In the Pantanal, the season decides the bites. In Bonito, chikungunya sets the routine.
- Travel clinic CDC recommends medicine or vaccines for some areas · which ones
- No CDC travel notice for mosquito-borne disease
Dry-season jaguar trips from about June to September tend to meet few mosquitoes, while the wet months bring swarms. Mato Grosso do Sul's 2026 chikungunya outbreak hit Bonito, Jardim and Corumbá hard, and the CDC recommends yellow fever vaccine for both Pantanal states.
Yes, and how many depends on the season. Dry-season trips, when most jaguar tours run, tend to meet few mosquitoes, while the wet months bring swarms. The disease item for 2026 is chikungunya, which hit Bonito, Jardim and Corumbá hard in Mato Grosso do Sul.
Chikungunya in Bonito and Corumbá
Mato Grosso do Sul had a severe chikungunya year. In its October 26 bulletin, covering cases through epidemiological week 41, the state health department counted 12,440 probable and 10,817 confirmed cases and 31 deaths, centered on Dourados. Bonito had 328 probable cases, about 1,386 per 100,000 residents, and 2 deaths, and nearby Jardim had 529, about 2,206 per 100,000, and 2 deaths. Corumbá had 916 probable cases and Campo Grande 54. The outbreak hadn't ended. In the two weeks to October 17, Bonito reported more new probable cases than any other municipality in the state.
Dengue tells the opposite story. The state's dengue bulletin of the same date shows 2,292 confirmed cases for 2026, against 8,461 in all of 2025. On the northern side, Cuiabá's health department reported weekly chikungunya notifications down 99% from 2025 by mid-May.
Both viruses spread through the day-biting Aedes mosquito, so in Bonito, Jardim and Corumbá, daytime bites in town matter more than the swarms. Put repellent on over sunscreen in the morning and again in the afternoon. The CDC says chikungunya vaccination may be considered for stays of about six months or more; with the outbreak still running in Bonito, raise it at your clinic visit. Pregnant travelers should discuss chikungunya, Zika and Oropouche with a healthcare provider.
Yellow fever and the malaria map
What CDC says: yellow fever vaccine "is recommended for travelers ≥9 months old going to the states of" a list that includes Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, and "Country entry requirements: Vaccine is not required." Malaria is "Present in the states of Maranhão, Mato Grosso, and Pará, but rare cases in their capital cities," Cuiabá among them, and Mato Grosso do Sul is among the states with "Rare cases and sporadic foci of transmission in rural and forested areas," where the CDC advises bite precautions only. What we suggest you do with this: book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure with your lodge names, and ask the clinic to check the CDC's malaria map for lodges on the Transpantaneira and at Porto Jofre.
Dry season or wet season
Jaguar season on the Transpantaneira and at Porto Jofre
Reviewers describe very few insects, and a September 2025 jaguar-tour reviewer based at Porto Jofre saw no mosquitoes at all.
- Repellent before dawn boat departures and evening returns
- Long sleeves around the lodge at dusk
- Some camp reviews mention horseflies and bugs in rooms
Swarms in the rains, north and south
In and near the wet season, reviewers describe heavy swarms on forest walks and around lodges.
- Permethrin-treated long sleeves and trousers
- A head net for walks
- Repellent at dawn and dusk as well as by day
- Netted or screened rooms
Out on the river, the jaguar boats tend to see few mosquitoes, and the likelier exposure is at lodges and landings at dawn and dusk. For chikungunya and dengue, February to May is the peak stretch in the center-west.
Where you're going
Scores are for a visit in any month.
Transpantaneira & Poconé
The northern road from Poconé to Porto Jofre, in Mato Grosso outside Cuiabá, so ask the clinic to check the CDC's malaria map for your lodge. Dry-season guests report very few insects; wet-season mosquitoes are heavy.
Porto Jofre & the jaguar boats
The jaguar-boat base at the end of the Transpantaneira. Dry-season boat days tend to be light; camp reviews are mixed and mention horseflies, and dusk at the lodges is the exposure.
Bonito & Jardim
The clear-river snorkeling hub, hit hard by the 2026 chikungunya outbreak, with new cases in Bonito into October. Daytime repellent matters most here.
Southern Pantanal: Miranda, Estrada Parque & Corumbá
A CDC rare-case malaria area with bite precautions only. Corumbá had 916 probable chikungunya cases in 2026, and wet-season mosquitoes here have a fierce reputation.
The Brazil briefing covers Rio and the falls. Adding the Amazon? Our Manaus briefing covers its malaria advice.
The Pantanal kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the heat and layers over sunscreen. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
- Permethrin 0.5% for safari clothes: treat long sleeves, trousers and socks at home 48 hours before you fly. Treated fabric repels and kills mosquitoes on contact through several washes. It goes on clothing, never on skin.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from TripAdvisor threads and reviews and linked so you can read them in full. Only one gives a year, an April review from 2014, and the season shapes what each visitor describes.
- Lontra Pantanal Hotel (Passo do Lontra, southern Pantanal) · April · 2014
A reviewer visiting in April said the mosquitoes on the forest walk were the worst they had come across anywhere and bit through clothes. TripAdvisor ↗
- Southern Pantanal (from Campo Grande) · dry season
A visitor found fewer mosquitoes during the dry season but still advised bringing DEET or a similar repellent. TripAdvisor ↗
- Pantanal · July
Asked about mosquitoes on a July trip, a reply said there are small insects in some places but not much in the dry season. TripAdvisor ↗
- Southwild Pantanal Lodge (Transpantaneira, Poconé) · July
A guest who stayed in July saw very few insects, which surprised them given the standing water. TripAdvisor ↗
- Pantanal and Bonito tour (from Campo Grande)
Reviewing a seven-day Pantanal and Bonito trip, a customer warned that there are 'billions' of mosquitoes. TripAdvisor ↗
One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever or joint pain during or after the trip means a doctor visit, and you tell the doctor you were in the Pantanal and which state.
Traveler questions
Is the Pantanal buggy in the dry season?
Much less than in the wet months. Reviewers on dry-season trips, including jaguar tours from Porto Jofre, mostly describe very few insects, though some still advise bringing repellent. Swarms come with the rains. Put repellent on before dawn boat departures and evening returns either way.
Is there chikungunya in Bonito?
Bonito was one of the hardest-hit towns in Mato Grosso do Sul's 2026 outbreak, with 328 probable cases and 2 deaths in the state's October 26 bulletin, and it was still reporting new cases in October. The mosquito that spreads it bites by day, so wear repellent from breakfast on. The CDC says vaccination may be considered for stays of about six months or more; raise it with a travel clinic if the outbreak is still running.
Do I need malaria pills for the Pantanal?
The CDC's text lists Mato Grosso, the northern side, as a state where malaria is present, with rare cases in Cuiabá, and calls for bite precautions only in Mato Grosso do Sul, which holds the southern Pantanal and Bonito. Whether prevention medicine fits your lodges is a decision for a travel clinic, 4–6 weeks before departure, so bring the lodge names and ask the clinic to check the CDC's malaria map.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for the Pantanal?
Brazil doesn't require it for entry. As health advice, the CDC recommends it for travelers 9 months and older going to Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, which covers the whole Pantanal and Bonito. Settle it at the same travel-clinic visit as malaria.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.
- CDC destination page for travelers
- Health authority (saude.ms.gov.br)
- Health authority (saude.ms.gov.br)
- Health authority (saude.ms.gov.br)
- Health authority (saude.ms.gov.br)
- idest.com.br
- midiamax.com.br
- Government source (cuiaba.mt.gov.br)
- Government source (gov.br)
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- Government source (gov.br)
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- Government source (gov.br)
- Government source (gov.br)
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- World Health Organization