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THE PANTANAL & INTERIOR BRAZIL

Birdquest's Pantanal & Interior Brazil birding tour is one of a series of Brazil birdwatching trips that we offer. This exciting tour focusses on Brazil's wonderful Pantanal and the cerrado (home to Hyacinth Macaws and Brazilian Mergansers respectively), with an optional extension to Alta Floresta in southern Amazonia.

Sunday 9th September - Friday 21st September 2012
(13 days)

Rio Cristalino Post-Tour Extension to Saturday 29th September (8 days)

Leaders: Derek Scott and a local bird-guide

Group Size Limit: 10 (8 at Rio Cristalino)

Tour Category: Easy (main tour); Easy to Moderate (extension)

Bare-faced Curassows have a fabulous hairdo and are regularly encountered along the Transpantaneira (Tommy Ekmark)

On this exciting journey through the large states of Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais we will visit the endless rolling cerrado and campo of the Brazilian interior and the foremost wetland of the entire Neotropics in search of the many endemics and other specialities, including such marvels as Hyacinth Macaw, Brazilian Merganser and Cock-tailed Tyrant.

Every birdwatcher and naturalist has heard about the remarkable Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands in the Americas and a place that harbours one of the greatest wildlife concentrations in the New World. Called ‘Terra de Ninguem’ (No Man’s Land) by the Brazilians, this vast alluvial plain, half the size of France, is situated at only about 100m above sea level and is inhabited by just a few thousand people.

In this immense and seasonally watery world, which has been the subject of some awe-inspiring wildlife films, the number of waterbirds defies the imagination. The Pantanal is home to untold thousands of herons, egrets, storks, ibises, spoonbills and other waterbirds, but it should be borne in mind that they are spread over an immense landscape, with local concentrations here and there. We shall be visiting the area at the end of the long dry season, when throngs of these piscivores compete with fierce-looking jacarés (caimans) for wriggling fish in the drying pools.

However, the bird that epitomizes the Pantanal more than any other is not a waterbird at all but the unique and gorgeous Hyacinth Macaw, the largest and easily the most impressive parrot in the world. Small numbers of this resplendent violet-blue marvel of the avian world live in the semi-deciduous woodlands and nut-rich palm groves of the Pantanal, and seeing a pair flap lazily across an azure sky will unquestionably be one of the highlights of our stay.

We will visit the northern fringes of this huge area along the famous Transpantaneira, a well-maintained dirt road with 118 sometimes precarious-looking bridges, that allows access to the many different habitats of the region. Bare-faced Curassow, Chestnut-bellied Guan, Sunbittern, Toco Toucan and Mato Grosso Antbird are amongst the many other prizes that await us here.

The Pantanal is also renowned for its variety of mammals. That holy grail of Neotropical animals, the powerful Jaguar, can still be found here. Its evocative name conjures up images of an almost never seen, cold-eyed, powerful, spotted cat inhabiting large stretches of virgin and impenetrable rainforest. The Brazilian Pantanal is now probably the finest area in the Americas to see this near-mythical cat and is recognized by wildlife enthusiasts and naturalists as the place where one can sometimes experience close encounters. Boat trips will offer us excellent opportunities and we have a good chance of being able to stare into the golden, telltale eyes of this fabled predator. The Pantanal also holds a splendid selection of other mammals and we hope to encounter Brazilian Tapir, Giant Otter, Crab-eating Fox, Tayra and Ocelot here.

Before we travel to the Pantanal we will explore two superb reserves that protect large tracts of cerrado and campo habitat. The celebrated Serra da Canastra National Park contains some of the finest cerrado and campo remaining in central Brazil, and provides an aspect of rolling grasslands with scattered trees and patches of gallery forest quite unlike other parts of tropical South America and more reminiscent of the plains of East Africa. Mammalian and avian delights include the amazing long-snouted Giant Anteater, the huge and stately Greater Rhea and the bizarre little Cock-tailed Tyrant, along with most of the other special birds of this unique habitat, but our main quarry here, the much dreamed-of Brazilian Merganser, inhabits the wild rivers that originate in these hills. Serra da Canastra is without doubt the very best place to find this extremely localized and highly-threatened species. Here too, we hope to lay eyes on the unobtrusive Brasilia Tapaculo, a bird that skulks in dense shrubbery in the river valleys.

Our next port of call is the Serra do Cipó National Park near Belo Horizonte, an area renowned for its spectacular gorges and waterfalls, but of greatest interest to us because of its grassland specialities which include several highly localized endemics. One of these, the elusive Cipo Canastero, was discovered as recently as 1985, whilst the stunning Horned Sungem, the spectacular Hyacinth Visorbearer, Grey-backed Tachuri and Pale-throated (or Buff-throated) Pampa-Finch will add to the excitement.

Finally, after our exploration of the Pantanal, we will visit the spectacular canyonlands of the Chapada dos Guimarães, where eroded rock formations, spectacular waterfalls and deeply-carved ravines with slivers of forest are surrounded by cerrado, a chaparral-like habitat with low gnarled trees and shrubs. Cliffs harbour colourful macaws and speedy Biscutate Swifts, while dignified Red-legged Seriemas stride over the shrubby plains.

During the optional extension we will explore the far less well known but equally wonderful Amazonian rainforests that lie to the north of the Pantanal. The Rio Cristalino Forest Reserve near Alta Floresta is situated at the southern edge of the Amazonian rainforest, between the upper reaches of the mighty Tapajós and Xingu Rivers. Based at a very hospitable lodge with great food we will have access to large tracts of undisturbed and untouched Amazonian rainforest where Dark-winged Trumpeters, Razor-billed Curassows and Brazilian Tapirs still roam. One of the highlights here is the splendid 50m high canopy tower from where one has amazing views over the surrounding forest canopy and its swirling flocks of multi-hued parrots, tanagers and toucans.

We should come away from Rio Cristalino with great views of such rarely seen birds as Kawall’s Parrot, Black-girdled Barbet, Red-necked Aracari, Tooth-billed Wren, Red-billed Pied-Tanager and Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak and wonderful monkeys like White-whiskered Spider Monkey and White-nosed Bearded Saki. Lower down, in the dark forest interior we will listen for the churring of Bare-eyed Antbirds and Black-spotted Bare-eyes attending a raiding army ant swarm and investigate dense bamboo thickets in search of Chestnut-throated Spinetail and Manu Antbird, whilst patiently creeping along the forest trails may yield Brown-banded Puffbird, Blue-cheeked (or Blue-necked) Jacamar and Curve-billed Scythebill. In the varzea, seasonally flooded forest near the river we will meticulously search for Long-billed Woodcreeper and the alluring Glossy Antshrike. At a granite outcrop carpeted in scrubby vine-tangled woodland we will aim to locate the localized Natterer’s Slaty Antshrike, whilst Zigzag Heron, Red-throated Piping-Guan and Giant Otter will enliven our boat trips on the blackwater Rio Cristalino.

Birdquest has operated tours to the Pantanal and interior Brazil since 1989.

(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/lodges are of normal Birdquest standard throughout. Road transport is by minibus and roads are mostly good.

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there are one or two harder walks at Alta Floresta.

Climate: Generally warm or hot, dry and sunny at lower altitudes, but cool in upland areas. Overcast weather is quite regular and there may well be some rain. It will be rather humid in places.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are quite good.

Tour Price: $5050 São Paulo/São Paulo. Post-Tour Extension: $3370. Price includes all transportation (including all flights inside Brazil), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: $583. Post-Tour Extension: $518.

Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

The bird that epitomizes the Pantanal more than any other is the unbelievable Hyacinth Macaw (Ian Lewis)

A view over the Rio Cristalino forests from the excellent 50m high tower (Mark Van Beirs)

View Map Download Detailed Itinerary 508kb

Report From September 2008 Report From October 2010 89 photos View Gallery Photos From THE PANTANAL & INTERIOR BRAZIL

The lovely Collared Crescentchest is an aberrant tapaculo that favours cerrado habitat (Tommy Ekmark)

The rivers of the Serra da Canastra hold the largest population of the enigmatic Brazilian Merganser (Tommy Ekmark)

The attractive White-eared Puffbird can often be very approachable and is for that reason called João Bobo (Crazy John) by Brazilian birdwatchers (Tommy Ekmark)

The magnificent Cock-tailed Tyrant lives in the endless grasslands of the Serra da Canastra (Tommy Ekmark)

The Pantanal is one of the last strongholds of the rare and declining Maguari Stork (Tommy Ekmark)

The Pantanal is by far the best place to see the sedate Plumbeous Ibis (Tommy Ekmark)

Parties of glorious Giant Otters are a regular feature of the boat trips in the Pantanal (Tommy Ekmark)

The tiny Grey-backed Tachuri is a Brazilian endemic that we should encounter in the Serra do Cipó (Tommy Ekmark)

The gorgeous Red-throated Piping-Guan is a regular sight in the forest at Rio Cristalino (Mark Van Beirs)

The Limpkin is the only member of its family and its numbers depend on the occurrence of Apple Snails (Tommy Ekmark)

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