Southern Brazil
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The price includes scheduled return flights London/Sao Paulo, internal flights as described, airport taxes, ground transportation as outlined above, accommodation on a full-board basis, admissions, local taxes, tips and the services of the leaders.
The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, optional tips to the local guides and drivers, and other personal expenses. Principal Leader: Lucas Marti |
From the fabulous Pantanal wetlands to the dry Cerrado , we visit some of the best wildlife areas in South America, for some of the finest birdwatching in the world, and a superb array of mammals, from Giant Otters to Jaguars! Our local guides have also discovered a regular spot for Harpy Eagles and we hope to see them in their remote breeding area. |
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Mention a wildlife trip to Brazil, and most people start imagining long journeys through the endless, continent-sized tracts of Amazonian rainforest in the northern part of this vast land. But Brazil is much more than the Amazon - to the south of the country can be found coastal mountains that rise above the forests and a huge inland swamp that many believe to be the world's finest wetland for birds, the renowned Pantanal.
Located in the south of Brazil right on the border with Bolivia, the Pantanal astounds by its sheer size. At around 91,000 square kilometres, it becomes, seasonally, the largest wetland in the world. Habitats range from semi-deciduous and evergreen forests to palm woodlands and true Pantanal, the seasonally flooded grasslands with scattered clumps of 'cerrado' scrub. This is the home of a vast array of birds, with wonders including the massive Jabiru stork, and the spectacular Hyacinth Macaw, as well as some impressive mammals, from Giant Otters to the rarely-seen Jaguar. Here we will spend the early mornings and late afternoons exploring in our air conditioned vehicle, on foot and in river boats. There is often time to relax in the middle of the day. The Cerrado, or Campo Cerrado, with its very characteristic vegetation, corresponds to the arboreal savanna of other tropical continents. It spreads over an area of more than 2 million square kilometers, taking in 23.5 % of Brazil's territory. This habitat covers most of Brazil's west-central region, stretching way into Paraguay. Sparsely scattered low trees and bushes with twisted branches, thick grooved bark, and leathery leaves give shape to this distinctive woodland. Reddish-colored termite nests are prominent on the trunks and these are a great attraction to nesting Campo Flicker and Peach-fronted Parakeet, who tunnel into their depths. The bird specialties include Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch, White-rumped and White-banded tanagers, Coal-crested Finch, Red-legged Seriema, Red-winged Tinamou, Yellow-faced Parrot, the secretive Collared Crescentchest and the endemic Rufous-winged Antshrike. Narrow riverine forests along the numerous streams in this part of Brazil hold unique birds, like Dot-eared Coquette, Cinnamon-throated Hermit, Blue-winged, Red-shouldered and Red-and-Green Macaws to name but a few. The magnificent Harpy Eagle, one of the largest raptors in the world, can only raise its huge young every two years (well, you would need a rest too!). The pair we are monitoring are expected to have fledgling chicks in 2012, and this tour is timed to coincide with what we hope will be a time of maximum activity. This year, we'll make no less than four boat trips in the heart of the Pantanal to maximise our chances of seeing the elusive Jaguar! These boat trips are excellent for getting close to plenty of other birds and mammals - most of the photos you'll see of the wildlife here seem to be taken from the boats. This will be our fifth visit to Brazil and the Pantanal. Previous tours have been highly successful with wonderful views of an Ocelot, Tapirs in abundance, Giant Otters, Maned Wolves, with many more mammal species and a wonderful variety of exotic birds, butterflies and plants. Itinerary Day 1 We take an evening flight from London to Sao Paulo, arriving early the next day. Day 2 Early morning arrival to Sao Paulo International Airport, in time for taking our connecting flight to Campo Grande. On arrival, we will drive 236 kilometers eastwards on a paved road, to Fazenda San Francisco. Situated on the Miranda River, at the foothills of the Serra da Bodoquena and not far from the Bolivian border, this working 'fazenda' (farm), has a reputation for being one of the best places in central Brazil for watching wild mammals. Among the species commonly seen, it is worth mentioning Giant Anteater, Marsh Deer, Yellow Armadillo, Maned Wolf and Ocelot. Birding is also quite rewarding here. There are several feeders in the gardens of the lodge, attracting such fantastic birds like Blue and Yellow Macaw, Nanday Parakeet, Blue-fronted Amazon, Chestnut-eared Araçari, and a wealth of passerines, including some very attractive ones, like for instance Crested Oropendola. We will spend the following three nights in this cozy 10-room lodge. Overnight Fazenda San Francisco Days 3 - 4 We will spend two full days exploring Fazenda San Francisco, searching for mammals, birding and enjoying nature photography. We plan to go on several game drives, including some night ones, to improve our chances for watching and taking pictures of as many of the above mentioned mammals as possible. Birding will keep us busy at all times, and besides the species already mentioned, we will have excellent chances for the biggest bird in the Americas: Greater Rhea. Two nights Fazenda San Francisco Day 5 We will leave Fazenda San Francisco this morning and drive all the way back to Campo Grande airport, to take our flight to Cuiabá. On arrival, we will drive 120 kilometers on paved road to Serra Das Araras, where we'll spend the following two nights. This area is a particularly bountiful birding site, and therefore our plan is to make good use of the time spent here, looking for such wonderful birds as Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Red-and-Green Macaw, Plumbeous Kite, Lettered Araçari, Couvier's Toucan, Rufous Nightjar, Black-throated Antbird and Great Antshrike to name but a few. Overnight Serra Das Araras Day 6 Our main goal in Serra das Araras is to enjoy watching one of the most spectacular birds of prey on Earth: the Harpy Eagle. It is here where Miguel Castelino, one of the owners of Trogon Tours, first discovered a nest of this mighty raptor some years ago. Our plan is to spend plenty of time watching and photographing these Harpies. The resident pair doesn't breed every year, but they are expected to rebuild their nest in 2011, and therefore to have fledging chicks in 2012, so this will hopefully be a great year to visit them. Overnight Serra Das Araras Day 7 We will spend our last morning birding at Serra Das Araras, and then drive to the Pantanal, where we expect to arrive in the afternoon. After crossing Cuiabá, we will still have roughly 100 kilometers of good paved road, running through transitional disturbed Cerrado habitat, featuring examples of this particular ecosystem, including gallery forests and sprawling grasslands. Pavement ends at the small village of Poconé. There are only 17 kilometers from here to the entrance of the famous Transpantaneira, the only raised, dirt highway cutting through the vast wilderness of northern Pantanal. We will spend our first two nights in Pantanal at a lodge situated in northern Transpantaneira. Overnight North Pantanal Day 8 We will spend the day exploring the northernmost section of the Transpantaneira, which is somehow drier and quite different in terms of wildlife than its southern section, next to the Cuiabá River. We expect to find a wide variety of localized birds here, including for instance Red-legged Seriema, Chestnut-bellied Guan, Sungrebe, Sunbittern, Long-tailed Ground-Dove and Red-winged Tinamou, all difficult or unlikely seen in the Cuiabá River area. Mammals are quite widespread at the Pantanal, and given the open savanna-like vegetation of this particular area, species like Brazilian Tapir, White-lipped Peccary and Marsh Deer are easier to spot here than further to the south. Overnight North Pantanal Day 9 We will wake up early this morning, to the sounds of birds and Black-and-gold Howler-Monkeys roaring in the distance, and go for a pre-breakfast birding walk in the surroundings of our lodge. After breakfast we will set off and drive south along the Transpantaneira, all the way to Porto Jofre, where we'll spend the following four nights. We'll make several birding and photo stops as we drive through, and also to enjoy Pantanal's vibrant wildlife. Birds like Campo Oriole, Blue-fronted Parrot, White Woodpecker, Greater Thornbird, Grey-crested Cacholote, Pygmy Kingfisher, Ashy-headed Greenlet and Buff-bellied Hermit are all present here, so we will look for them and for many others during our frequent stops. One of Pantanal's most iconic bird species is the Hyacinth Macaw, a common sighting along the way and a regular visitor to the gardens of our lodge at Porto Jofre. As we enter into the richest lower area of the Transpantaneira, plant and animal diversity increases. Herds of Capybara, the world's largest rodent, are likely to be seen very often, and Pantanal Cayman dwells in every stream and pond at the roadsides. Chances for mammals like South American Coati, Brown Capuchin, Crab-eating Fox, Bare-eared Marmoset and Crab-eating Raccoon are also quite high, and we might even come across some remarkable reptiles, like the huge and colorful Yellow Anaconda. We expect to arrive to our lodge well after dark, spotlighting our way in for owls, nightjars, Ocelot and a number of other crepuscular and nocturnal animals. Overnight Porto Jofre Days 10 - 12 We will spend three full days exploring the Porto Jofre - southern Transpantaneira area, searching for mammals, birding and enjoying local wildlife. Our main goal here is to look for Jaguars, and this is the main reason why we are spending quite a long time in this particular spot. The Brazilian government has decided to protect the local Jaguar population, so sightings of this striking cat have suddenly became fairly regular in the last few years. From our comfortable lodge at Porto Jofre we will have the chance to make at least four half day boat trips along the Cuiabá River, and get to some isolated areas where Jaguars are frequent. Most sightings are made from the boat, and the animals normally offer good photo opportunities, like the one in the image on the front page of this tour itinerary. The boat tours also offer excellent chances for other mammals and of course for a diverse arrange of colorful birds. We will also have excellent chances for Giant Otter, and capybaras will be a constant sighting on the riverbanks. Three nights Porto Jofre Day 13 We will leave Porto Jofre after breakfast, and drive all the way back to Cuiabá along the Transpantaneira, so bidding our farewell to Pantanal. On the way out, we'll still have several chances to stop and look for birds and mammals that we might have missed in previous days. On arrival to Cuiabá, we will have time for checking into our hotel for the night, and take a short break before enjoying our farewell dinner in town. Overnight Cuiabá Day 14 We will leave our hotel after breakfast and drive to Cuiabá City Airport to take our flight to Sao Paulo and connect with a return flight home arriving on Day 15. Accommodation will be in hotels and lodges, with en suite rooms throughout. Principal Leader: Lucas Marti Numbers: Max. 14 clients |
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