Brazil: Amazon & Pantanal

14 Days
Prices TBD
Land Tour
Highlights

Highlights

  • A diverse and rich wildlife experience; the superb Pantanal, the Amazonian Rainforest at Serra das Araras, cerrado grasslands and canyonlands
  • Spectacular wildlife from Hyacinth Macaws and immense numbers of waterbirds to tapirs and possible jaguar
  • A photographers dream - magnificent wildlife and stunning scenery
Map

Map

Tour Overview

In our exciting birding tour of Southern Brazil, we visit the fabulous Pantanal, Amazonian rainforest, canyonlands and cerrado (savanna) grasslands. We start in the Pantanal, the largest and most important wetland in South America, literally teeming with birds! Herons, egrets, storks including Jabiru, ibis, waterfowl, and spoonbills occur in wonderful abundance, along with a diverse array of other wildlife, including Jaguar. This is home to one of the world’s most resplendent birds, the huge, impressive Hyacinth Macaw!

Following this marvelous experience we will visit the spectacular canyonlands of Chapada, with another suite of new species including the bizarre Streamer-tailed Tyrant.

Last, but not least, we will visit the Amazon rainforest, with spectacular biodiversity. The birding here is diverse and exciting and there is even a possibility of seeing Harpy or Crested Eagle.

Dates & Prices

DATES & PRICES

What's Included

Tour Price Includes

  • All accommodations (comfortable hotels in good birding locations)
  • All meals
  • Ground transportation (Bus or van with driver and AC)
  • Airport transfers
  • Boat rides - 3 locations
  • Night safari in open truck
  • Eagle-Eye Tours guide + a local guide with 5 - 12 participants
  • All park, conservation, entrance fees

Tour Price Does Not Include

  • Travel to and from start/end location
  • Travel Insurance
  • Items of a personal nature

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Cuiaba

Our Brazil Amazon & Pantanal birding tour starts in Cuiaba where we meet for an evening meal to discuss our upcoming adventure. Night in Cuiaba.

Greater Rhea, Brazil

Days 2 - 4: Jardim da Amazonia (Garden of the Amazon)

We have a half-day drive to our next location, Jardim da Amazonia (Garden of the Amazon), where we will have 2 ½ days to explore. We will have a morning and an afternoon boat ride with a lunch break at shore.

This area has very high biodiversity in a rainforest setting, truly a part of the Amazon Rainforest. Some of the birds we will look out for are Cone-billed Tanager (found in very few other places in the world), Razor-billed Curassow, Ocellated Poorwill, Green-tailed Goldenthroat, Blue-cheeked Jacamar, White-throated and Rufous-faced Antbirds, Rufous-tailed Flatbill, Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Red-necked and Chestnut-eared Aracaris, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Black-crowned and Masked Tityras, Spotted Puffbird, White-banded Swallow, Black Caracara, Black-eared Fairy, Swallow-winged Puffbird, Black-girdled Barbet, Scaled Pigeon, Laughing Falcon, Red-bellied, Red-shouldered Macaws and Blue-and-Yellow Macaws. There is even a possibility of seeing Harpy or Crested Eagle.

Red-shouldered Macaws, Brazil

Days 5 - 7: Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park

After some morning birding at Jardim da Amazonia, we will transfer to Chapada dos Guimares National Park, where we will have two full days of birding.

The scenery in this magnificent park is astonishing! Situated at the western edge of the Planalto do Mato Grosso, the canyonlands and waterfalls of this park are truly impressive. We can expect a wide diversity of wildlife, from macaws to hummingbirds.

We search for some of the endemics of the Cerrado (dry scrub savanna), including White-rumped and White-banded Tanagers, Collared Crescent-chest, Plumbeous Seedeater, Black-throated Saltator, and Campo Suiriri. Nights in Pousada do Parque.

waterfall in Brazil

Day 8: Transfer to Pantanal

After breakfast, we will transfer to the Pantanal. Along the way, we will make stops to look for birds we haven’t seen. After dinner we will have a 1-2 hour safari in an open truck to look for nocturnal creatures, perhaps including Common Pauraque, Little Nightja, Spot-tailed Nightjar, Great Potoo, Crab-eating Fox, Crab-eating Raccoon and even Brazilian Tapir. Night at Piuval Lodge in the Pantanal.

Toco Toucan

Days 9 - 10: Birding and boat rides in the Pantanal

After some morning birding on an open truck at Piuval, we will transfer to Pantanal Mato Grosso for a two-night stay.

Birds throng the wetlands; we will especially look for scarcer species such as the shy Plumbeous Ibis, Maguari Storks and Rufescent Tiger-herons.

Raptors are seemingly everywhere: Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures, Crane, Black-collared and Roadside Hawks, Gray-headed and Snail Kites and more. On slightly higher ground, gallery forests have taken hold, and are often alive with wildlife. It is in these forests that we search for Toco Toucans, Bare-faced Curassows, and Chestnut-bellied Guans. As well as these spectacular birds, we may see Great Rufous Woodcreeper and White Woodpecker in this area.

The forest walks should reveal many birds including Mato Grosso Antbird, Helmeted Manakin, and Large-billed Antwren. We are likely to encounter several flycatchers, ground-doves including Long-tailed, horneros, cardinals and seedeaters, and possibly White-naped Xenopsaris.

On our boat rides, we will find more of the Pantanal specialties and wetland species including Jabiru, all five South American Kingfishers, and perhaps the colorful Agami Heron. Nights at Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso.

Bare-faced Curassow

Days 11 - 12: Porto Jofre

We head to Porto Jofre for the next 2 nights.

We will take a morning boat trip on the Cuiaba River, a highlight of the tour. We have a good chance of seeing a Jaguar; the Pantanal jaguar is actually larger than the Amazonian one. We explore the margins of the river in search of this great cat, as well as other impressive fauna and flora.

After an afternoon break for lunch, and perhaps a siesta, we will return to the river for an afternoon boat trip. Between the two boat trips, we should end up with an impressive array of birds, possibly including Sunbittern and Sungrebe, and in dry scrub and woodland on the river banks Cinereous-breasted Spinetail, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Parrot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant.

There could also be caimans, capybaras, Giant Otters and probably a few other mammal and reptile species, maybe even anacondas! Night in Porto Jofre.

Jaguar in Brazil

Day 13: Transfer to Cuiabá

After some morning birding in this special area, we will have lunch and then transfer to Cuiaba. We will spend our final evening reviewing our checklists and reflecting on our amazing trip over a delicious dinner. Overnight Night in Cuiaba.

Black-tailed Marmoset, Brazil

Day 14: Departure

Breakfast and transfer to the Cuiaba airport where our Brazil Amazon & Pantanal birding tour ends, and connections made for flights home. Participants can book their flights home anytime today.

What to Expect

Overview
The Brazil tour is a moderately paced birding tour. You can expect most days to have early starts, as it is desirable to be in a good habitat by daybreak when bird activity and song are at their peak. We will spend the majority of the day birding, although we may take a short break in the heat of the day. There might be an opportunity for a night excursion to look for nocturnal wildlife.

Food
We often will have an early breakfast before heading out, but on some occasions the group may decide to go birding before breakfast, and come back to the lodge to eat. Some days we will take a picnic lunch in the field, or en route to another location, to allow for flexibility in our schedule, but most meals will be taken at the lodges. Each evening after dinner we compile the day’s checklist, review the day’s activities, birds, mammals and other observations, and plan the next day’s activities.

Accommodation
Generally we stay in comfortable lodges, in remote locations, but next to the best birding areas.

Walking
The walking on this tour is rated easy to moderate. We will go at a very slow pace in mostly flat terrain, although it could possibly be muddy in places. We could spend up to four hours walking, such as when we are on the Jatobá trail at Jardim da Amazonia, a roughly 5 km (3 mile) walk.

Driving
We have several days of long drives lasting 4 to 5 hours each. We will be sure to have multiple rest stops and birding stops throughout the journey. Our route will take us along the Transpantaneira Road. While this road is classified as a highway, it’s important to note that it is in fact a wide gravel road, and in certain sections the terrain may be rough. Please bring appropriate travel medication if this is something that you usually take.

Climate
The weather will be rather hot and humid with a mixture of sun and cloud and occasional drizzle or rain. Stout, waterproof footwear is an advantage, and as with any South American destination, mosquito repellent, sunglasses and a wide brimmed waterproof hat are highly recommended.

Boat Trips
We will have a few boat trips on small motorized boats, which are often the highlight of the tour. Conditions on the water are calm. These boat trips are usually 3-4 hours in length each. Please note there are no bathrooms on board.

Tour Video

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Featured Wildlife

While we cannot guarantee sightings of the birds or mammals listed below, we believe that encountering these species is quite likely during this tour.

  • Hyacinth Macaw
  • Great Rufous Woodcreeper
  • Streamer-tailed Tyrant
  • Scissor-tailed Nightjar
  • Jabiru
  • White Woodpecker
  • Toco Toucan
  • Southern Screamer
  • Blue-winged Macaw
  • Possible Harpy and Crested Eagles
  • Jaguar possible
  • Brazilian Tapir
  • Giant Otter

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