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Focus on Brazil


Brazil is a vast country with several distinctly different biomes. Discover them all with Focus Tours: Brazil

Focus on Argentina

The 8th largest country in the world, Argentina offers a wealth of experiences. From the subtropical rain forests of Iguazú Falls to the high Andes. Discover more with Focus Tours: Argentina 

Focus on Bolivia

Bolivia, nestled between Brazil, Peru, Chile and Paraguay, is the poorest and least developed country in South America, but also biologically and culturally the richest, safest and friendliest. Discover more with Focus Tours: Bolivia

Focus on Chile

Chile is the only truly temperate country in the Neotropics, and occupies more degrees of latitude than any other nation worldwide. Perhaps it is not surprising that Chile offers several extremes of the natural world. Discover more with Focus Tours: Chile

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Jaguar Tours

The northern Pantanal is the richest area in the world for spotting Jaguars in the wild and, our naturalist guides are some of the best. Together with our boatmen thye will take you into the best areas for jaguars and many other creatures. Read more about Jaguar Tours.

Bird Watching Tours

Douglas Trent is a scientist, bird watcher and wildlife photographer and his be operating Bird Watcing Tours for around two decades now. The tour possibilities in South America are many. Read more about Bird Watching Tours.

Wildlife Photography Tours

Douglas Trent is a wildlife photographer and guides groups of professional, or enthusiastc amateur, photographers and film crews on focused wildlife tours. Read more about Wildlife Photography Tours 

Funding Conservation

 

A percentage of our profits has been funding in-country conservation projects since 1981. They directly benefit the local communities we visit and, when possible, are self-sustable, generating benefits long after our initial donation. Your visit will benefit you, the environment and your hosts.

Jaguar Tours

 

 

We start in Cuiabá, drive to Cáceres, then boat to the Jaguar River Lodge.   They next day we boat past the Taiamã Ecological Station, spend the day looking for jaguars, giant river otters, primates, etc. south of the reserve, spending the nights in the Jaguar River Lodge.  On the last day we return to Cáceres by boat, and Cuiabá by road, to end the tour.

The Taiamã Ecological Station is part of Brazil’s federally protected areas, which include National Parks, Biological Reserves and Ecological Stations.  Only National Parks are open to the public in Brazil, and then, only those with management plans in place.  Biological Reserves and Ecological Stations are closed to tourism, allowing only research and environmental education.  Instituto Chico Mendes (ICMBio) is the equivalent of the National Parks Department in other countries. 

Douglas Trent (Founder of Focus Tours), is an ecological scientist, and have been researching jaguars both north and south of the reserve since 2005.  With the 39 jaguars he have documented in a 200km stretch of river, this is without doubt the richest region for jaguars anywhere.  Males in the Amazon and forests of Central America need 75 sq. km each, with female using half of this.   So, having at least 39 on the river edge in 200km, is astounding! 

Last year ICMBio asked to share his research data to help convince the Brazilian Congress to approve a bill currently move through, that would increase the size of the reserve.  His is finding new jaguars on each tour, thus, traveling here with Focus Tours helps preserve the species as well. 

With the 39 individuals now documented, however, it is apparent that while all of these use this part of the Pantanal, they cannot possibly all be there all the time, and thus they are using other parts of the Pantanal as well.  In 2011 he plans to continue his research in the Caracara National Park, some 200km south of the Taiamã Ecological Station.  If we can find even one of the same jaguars in this region it will prove that the corridor between the two reserves is critical for preservation of the species.  Join us in this new region in 2011.

To book ar Jaguar Tour see the Tour Agenda for dates  or make and Inquiry