Pantanal and Atlantic Forest

After you arrive at the Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, your guide will welcome you before we head directly to the Congonhos local airport for our internal flight to Mato Grosso province. This will be our gateway into the legendary Pantanal. We’ll have some time to get to know each other while waiting at the airport, and after our 2h30 flight to Cuiaba, our transport will be waiting to take us to the hotel. After such a long journey, you’ll probably want to rest, but those with some energy left can visit the nearby Mae Bonifacia Park with the guide. 

Dinner and overnight stay in a country hotel in Cuiaba.

After breakfast, we board our air-conditioned vehicle for the long drive south. During this journey, we’ll have the chance to go over the tour itinerary and target species in detail and learn a bit more about the history of this immense and diverse country. Once we arrive in Poconé, we will take the northern section of the famous Transpantaneira road. We’ll make our first birding stops along this road and can explore the restaurant garden for some commoner species during the lunch stop. We’ll keep birding the roadside savannah and riverbanks until we reach the end of the Transpantaneira.

Dinner and overnight in a comfortable lodge on the banks of the Cuiabá River.

This morning, we will board a speedboat on the banks of the Cuiaba River to head to the best viewing areas for our main target: the Jaguar. We’ll spend the day navigating the different rivers, scanning the banks and clay licks. We have a radio communication system between the different boatmen, which maximizes the opportunity to observe this feline, which is so rare elsewhere. The dry season drives the Pantanal Jaguars and their prey to the riverbanks, and it is common to observe these big cats sharing the area with other mammals and reptiles at this time of year. Thankfully, they will often remain in one spot for hours, largely indifferent to our presence, making for some wonderful photo opportunities. We will make the most of these pleasant and biodiverse waterways to add more birds to our list and hopefully observe families of Giant Otters, which are normally easy to spot here. The day’s observations will dictate our return time to the lodge.

Dinner and overnight stay at the same Fazenda.

Today, we’ll take another morning outing, choosing the site based on the species observed the previous day. The rest of the day will be dedicated to exploring the Pantanal. The largest wetland on the planet sees the first seasonal rains arrive at the end of October and the beginning of November. Until then, the lack of water forces all animal species into large mixed congregations along the rivers. In many places, large reptiles live alongside capybaras and waterbirds. Several species of deer cross the swampy expanses where the jaguar and the maned wolf hunt. This phenomenon of seasonal flooding acts as a regulator of the dynamics of animal and plant communities. It’s a fragile balance, surprising and full of life. Once again, we will take the Transpantaneira road to our next accommodation. Although it’s normally a two-hour journey between the two lodges, it often takes much longer since we usually encounter many animals. On arrival at our new accommodation, we will take advantage of the bird feeders to add new species of tanagers, guans, caciques, toucans, and hummingbirds to our list.

Dinner and overnight at the Pousada Rio Claro.

Located further south in the Pantanal, the Fazenda de Rio Claro has redirected its economic activity towards tourism and conservation. Numerous trails lead through the gallery forest areas, home to unique vegetation, many understorey birds, and some mammals, including several primates. From the lodge, we will also board our motorboats to explore the bends and curves of the Claro River and discover many aquatic species. We will walk along the Monkey Trail by the riverbank to find difficult species such as the Common Potoo, several antbirds, and flycatchers. We will make the short trip to our new lodge in the afternoon.

Dinner and overnight in Santa Tereza.

Located on the banks of the Pixaim River, between Cerrado and riparian vegetation, this private reserve is entirely dedicated to conservation and tourism. These 360 hectares are home to, in addition to 360 species of birds, a large number of mammals, including the giant otter, caiman, capibara, several species of primate, and the rare Ocelot and the mysterious Tapir. The trails in the reserve grant us privileged access to key observation sites, including the observation tower and the Pixaim River. After a long day of birding and mammal watching, we continue north to our last lodge. On our first night walk after dinner, we will try to observe owls, nightjars, and potoos.

Dinner and night in a charming hotel.

The different woodland habitats, open vegetation areas, and many special observation facilities on this farm-reserve allow for the most accessible and special wildlife encounters in this region of the northern Pantanal. We will combine day and night walks, explore on a safari vehicle, climb the observation towers, and visit the different ecosystems of this conservation area: swamps, savannahs, riparian vegetation, gallery forest, flooded pastures, and more. We will also be on the trail of some of South America’s most emblematic mammals: the Giant Armadillo, Crab-eating Fox, Giant Anteater, and South American Tapir.

Dinner and night at the same Fazenda.

We will also explore other ecosystems, such as gallery forest, which punctuate the landscapes of the flooded savannah. Another short drive up the Transpantaneira road will be our final opportunity to add new species to our list and our photography portfolio. Along this red dirt road, we will look for waterbirds, raptors, and our last mammals and reptiles. We will arrive in the late afternoon near the airport in Cuiaba, where we will spend the night. If the weather allows, we can rest by the swimming pool to recharge our batteries for the second part of the trip.

Dinner and overnight stay in Hotel Fazenda in Cuiaba.

After breakfast, we transfer to Cuiabá airport for our flight to Rio de Janeiro. After a stopover in Brasilia and a two-and-a-half-hour flight, we will land at Santos airport to head immediately to our new observation area, the Brazilian Atlantic forests, which are the most critical endemic hot spot in the country. During the next few days, we will explore two lodges of ornithological importance, allowing us to see as many species as possible without a strenuous effort by visiting feeders and taking short forest walks. After a two-hour drive to the northeast, we will enter the conservation area of the REGUA Reserve. We will spend the rest of the day exploring the various feeding sites around the lodge, with the possibility of a night walk after dinner.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

The REGUA project conserves more than 550 hectares of Atlantic Forest along the Guapiaçu River watershed. Here, 470 species of birds have been recorded, including 62 national endemics. Even for those with previous birding experience in the Neotropics, the vast majority of species will be new here. This is due to the isolation of this semi-mountainous coastal region. Endemic often means fragile; sadly, only 7% of the original Brazilian Atlantic forest cover remains today. The conservation work in this reserve is unique and makes it well worth the visit. Depending on the weather conditions, we can visit several trails, including the Brown Trail, our first immersion in reclaimed secondary forest—an easy trail of lowland forest (50m) with streams and sparse vegetation.

Dinner and overnight at the same lodge.

Early in the morning, we head to a new birding area. After a 30-minute drive, we will take the Red Trail, which leads to the higher areas of primary and elfin forest (500 masl). The topography of this trail is more complex but allows access to upper elevations and, therefore, entirely different species from the lower areas. The mountain slopes will also facilitate observation, with the canopy often at eye level, giving us a better shot at spotting certain localized species and offering stunning panoramic views of the Serra dos Organos massif. Then, we’ll return to the lowlands to collect our bags and set off for our new accommodation.

Dinner and overnight in a charming Eco-Lodge.

Itororo Lodge is undoubtedly one of the best locations to grow our bird list and get excellent photos simultaneously. The lodge’s various trails cover primary and secondary forests, bamboo patches, and orchid gardens. Plenty of trails close to the lodge combine all of these different ecosystems and are home to many Atlantic forest endemics. We also take some time to explore the feeders near the lodge and get some great photos.

Dinner and overnight in a charming Eco-Lodge.

Today is flexible, and our itinerary depends on the species we’ve already seen, the climate, and the pace of the group. There are plenty of options in this area, and one of those will be to go up to the high areas of the Serra dos Orgaos in search of new species with a more limited distribution that are confined to the colder altitudinal fringes. We will focus on the Three-toed Jacamar, a rare endemic of the area. Walking the Cedar Trail close to the lodge will also be possible.

Dinner and overnight at the same lodge.

The main reason for visiting the heights of this coastal massif is to reach the unique ecosystems perched above 1700m, where the country’s most restricted and isolated species have evolved. These cannot be observed anywhere else, a phenomenon known as micro-endemism. Depending on the climate and the state of the road, we will try to reach the highest parts of the massif to look for the most remote and range-restricted species. We will gradually descend on foot for the rest of the day and eat a picnic lunch on site. The changes in habitat are really noticeable, and each holds its own endemic species: we will encounter everything from dwarf and bamboo forests to giant ferns and scrub. We will return to our lodge in the middle of the afternoon to rest and watch the birdfeeders.

Dinner and overnight at the same lodge.

After an early breakfast, we’ll return to Silva Jardim village to visit one of the country's finest conservation projects. Since 1971, the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Project has implemented a breeding plan for one of the most vulnerable primate species on the planet. This small endemic monkey is restricted to a few isolated areas of the Atlantic Forest and is subject to enormous anthropogenic pressures. This protected environment is also home to a large number of bird species. As we walk the trails in search of the monkey, we can observe many of these species. We will head to the coast in the early afternoon to add some shorebirds and seabirds to our list. We will also look for one of Brazil’s most restricted endemic species in the coastal area: the….  This species, discovered in 1990, has been classified as critically endangered due to the destruction of its unique habitat. We will continue on towards Rio de Janeiro, following the coastline until we reach the Galeao International Airport.