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Étaperia

Brazil in 10 days: São Paulo, the Pantanal and the jaguar, day by day

Ten days from Avenida Paulista to the banks of the Cuiabá River: MASP, the historic centre of São Paulo and Ibirapuera Park, the Véu de Noiva and the Cidade de Pedra, the Caverna Aroe Jari, the 145 km of the Transpantaneira and two jaguar safaris by boat from Porto Jofre.

Compiled by Kylian Surget, updated on 02/10/2026

A jaguar lying on a riverbank at the edge of the Pantanal forest
  • 10 days
  • 36 places
  • 10 nights
  • sustained pace
Start
São Paulo, on the day 11 flight from Foz do Iguaçu
End
Cuiabá (Marechal Rondon Airport)
Main transport
Metro and ride-hailing in São Paulo, a flight to Cuiabá on day 13, then a hire car out and back from Cuiabá, including the 145 km of track on the Transpantaneira, and boats for the jaguar safaris
Recommended season
Set for June, which opens the dry season in Mato Grosso: the Transpantaneira is passable and the animals gather around the remaining water, the right time for the jaguar

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 10 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 20 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The travel book preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 4

Chapada dos Guimarães, the plateau

Morning

Véu de Noiva

The emblematic waterfall of the Chapada dos Guimarães: an 86-metre free fall into a red sandstone amphitheatre, seen from a viewpoint a few minutes from the road. The veil of mist that gives it its name forms at the end of the day.

Mirante Geodésico

A viewpoint set on the edge of a 350-metre cliff, looking out over the Cuiabá plain and, on clear days, as far as the Pantanal. A marker there indicates the geodesic centre of South America, calculated before the measurement was corrected.

Afternoon

Cidade de Pedra

A line of sandstone towers and walls sculpted by erosion, on the edge of a 350-metre escarpment, seen from a lookout. Red macaws nest in the rock faces and fly past right at the level of the viewpoint.

Morro dos Ventos

A landscaped promontory with views over the valley and the cliffs, renowned for its sunset. Restaurant on site, a short and easy trail.

Cachoeira dos Namorados

A shallow pool fed by a modest waterfall, in a small valley reached by car and then on foot. It is the easy swim of the Chapada, in the shade.

Good to know

national park : The Véu de Noiva and the Cidade de Pedra lie within the Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Guimarães, managed by ICMBio. The Véu de Noiva viewpoint is open every day from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with free access. The Cidade de Pedra can only be visited with an ICMBio-accredited guide: entry is free but the slot must be booked in advance, six people maximum per guide; allow about R$ 150 to 200 per person for the guide.

Hotel · Night 4

Pousada Cantos da Mata

A small pousada of four suites in the forest of the Vale do Jamacá, 5 km from the centre of Chapada dos Guimarães: private entrance, a veranda with hammocks, a deck and a breakfast terrace open onto the valley. Capuchin monkeys and red macaws come right up to the trees in the garden. The rooms have a ceiling fan and no air conditioning, as the site is cool and airy.

Address
· Chácara dos Ventos, Estrada Vale do Jamacá, s/n, Jamacá, Chapada dos Guimarães, MT, 78195-000
Website
· cantosdamata.com (new tab)
Check-in
from 1:00 PM · Check-out 11:00 AM
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €3.90 per day of travel

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  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the T&Cs, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 10 days

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The day-by-day rundown

8 stops, 1,640 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 São Paulo, Avenida Paulista Avenida Paulista Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 The historic centre and Liberdade Pátio do Colégio Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 Ibirapuera, then a flight to Cuiabá Ibirapuera Park Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Chapada dos Guimarães, the plateau Véu de Noiva Free
  5. Day 5 Caverna Aroe Jari and Gruta da Lagoa Azul Caverna Aroe Jari Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 Into the Pantanal, the Transpantaneira Drive to Poconé Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Horseback safari, then down to Porto Jofre Morning safari, on foot and on horseback Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 The jaguar, Encontro das Águas Boat safari in the Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Second safari, back up towards Pixaim Second boat safari Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 Canopy, then back to Cuiabá Canopy walkway and lodge trail Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

Found an error in this itinerary? Report an error

Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • June opens the dry season in Mato Grosso: the track is passable and the animals gather around the remaining water. It is the right time for the jaguar.
  • Hot days, 30 to 34 °C, and cool nights on the plateau of the Chapada dos Guimarães. In Cuiabá it is 30 °C and more in the afternoon, even in June.
  • The turquoise shaft of light in the Gruta da Lagoa Azul on day 15 appears only from May to the end of August, and only in the early afternoon: the whole outing is timed around it.

Transport and permits

  • São Paulo is done without a car, by metro and ride-hailing. The flight to Cuiabá on day 13 leaves from Congonhas or Guarulhos depending on the airline: check the airport on the ticket, as Guarulhos is an hour away by road in the late afternoon.
  • The car is collected in Cuiabá on day 14 and returned there on day 21: a round trip of about 950 km, so no taxa de retorno.
  • The Transpantaneira is 145 km of dirt track with more than a hundred wooden bridges: fill up in Poconé, the last reliable petrol station, drive by day only at 30 to 40 km/h, and expect almost no phone signal.

Formalities and safety

  • Porto Jofre has very few beds: the hotel and the two boat safaris on days 18 and 19 are booked together, several months ahead. It is the most urgent booking of the stage.
  • The Cidade de Pedra on day 14 is visited only with an ICMBio-accredited guide, six people at most, in a slot booked ahead. The Caverna Aroe Jari on day 15 is private land: compulsory guide, booked through an agency in Chapada dos Guimarães.
  • Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for Mato Grosso, at least ten days before departure. There is no pharmacy between Poconé and Porto Jofre: bring your own kit.

Budget and meals

  • The Brazilian real (R$). In the Pantanal the pousadas generally include full board and guided outings; what comes on top is a private safari or a boat with photo seats, and tips for guides and boatmen.
  • At the Cidade de Pedra entry is free but the compulsory guide costs around R$ 150 to 200 per person. The Véu de Noiva lookout is free to enter, daily from 9am to 4pm.
  • In São Paulo, MASP is free on Tuesdays, its busiest day, and closed on Mondays: book a slot online. Fuel and tolls come on top of the hire.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening, with the hotel for each night, its address and its booking link, and timed-entry tickets flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Kylian Surget, sole trader, SIRET 927 587 709 00035
  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

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