An incredible tour!

By: JTZ

JTZ — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better...
“We stayed for four nights and thoroughly enjoyed all the activities on offer. There was a good balance between being out on the jeeps and the down time when you could swim in the beautiful pool, use the gym or simply relax. The accommodation was good – large room with veranda, comfortable bed, good shower. The food was delicious – a mixture of local and international and there was always choice.

Ours guides were our daily guide and driver team and they were able to find so many different animals and birds to share with us. The highlight was walking with giant anteaters – we were lucky to find a mother with baby on her back and were able to observe them for a considerable time.

We spent one day out with the Oncafari team, a brilliant team whose excitement was infectious and in the one day we saw ten different jaguars! Some truly magical sightings of mother and cubs plus large male jaguars. An incredible day.”

By: Irineu

Irineu — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 14:06:35 +0000

The Caiman Ecological Refuge is an earthly paradise. Ultra comfortable and charming. Good for those with good taste. It’s not cheap but it’s worth every penny. Transport is by a pickup truck. Alligators, blue macaws, tapirs, and other animals are seen all the time from the bedroom terrace. Too beautiful.

By: Marcelo Melchior

Marcelo Melchior — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 13:23:31 +0000

A wonderful experience in which we can go on safari in Brazil with sightings of animals such as jaguars, blue macaws, tapirs, capybaras and anteaters. The guides are very well trained. The NGOs Onçafari and Arara Azul are well worth a visit. The structure of the inns is very good.