Super nice ranch in south pantanal. The place is really amazing and the staff is super. Our guide (Elias the Jaguarman) led us in the swamps to see a lot of pantanal animals, explaining a lot of things of the area. Also the horse riding activity was very nice. Final mention for the amazing kitchen of the place and for the tidiness of the rooms

Stayed in August 2025

New helmets for horseback riding and new beds

My girlfriend and I visited the farm for 4 days and loved it so much! We did all the activities you can do. You can do horseback riding, jungle walk, car safari, fishing, and boatride in the river. All the activities except the boatride is done on the farm and that's really nice since then you don't need to drive any other place. Actually some of the other lodges for example the Jungle lodge does a lot of theirs activities on this farm, but they need to drive 30 minutes to their activities first! Horseback riding: never done it before but we ended up doing 3 rides and we really loved it! The horses are super experienced and easy to ride. We saw Tapir, Giant Anteater, lot's of birds (Toucan, Hyacinth Macaw, Red, green parrots and a lot more). Car safari: it's a really nice drive where everything is possible to see. I think we saw everything possible except the Jag For example, from one of the bridg + saw two giant others in a creek. We s Capybara and loads of Caymans. The Car safari: it's a really nice drive where everything is possible to see. I think we saw everything possible except the Jaguar. For example, from one of the bridges, we saw two giant others in a creek. We saw Capybara and loads of Caymans. The sunset on the way back is stunning!! Boatride: the river tour is the only activity we're you have to drive away from the farm, it takes around 30 minutes to get there. Here everything is also possible to see. You can get really close to the Capybara, Oters and Caymans. It's also where it's most likely to spot the Jaguar, but we didn't unfortunately (but we also went in the "rainy season") even though it didn't rain much! Food and accommodation is also really nice. Bed could be a little more comfortable but not a problem at all! Thank you so much Sao Joao! And especially a huge thanks and love to our great friend Max, the best guide ever!

Stayed in February 2025

The safari vehicle could be a little more comfortable, but generally there is nothing to complain about.

The lodge is on a cattle ranch but is not overrun by cattle, there are a resident hyacinth macaw population and many other birds: red-and-green macaws, ibises, cuckoos, toucans, and others. You can have a guided walk and/or you can walk freely on the grasslands and patches of forest if you like (it was not flooded at the time of our stay), or go on a game drive along the Estrada Parque (guided in the lodge's vehicle or on your own in your car). On the safari, our guide Max showed us giant otters, capybara, armadillo, deer, wild pigs, monkeys, many birds. The cheaper hostel-like room we took had a good shower and a working air conditioner, the beds were good and there were no noise or other annoyances from anywhere outside. The food was great, and the timing of the meals aligned well with the activities.

Stayed in November 2024

To make the most of Sao Joao you need to come in with appropriate expectations. It is an authentic Pantanal experience but not a luxury one and anyone expecting all the 'trimmings' of a luxury African game reserve for example could be disappointed. The rooms are functional but not modern and the pool is a little green. There is no hand holding, but the help is there if you ask and while a clear information board would be a useful addition, we liked it that way for the sense of independence. The journey in is a bumpy, dusty, hard grind of 1-1.5 hours which can wear thin on your 5th run, but hey, this is the Pantanal! All in all we loved Sao Joao for the wrinkles, but you need to know what you are booking - Vanessa in the office was always incredibly helpful in this regard in the build up to our visit. In short this is a magic place, you just need to be ready for it and open to it.

The 4 days at Sao Joao for our unruly family of 5 surpassed all expectations. From the warm smile and constant rehydration of Valdecir at reception, to the incredible cooking of Maria (Nina) who kept a somewhat fussy group of 2.5 vegetarians happy throughout with the best food in a 3+ week trip, we were royally looked after by all staff. However what is a very personal 10 rating with some caveats (see above), is down primarily to 2 things. Firstly Alex our guide across all 7 tours - on foot, four wheels, horseback, on water and with rod in hand - was the perfect host. Having lived all his life in the area, his passion and knowledge for all things Pantanal was tangible. At the same time, his understated style, humility and the way he didn't always feel the need to fill every silence, allowed us to enjoy the tours in a way that suited us. A true gentleman. And finally of course the Pantanal itself, in a difficult moment with record forest fires and drought, the lack of water in a wetland could have been a disappointment. However the epic landscapes, incredible variety of wildlife and world class sunsets still marked it out as a place apart. More than one of us left with a tear in the eye and none of us will forget waking up to a crazy audio soup of birdsong, horses munching outside our door with the farm dogs and cats ready to adopt us. A huge thanks to everyone at Sao Joao for an unforgettable experience.

Stayed in August 2024

Our room was rather dark and there was no view of the amazing lagoon behind us. The heat in the room was made worse at night by the fabric of the bed sheets. Couldn’t use the pool as it had not been maintained correctly

The location was fantastic. Well organised trips. Staff were really helpful.

Stayed in August 2023

They need new towels! They were like sandpaper on your skin. The lighting was too bright, and the shower didn’t work well for temperature. The beds were too hard and. It very confortable and the bedding could be improved. The bathroom floor was always wet due to the leaking air conditioner that drips water on the floor.

The property was very welcoming and unpretentious, with an extremely friendly staff. If you are looking for a rustic farm stay in the pantanal, you will like the location. The guides were excellent and bilingual in English+. We enjoyed the sounds and sights of nature and farm animals that were everywhere all over the property. The air conditioning was functional and we appreciated the window screens to minimize the bugs. The pool was A great way to stay cool, in between walks and other activities. The food was traditional and rustic, with generous portions of everything. We felt very welcomed as a married gay couple, and were treated with respect and attention. Everyone was friendly and kind.

Stayed in November 2024