Caiman

On a private preserve within Brazil’s vast Pantanal wetlands, Caiman offers visitors an eco-luxe South American safari experience—particularly to see wild jaguars and macaws in their natural habitat. 

Arriving at Caiman Pantanal feels a little like entering Jurassic Park: after a long dirt road off the highway, you ascend a hill that opens onto a wide plain dotted with palm trees and, most likely, dozens of oversized animals: jabiru storks (the world’s second-largest stork) walk around on their stilt-like legs; hyacinth macaws (the world’s second-largest parrot) soar overhead or perch in the trees; families of capybara (the world’s largest rodents, but so much cuter than that superlative implies) huddle together. To reach the lodge, you’ll also likely encounter caimans, the South American crocodile and namesake for the entire preserve. 

It’s an impressive preview of the rest of one’s time at Caiman. Like on an African safari, days consist of two game drives separated by a leisurely mid-day break. The drives often include spottings of anteaters, tapirs and monkeys, plus hundreds of tropical bird species. Most itineraries also include a sunset canoe ride on one evening. During my stay, we paddled past caimans as thousands (literally) of parrots flew overhead, returning from their days’ adventures and converging on a single—suddenly very noisy—tree as dusk fell.

In addition to the included wildlife drives, it’s also possible (and strongly recommended) to swap in drives with Hyacinth Macaw Institute and Onçafari, two resident NGOs that operate out of Camain. With the former, you follow ornothologists as they monitor macaw nests (and their massive, winged residents). And with Onçafari (a portmanteau of “onça,” which means jaguar in Portuguese and “safari”), you join biologists as they track one of the world’s most elusive predators. Guests who join these Onçafari drives have an impressive 98 percent chance of seeing the jaguar. That’s largely in part to the project’s incredible success. Modeled after the leopard research at South Africa’s Londolozi, Onçafari has now expanded to monitor jaguars across Brazil.

Caiman itself is also an incredible success story, and an exemplar of how eco-tourism could help save the world’s largest wetlands. More than 90 percent of the entire Pantanal is privately owned, with very little space officially marked for preservation. Instead, much of the land is used for cattle ranching, which degrades the environment and creates an imbalanced economic system with few opportunities for women. Caiman’s owners hope to encourage others in the region to open up their lands to conservation tourism as well.

Guests stay in the main Casa Caiman estancia building, gutted and renovated in 2021. The 18 airy suites (with beds for up to 40 guests total) all feature AC as well as private outdoor space (either a terrace or a balcony). Around the estancia it’s common for guests to relax between game drives in one of the multiple hammocks, poolside or observation deck. There is also a small fitness center and a sauna. Another option is to do a full takeover of one of Caiman’s two smaller lodges, each in beautiful settings overlooking wetlands (ideal for wildlife-spotting). Food is plentiful and excellent, as are the caipirinhas or caipiroskas (swapping in vodka in place of cachaça), which are all included in your stay.

Animal lovers–especially birders and leopard enthusiasts–who are eager for a South American take on safari. Solo travelers, groups of friends, couples and multi-gen families could all be happy here.