Trans-Pantanal Transpantaneira Highway

The Transpantaneira Highway (MT-060) is Brazil’s most famous wildlife highway, running 89 miles of raised dirt road from Poconé to Porto Jofre through the heart of the Pantanal wetlands. Built in the 1970s as a development project that was never completed, it crosses 122 wooden bridges over channels and wetlands where massive caimans sun themselves just feet from your bumper. The road ends abruptly at the Cuiabá River port, where boat transfers access remote fazendas and fishing camps. During peak dry season (July-September), the roadway becomes a wildlife corridor where jaguars, giant otters, and hyacinth macaws converge around shrinking water sources.

This is an easy to moderate drive suitable for any high-clearance vehicle, though flooding during wet season (December-April) can make sections impassable and bridges treacherous. Pack extra fuel since there are no services between Poconé and Porto Jofre. Bring binoculars and a spotlight for night drives — the wildlife density here rivals East Africa. The reward is staying at traditional cattle ranches turned eco-lodges and experiencing the world’s largest tropical wetland ecosystem, where a patient driver might spot all five big cats of the Americas in a single trip.