Pantanal Wildlife
Photography Adventure • August 5–15, 2027with Optional Amazon Pre‑Trip Extension July 30 – August 4“The Amazon rain forest may get all the attention, but when it comes to wildlife, South America’s biggest biodiversity star is the Pantanal.”
– National Geographic
At a Glance
- Starts / Ends
- Cuiabá, Brazil (Manaus, Brazil for Amazon Extension participants)
- Dates
- Pantanal Photography Adventure: August 5–15, 2027
Amazon Pre-Trip Extension (optional): July 30 – August 4, 2027 - Fitness Level
- Easy
- Cost*
- Pantanal Photography Adventure: $10,750 USD
Amazon Pre-Trip Extension: $5,500 USD - Deposit
- $2,000
- Instructors
- Ken Lee
Buren Foster - Max Group Size
- 12 (6:1 participants: instructor)
- Included
- Lodging, Meals per Itinerary, Transportation, and Local Guides/drivers & Photography Instruction
- Not Included
- Airfare to/from Brazil (including Manaus-Cuiaba flight for Amazon extension participants ~$250); Tourist Visa; Travel Insurance (required); Personal Expenses including alcohol; Gratuities. Anything not specifically listed as included.
*All prices are per person in US Dollars (USD) based on double occupancy. Single lodging available at extra cost. Click any Sign Me Up button for full details.
Experience Highlights
11 Half-day Jaguar safaris
in private speedboats. Every participant gets their own row in our boats – shoot out both sides with plenty of room for your gear.
3 additional days of daylight and night ‘game drives’
on land for caiman, anteaters, tapir, birds and other wildlife.
Field coaching, evening editing
Tips and critiques on the water, Lightroom sessions during our downtime, and no more than 6 photographers per instructor.
Amazon Pre-Trip Extension (optional)
Pink river dolphins at close range, tree sloths, the Meeting of the Waters, and day/night macro sessions for frogs, snakes and insects in the rainforest.
Wildlife Paradise
Covering over 40 million acres, Brazil’s Pantanal is the largest freshwater wetlands on Earth. It’s also the best place on the planet to capture photographs of jaguars in the wild. But big cats are just the beginning of what this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve offers wildlife photographers. A dizzying array of species, many wonderfully strange, inhabit the Pantanal including giant anteaters, tapir, caiman, capybara, giant river otters, toucan, parrots and many, many more.
Ken Lee and Buren Foster will lead a small group of passionate photographers on this wildlife photography expedition of a lifetime.
Most of our shooting will be done from private speedboats, searching the water and riverbanks for jaguars on the hunt and other wildlife, but we’ll venture on to dry land as well, both during the day and at night, on vehicle and walking safaris.
Sharpen your Skills, Expand your Vision
Your instructors will be by your side throughout the expedition to help you make the most of every shooting opportunity and to offer tips, critiques and coaching. Learn the fundamentals of wildlife photography, as well as more advanced tips and techniques specific to the conditions we’re likely to encounter on the water. In the evenings, we’ll discuss best practices for managing and polishing that mountain of images you’ll come home with using Adobe Lightroom. Our small group size (max 6:1 Participants: Instructor) allows for plenty of personalized one-on-one coaching.
Amazon Pre-Trip Extension
Pink river dolphins, up close and in the forest. In early August the Rio Negro still floods the rainforest, so the dolphins surface among the trees instead of in open water. Two private sessions put us close enough to fill the frame as they surface and socialize around us.
Into the heart of the Amazon. From Manaus we travel up the Rio Negro to a jungle lodge deep in the rainforest. By boat and on foot we search the canopy for tree sloths, scan the riverbanks for caiman, and photograph the legendary Meeting of the Waters, where the dark Rio Negro and the sandy Amazon flow side by side.
The jungle after dark. When the sun goes down, the rainforest comes alive. Our night macro sessions on forest trails reveal frogs, snakes, insects and other small creatures rarely seen by day – with a local biologist guide and off-camera flash instruction from Ken.
Add MUSA, the Amazon’s museum-in-the-forest, and an Indigenous cultural experience, and it’s five days you won’t forget. On August 4 we fly together to Cuiabá, rested and ready for jaguars.
Images From Past Trips
Day by Day Itinerary
Pantanal 2027 · August 5 – 15
| Day | Date | Itinerary | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 5 | Arrive Cuiabá — Our adventure begins upon your arrival at Cuiabá airport (CGB). We’ll transport you to our hotel where you can relax before we kick things off with: Introductions & Workshop Overview Wildlife Photography Fundamentals and Advanced Techniques discussion Group dinner at a local churrascaria Cuiabá hotel | D |
| 2 | Aug 6 | Cuiabá – Pouso Alegre — Transfer into the Pantanal, making stops along the Transpantaneira Highway. Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon vehicle photo safari Night safari – nocturnal wildlife Pouso Alegre Lodge | B-L-D |
| 3 | Aug 7 | Pouso Alegre – Porto Jofre — Early morning photo safari around the lodge, then lunch and transfer to Porto Jofre with stops along the Transpantaneira (3–4 hours). Board the Barco Aguapé, our floating hotel, and settle in for six nights on the water. Barco Aguapé | B-L-D |
| 4–8 | Aug 8–12 | Porto Jofre — Full-day jaguar safaris on private speedboats on the Cuiabá and Três Irmãos rivers. Break for lunch on board. Optional Lightroom post-processing session after dinner, or work on your images on your own. Barco Aguapé | B-L-D |
| 9 | Aug 13 | Porto Jofre – Rio Claro Lodge — Our final morning jaguar boat safari, lunch on board, then drive to Rio Claro Lodge. Afternoon photography around the lodge Optional image review / post-processing session Rio Claro Lodge | B-L-D |
| 10 | Aug 14 | Rio Claro – Piuval Lodge — Early breakfast, then a morning boat safari on the Claro River looking for hawks, heron, kingfishers & other wildlife. Lunch at Rio Claro, then transfer to Piuval Lodge. Afternoon vehicle safari Night vehicle safari Piuval Lodge | B-L-D |
| 11 | Aug 15 | Piuval – Cuiabá — Early morning vehicle safari for giant anteaters, breakfast, and a last photo excursion around the lodge. Lunch at Piuval, then transfer to Cuiabá airport (CGB) or your Cuiabá hotel. End of service. | B-L |
Optional Amazon Pre-Trip Extension · July 30 – August 4
| Day | Date | Itinerary | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 30 | Arrive Manaus — Transfer from Manaus airport (MAO) to our hotel. Group introductions and Amazon overview meeting. Manaus hotel | D |
| 2 | Jul 31 | Manaus — Morning at MUSA, the Amazon’s museum-in-the-forest, then a private boat tour to the Meeting of the Waters. Evening: night macro walk on the MUSA forest trails – frogs, snakes and insects. Manaus hotel | B-L-D |
| 3 | Aug 1 | Manaus – Rio Negro — Road transfer to our Rio Negro boat pickup and on to our jungle lodge. Afternoon: private session with the pink river dolphins. Jungle lodge | B-L-D |
| 4 | Aug 2 | Rio Negro — Morning dolphin session; afternoon wildlife boat safari on the river. Optional evening night walk for reptiles and amphibians. Jungle lodge | B-L-D |
| 5 | Aug 3 | Rio Negro – Manaus — Morning wildlife boat safari, then transfer back to Manaus. Afternoon: Cipia Indigenous Cultural Experience. Optional evening visit to the Adolfo Ducke forest reserve for night macro photography. Manaus airport hotel | B-L-D |
| 6 | Aug 4 | Manaus – Cuiabá — Transfer to the airport for our flight to Cuiabá (CGB) (flight not included). Free afternoon in Cuiabá. Cuiabá hotel | B |
This itinerary is our general plan but is subject to change without notice due to weather, logistical considerations or other reasons.
Your Instructors
Ken Lee — Ken Lee, the founder Art of Seeing Photography Adventures is as passionate about helping others grow as photographers as he is about creating his own images. Ken’s Whole Brain approach to teaching photography addresses both the Craft (gear, technique, post-processing) and Creative (Composition & the Photographer’s Eye) aspects of image-making – and the completely different approaches needed to master both. Click the links to read more about Ken Lee and The Art of Seeing, what you can expect from an Art of Seeing workshop, or to see examples of Ken’s photography.
Buren Foster — Buren “Burnie” Foster has been working as a photographer and photography instructor for over 25 years. His commercial work focuses on portrait, wedding, and sports photography. Driven by a passion for sharing his knowledge and inspiring others, Buren is also a faculty-certified photography instructor and has had the privilege of teaching aspiring photographers in the U.S. and abroad. Read more about Buren.
Cancellation, Refunds & Travel Insurance
We understand life happens and plans may change. If you need to cancel your reservation, the following applies:
Deposits are not refundable. If you cancel more than 120 days before the workshop start date, your deposit is transferrable to another Art of Seeing workshop for up to 24 months from the date you cancel. If you cancel inside 120 days, your deposit is forfeit.
If we fill your spot*, you receive a refund of all other fees paid, less a $150 processing fee. This applies no matter when you cancel.
If we do not fill your spot, your refund depends on when you cancel:
- More than 120 days before the start date: 100% refund of fees paid, less your deposit and a $150 processing fee. Deposit transferrable for up to 24 months.
- 90 to 120 days before the start date: 50% refund of fees paid, less your deposit and a $150 processing fee. Deposit forfeit.
- Less than 90 days before the start date: No refund. Deposit forfeit.
*Your spot counts as filled only after the workshop reaches full capacity and another participant signs up. Someone who signs up while we still have open spots has not filled your spot.
All cancellations must be made in writing. We pay refunds by the same method you used to pay.
If we cancel or substantially change this workshop before it begins and you cannot accommodate the change, you receive a full refund of everything you have paid us, including your deposit. If we change the schedule or itinerary during the workshop for reasons outside our control, such as weather, wildlife, logistics, road conditions, the availability of guides and vehicles or mechanical failure, no refund or compensation is due.
Travel Insurance
A travel insurance policy which covers emergency medical evacuation is a requirement for participation in this workshop, because medical facilities and standards of care where we are going may not meet US standards. Such policies typically also provide other benefits, including coverage for lost luggage or trip cancellations.
Click here to read our complete Terms & Conditions
Alumni Discounts
If you’ve traveled with us before, thank you! You’re the reason our passion is our profession, and we are deeply grateful for this blessing.
To express our appreciation, we’ve launched our Alumni Rewards Program which gives our ‘frequent flyers’ discounts on future Art of Seeing Photography Adventures. Click here for full details
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I book my flights?
Pantanal only: book your inbound flight to arrive in Cuiabá, Brazil (airport code: CGB) no later than 1 PM on August 5, 2027 and your homeward flight to depart Cuiabá after 6 PM on August 15, 2027.
With the Amazon extension: arrive in Manaus, Brazil (airport code: MAO) no later than 1 PM on July 30, 2027 and depart from Cuiabá (CGB) after 6 PM on August 15, 2027. We will provide guidance to Amazon participants on the specific flights to book for the Manaus to Cuiabá flight. Additional information to help you plan your travels will be provided to participants after registration.
What if I’m arriving early or staying after the workshop ends?
No problem, we can book additional hotel nights on your behalf. Cost is approximately $135 per night, including breakfast.
Do I need a visa for Brazil?
Yes, American and Canadian passport holders need a visa, easily obtained online through Brazil’s official e-visa portal (about $82). Visa application instructions will be provided to participants after registration. If your passport was issued by another country, check online or with the Brazilian embassy or consulate in your country.
What sort of photography equipment and other gear do I need for this trip?
Most modern dSLR or mirrorless camera bodies are suitable options. The Animal Eye Tracking feature available in some mirrorless cameras is particularly helpful for wildlife photography. Your medium and long telephoto lenses will be the workhorses of this trip – we recommend a lens that reaches 400mm minimum (300mm for crop-sensor cameras). For the Amazon extension, add a macro lens (100mm is ideal) for the night sessions. We’re happy to make specific recommendations if you’re considering purchasing equipment for this trip. Just contact us.
What fitness level is required for this trip?
This trip is rated Easy. Most shooting is from boats and vehicles; the Amazon night walks are on maintained forest trails at an easy pace.
I’m traveling solo. Can you arrange a roommate?
Yes, select the Shared Lodging option when registering and we will pair you with a same gender roommate. If a roommate is not available, you will get a private room, but the Single Lodging fee will apply.
Can my non-photographer friend/partner attend?
Absolutely, we welcome travel partners who may not share your passion for photography. Just make sure they can handle being part of a group that wants to do nothing but eat, sleep and talk about photography. Unfortunately, we cannot offer discounts or alternate activities for non-photographer participants.
More Photography Adventures
Nothing else is open for booking right now. Join our interest list and we’ll let you know first.
