The Pantanal is the world’s largest freshwater wetland.  Here a multitude of waterbirds will compete for our attention with many other species, including the striking Hyacinth Macaw.  In the lower Amazonian basin we’ll relish the pristine setting of our comfortable lodge along the Cristalino River and marvel at the mixed-species flocks in the forest while the rare treat of being able to observe cotingas and canopy flocks at eye level from a recently constructed tower hide will make canopy birders of us all.  A brief sojourn to Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, along the western edge of the Brazilian plateau, will complement the rest of the trip with new species and superb scenery.

This ornithological extravaganza, combined with an excellent infrastructure of lodges, friendly people and superb food, sets the stage for one of the best birding experiences imaginable.  Comfortable accommodations situated close to our birding sites will maximize our time in the field while offering those who wish for an optional break from all-day birding to take some time off.

Judy and David first visited Brazil together in 1995 and this will be their 12th tour there. 

Day 1:  The tour begins with an overnight flight from London to São Paulo. 

Day 2:  Following our arrival in São Paulo, we take a connecting flight to Cuiabá and transfer to our hotel.   Following an early breakfast, we will drive south to Poconé to join with the Transpantaneira highway.  Not a highway by modern definition, it is actually a raised dirt track crossing part of the world’s largest freshwater wetland, known as the Pantanal, which covers approximately 90,000 square miles.  The Transpantaneira extends for 148 kilometers to Porto Jofre, with excellent roadside birding throughout its length.  The morning will be spent acquainting ourselves with the abundance of birdlife that we will encounter upon leaving Poconé with arrival at our lodge for a late lunch.  Our base in the Pantanal is a private fazenda south of Poconé known for its comfortable lodging and superb birding opportunities.  This comfortable base will afford us easy access to the Pantanal and its birds.  Walks from the lodge, boat trips on streams and rivers, and drives along the Transpantaneira will provide opportunites to feast from dawn to dusk on the avian offerings of this vast wetland. Hyacinth Macaws, the world’s largest parrot, can be seen in the palms around  the grounds of the fazenda. Greater Rheas may be spotted walking sedately through the grasslands while Buff-necked and Plumbeous Ibises call in the background.  The wetlands and gallery forests of the fazenda are home to many of the birds we will be seeking during our stay here.  A night drive will provide opportunities to search for potoos and nightjars as well as mammals, including Crab-eating Fox or possibly a Tapir. Night in the Pantanal.

Days 3-4:  We will have two days to explore the gallery forest and open areas of the lodge and the Transpantaneira between Poconé and Pixiam.  While enjoying the spectacle of herons, ibises, Jabirus, Sunbitterns and parrot flocks, we’ll also spend time looking for other gems including White Woodpecker, Chaco Chachalaca, Buff-bellied Hermit, Mato Grosso Antbird, White-eyed Attila, and the recently described Rufous Cachalote.  Nights in the Pantanal.

Day 5:  After some early morning birding near the lodge, we’ll return to Cuiabá in time for our flight to Alta Floresta followed by an enjoyable boat trip on the pristine Cristalino River to our lodge.  Our introduction to the Amazonian forest could include Scarlet, Red-and-green, or Blue-and-yellow Macaws flying overhead, an Amazonian Umbrellabird crossing the river in front of us, Red-throated Piping Guans perched high in trees or, with incredible luck, a tapir taking a cooling swim in the river.  Our lodge is located minutes away from the river with comfortable accommodation, friendly staff waiting to make our experience one of the best ever, and birds, birds, birds!  Night at Rio Cristalino Lodge.

Days 6-10:  We’ll quickly realize that five days, five weeks or even five months would not allow us to absorb all that the lower Amazon Basin has to offer. We’ll spend our days walking trails near the lodge, surveying the canopy from a 30-meter tower and exploring the riverine forest by boat. With luck we may encounter an antswarm, allowing us to watch at close range such species as Bare-eyed Antbird, Black-spotted Bare-eye or even White-chinned Woodcreeper. The birdlist for Rio Cristalino and the surrounding area exceeds 500 species, and the many woodcreepers, furnariids, antbirds and flycatchers, combined with such locals as Crimson-bellied Parakeet, Striolated Puffbird, Musician and Tooth-billed Wrens, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Gray-bellied Hawk and Kawall’s Parrot, will have us birding from dawn to dusk and beyond – with stops only for the incredibly delicious food provided by the staff, and rest breaks during the heat of the day. Nights at Rio Cristalino Lodge.

Day 11:  After a final morning birding this superb area we'll sadly say farewell and take a last boat trip along the river to meet our transport to Alta Floresta and our afternoon flight to Cuiabá.   Following arrival in Cuiabá, we'll depart for Chapada dos Guimarães, where we'll spend two nights. Night in Chapada dos Guimarães.

Day 12:  We'll spend a bird-filled last day in Chapada dos Guimarães National Park and surrounding areas.   Located on the edge of Brazil's central plateau, the Chapada offers impressive monolithic rock formations and a spectacular waterfall.   We'll spend the morning in a cerrado area searching for species including Red-winged Tinamou, White-eared Puffbird, White-banded and White-rumped Tanagers, Collared Crescentchest, and Chapada Flycatcher, a new species described in 2001.   The final hours of the day will be spent scanning for Red-and-green and Blue-winged Macaws returning to their cliff-side roost sites for the night.   Night in Chapada dos Guimarães.

Day 13:  Time permitting, we will spend the dawn in the cerrado searching for any specialities we may have missed yesterday.  Following breakfast we will return to Cuiabá airport in time for onward flights to São Paulo where we'll then connect with an overnight flight to London, where the tour ends on Day 14.

The ground arrangements for this tour are organised by our American associates WINGS.

E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.

Return to top of page
Return to 'South America' introduction

Last updated August 2009