Caiman Lodge
In the midst of the endless expanses of nature, the day awakens with the polyphonic song of exotic birds. This untouched seclusion in the south of the Pantanal provides the backdrop for Casa Caiman - the actual childhood home of Brazilian entrepreneur and conservationist Roberto Klabin, who has spent the decades since the late 1980s transforming his family's former cattle ranch into one of Brazil's most significant conservation projects. This extraordinary safari lodge, comparable in standard to the finest lodges in Africa, is also headquarters to Onçafari, the jaguar conservation project founded in 2011, which gently habituates the animals to safari vehicles following the model of South African big-cat habituation - work that has even been featured in a BBC nature documentary narrated by David Attenborough. After the safaris, hammocks in the garden, a refreshing pool and the cozy terrace invite you to simply unwind. When night falls, everyone gathers around the open campfire beneath a vast, sparkling starry sky to let the day come to a close together.
Details
Country
Brazil
Location
Miranda
Price
on request
Best travel time
June - September
Suites & Villas
The accommodations at the main lodge comprise 18 bright, air-conditioned units that blend traditional Pantanal culture with modern comfort, each with a terrace and ceiling fans. The Standard Suites offer 45 square meters of coziness, while the 52-square-meter Superior Suites additionally come with a coffee machine and minibar. The luxurious Master Suite guarantees the utmost privacy across 80 square meters, with a separate living room, a wardrobe and a terrace overlooking the picturesque bay. For small groups, the exclusive, ranch-style private villas Baiazinha and Cordilheira are also available, with five and six bedrooms respectively, their own pool and a private vehicle.
Cuisine
Traditional Brazilian cuisine defines the house's gastronomy, served full-board buffet style. To guarantee freshness, the organic fruits and vegetables come straight from the farm's own cultivation or from local suppliers in the region. At least once during your stay, a traditional barbecue is held with grilled cuts from the farm's own cattle beneath strings of lights on the outdoor decks. A special cultural immersion awaits with the authentic "cowboy breakfast," accompanied by a longtime farmhand and featuring cassava, ground beef, rice, beans and fried cheese bread. A cozy lounge and a bar by the pool round off the culinary offering with refreshing drinks.
Activities
Exploring this UNESCO World Heritage site is accompanied by specialized guides and local trackers who share their deep knowledge of this uniquely diverse ecosystem. A particular highlight are the jaguar safaris run in partnership with Onçafari, the conservation project founded in 2011, which has now registered more than 200 individual jaguars in the region and gently habituated many of them to vehicles - your chances of encountering the largest big cat in the Americas in the wild are about as good here as almost anywhere else. On nighttime spotlight tours you can observe nocturnal animals such as ocelots or giant anteaters, while the Instituto Arara Azul and Instituto Tamanduá, both based right on the farm, offer insight into the protection of hyacinth macaws and anteaters, rounded off by nature hikes, sunset canoe trips and horseback rides.
Location
The Caiman nature refuge lies in the geographical center of South America, about 36 kilometers from the small town of Miranda, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The 53,000-hectare ranch was founded back in 1912 by English investors as a traditional cattle farm and today sits within the protected Pantanal biosphere reserve, its seclusion guaranteeing outstanding, undisturbed wildlife viewing. The nearest airport in Bonito is about two and a half hours away by car, while the main airport in Campo Grande is reached after roughly a three-and-a-half-hour drive over partly unpaved roads.
Contact person
Senior Travel Designer
