Nerves loop-de-looped in my stomach as the jaguar slinked toward a herd of capybaras. The rodents, a loveable species with guinea pig traits and mini-horse statures, lazed by the watering hole without a care in the world. Up in our safari truck, I could barely breathe.
Then it happened. The jaguar lunged; the capybaras barked a warning, then zipped into the water. The big cat chased and chased before finally giving up.
Only after the jaguar retreated, leaving the rodent herd safe, could I finally exhale and release the tension. I’ve been fortunate to catch this kind of animal kingdom action on dozens of African safari drives, from the kopje-dotted plains of Tanzania’s Serengeti to the flooded grasslands of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Yet this was different.
This morning’s Planet Earth -level drama unfolded in a lesser-known yet budding safari getaway: Brazil. Many visit South America’s largest country for its scenic beaches and hopping Carnival . But in recent years, the wildlife-rich country—home to 20 percent of the world’s biodiversity—has climbed the ranks to top safari bucket lists, too.
Laura Burdett-Munns, managing director for Journeysmiths , the luxury travel specialists I visited Brazil with, predicts this interest will only grow. “I fully expect to see the number of safari-goers to Brazil increase in the next five to 10 years,” she says, nothing these trips can play a critical role in protecting at-risk species and ecosystems. “Over the last de.