Pantanal, the hidden jewel of Brazil where the jaguars reign

I was willing to wait, to absorb the magical light of the morning as our little motorboat sailed along the river São Lourenço in the Pantanal, the vast wetlands of Brazil. A tangle of lianas, palm trees and strangling fig trees was squeezing along the shore. I watched the forest, looking for movement, shadows, a jaguar. But it was too early. Patience in nature is a lesson I have learned throughout a lifetime traveling. In an African safari, for …