Gasparetour Pantanal Tours — Local services in Região Geográfica Imediata de Cuiabá

We just returned from an amazing 8D7N private Pantanal tour with Gasparetour and we highly recommend them.

Easy and prompt communication: Our contact to organize this tour was Igor, the owner of Gasparetour. Igor was wonderful in helping us put together a custom itinerary, based on our needs/requests. We had a long list of wildlife we wanted to see and Igor broke it down location by location, by what we may see, when building our itinerary. He’s quick in replying to our emails, patient in taking our requests, and detailed in answering our questions. We were later introduced to Alex (our guide) and Juju (our driver). We communicated with Alex over WhatsApp. Once again, the communication was easy and prompt.

Knowledgeable and professional crew: Alex was full of knowledge about animals, plants, geography, etc. I lost track of how many degrees he had but it seemed that there wasn’t anything he didn’t know. His answers to our questions were elaborate and science-based, which we really appreciated. He has been guiding in Pantanal for 20 years. In fact, his father was a tour guide here before him. He knew everyone and all the details about every lodge we stayed at, from how the shower worked to where to go to spot what animals on each property. Of course, when it comes to wildlife, no one can guarantee what you’ll see, but with Alex, we knew we were at the right place at the right time to maximize our chances. So when he said we would start at 5am to look for Giant Anteaters, we asked no questions and just followed. And we saw 4 Giant Anteaters! Our driver Juju didn’t speak a lot of English, but he was also helping us spot animals along the way and got excited when we saw the wildlife we were hoping to see. Juju also carefully protected our luggage in a big bag from the dusty drives every day. This attention to detail made us feel very taken care of.

Incredible experience: Igor organized a wonderful, action-packed itinerary for us. Our guide Alex over-delivered on our expectations. We checked off just about everything on our long list of wildlife we wanted to see, and saw even more: 10 Jaguars (including a pair mating!), 4 Giant Anteaters, 3 Tapirs, Giant River Otters etc. We saw close to 40 different species of animals and countless beautiful birds (too many to name). At times it was hard work looking for animals in the heat and humidity but Alex and Juju never complained or tried to talk us out of an excursion. Knowing the wildlife as well as Alex did, we avoided the hottest time of the day and did quite a few night drives. We were blown away by what we saw (both the animals and the incredible landscape) on a daily basis.

Comfortable amenities: The safari vehicle we had was great. There were open-air seats high up in the back where we had a 360-degree view of everything around us. We did a lot of good spotting and got good photos from sitting outside. Some of the lodges we stayed at were on the basic side and some were much more established. However, all the lodges offered: tasty food with variety, clean and comfortable beds, air-conditioned rooms, and most importantly: surrounding grounds with a lot of active wildlife, especially the Piuval Lodge. Also, the UeSo Lodge did our laundry super fast, which was a lifesaver.

Igor’s whole operation was well-run and everyone was passionate about wildlife and nature. From airport pick up to drop off, we didn’t run into any issues. The entire team made us feel safe and well cared for. We deeply thank everyone for this unforgettable...

We visited Pantanal in June and we booked the trip with GaspareTours at relatively short notice. My husband had previously contacted Pantanal Nature but found them extremely slow at coming back to us with the information we needed and unprofessional since they suggested their tours were too expensive for us! Igor on the other hand was really responsive and provided us with all of the details quickly and clearly, just what we needed as we were traveling at the time of trying to book our Pantanal experience, the last adventure of our 6months trip! He met us at the hotel with the guide Raquele and the driver at the start of the tour and at the end of the trip too. Raquele spoke good English and booked all the requested activities (kayak, horse riding, boat trip) at the lodges when it worked best for us so that we could have the private experience we booked! During our trip we had some great jaguar sightings, saw the giant ant eater and macaws, as well as the many caymans, capybara and giant otters! Her knowledge was good but we felt that a bit more information about the flora could be provided when safaris are quiet on the wildlife front. Our trip wasn’t without hiccups as we had an issue with our flotel accommodation (I understand that the flotel in question is no longer being used). When things didn’t go to plan Igor really went above and beyond to ensure we we still had an amazing experience and ensured our trip ended on a positive note, and that is what makes Gaspare a great company... they cared even after they had been paid in full! I also provided Igor with feedback on the ‘eco’ aspect as plastic pollution is a major issue that needs to be addressed across the full experience: from the guides using single use water cups to the lodges not providing refil stations for their guests. I know he is working on it! I would totally reccomend booking your trip with GaspareTours as Igor is extremely passionate and will go the extra mile to ensure his customers are happy, have the best time and leave only with good memories :) Igor speaks English, Italian, Japanese and of course Portuguese which in Brasil is...

I've been planning a trip to the Pantanal for years, and have emailed many tour operators but the trips never came to fruition. I booked with Gasparetour just before the pandemic, but only just managed to visit the Pantanal. What an amazing trip it was!

Firstly, it is very helpful that Igor, the owner, is very responsive with emails. This made arranging the trip an absolute breeze. He was very candid with his responses and gave his frank opinions on various matters. The prices are also competitive. Based on my trip species wishlist (I rarely do this, but this is kinda required as there are ranches that are best for particular animals) he pieced together the perfect itinerary for me. He has great access and standing with the establishments in Pantanal, which guarantees his guests a good experience in these lodges.

Secondly, the guides with Gasparetour are attentive and sensitive to the needs of the group. We were lucky to have a tag team of Igor himself as well as Alex, a guide that has worked in the Pantanal for over 20 years. Both guides were great, not only for spotting wildlife, but also ensuring that we were comfortable throughout the trip. In one lodge, as some activities were offered by the lodge and not private, Alex ensured we had the best experience, unashamedly asking the driver to stop when we wanted to take pictures. He also planned the activities based on the animals we wanted to see - which paid off.

In 8 days we saw all five of my target species (Jaguar, Giant River Otter, Southern Tamandua, Giant Anteater, Brazilian Tapir) and a lot more animals.

Lastly, the outfit, despite being a commercial business, maintains its homely warmth. The guides are friendly and the way the trips are run feel tailored to the guests. At no point did we feel rushed to do any activity, and we were at ease to sit out of activities should we desire to. This is in stark contrast with the other groups we saw in our time at the Pantanal, where it seemed more like a tour bus experience of the Pantanal, which I feel takes away the charm and nuance of this...