Fred Tavares2019

Fred Tavares has completed extensive study in biology, the primates of southeastern Brazil and the ecology of the Pantanal region, and holds a degree from Izabela Hendrix University in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He has been a hiking and naturalist guide since 1999, with particular emphasis on southeastern Brazil, along with Pantanal and northeast areas. Fred is known as a leading instructor on natural history guiding and interpretation techniques, and has taught many courses on those subjects. He possesses an enormous enthusiasm for his work to go with his vast knowledge.

What Our Guests Say

Fred was a fabulous guide. He was knowledgeable and willing to share wonderful information and background stories. He understood all the animal behaviors and advised us on the best choices for areas to see, animals to watch, and how to stay safe. And all the patience and persistence paid off with some great wildlife sightings! He also had a good sense of humor and interacted well with the whole group. His instructions were clear as to what to expect, as well as plans for each day. Finally, I really appreciated his passion for birds!

A. Skolnick

Fred is an absolutely exceptional guide. The most important thing to us on trips is the safety of our family, and we immediately felt we were in good hands with Fred. His encyclopedic knowledge of flora and fauna (especially birds) was extremely impressive and added so much to our trip. His enthusiasm and passion for the area is evident, and it was so nice seeing him share in the excitement of his guests. Fred’s deep knowledge of animal behavior allowed him to explain to us what may or may not happen at animal sightings. This, combined with his great rapport with the knowledgeable local guides and drivers, helped us be well-prepared and positioned for some awesome sightings and behaviors. On top of all this Fred is just a great person to be around.

J. Sneyers

Fred was very aware of all the different needs within the group. He was also very knowledgeable about the different animal behaviors, which allowed us to have private encounters with jaguars after other groups had left the area because they were impatient. The interactions he had with other staff at the different locations made it obvious he was liked and respected by others in the tourism business.

D. Newcomb

Upcoming Adventures with Fred Tavares

Brazil Jaguar & Wildlife Photo Expedition

The most immersive Pantanal wildlife safari you'll find! Includes an extra day to photograph jaguars in Porto Jofre, plus tapirs, hyacinth macaws and more on private small-boat excursions on the Cuiaba River.

View Trip

Jaguars & Wildlife of Brazil's Pantanal

Track jaguars, scout for tapirs, look for hyacinth macaws and more in South America’s most extensive wild frontier—the sprawling wetlands of the Pantanal—with some of the planet's most abundant wildlife.