Tour Overview
Welcome to Brazil!Our Brazil eco tour highlights Brazil’s stunning biodiversity. Explore sweeping grasslands, Atlantic rain forests, and the Pantanal in the company of leading naturalist Mark Brazil. Begin in exuberant Rio de Janeiro and travel to Serra da Canastra National Park for encounters with woolly spider monkeys, giant anteaters, and maned wolves. Tour the acclaimed Pantanal on wildlife and birding safaris in search of the over 400 species of birds, caimans, capybaras, and giant river otters. Iguaçu Falls makes for a grand finale, a spectacular two-and-a-half-mile-wide cascade linking Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. What to expect:
Travelers on our Best of Brazil program should be aware that although the tour is not overly strenuous, all participants should be reasonably fit and capable of moderate exercise while searching for primates and birds. On several occasions there will be jungle hikes that will entail being able to walk, unaided, along rugged trails with occasional inclines. All accommodations are the best available in the area for a group of our size and will range from simple to luxurious. Please note that in most of Brazil’s hotels, twin beds are standard. Let us know if you prefer a double bed and we will request it wherever possible. Nonsmoking rooms are rarely available in South America. Participants should also be aware that several days of our itinerary require lengthy bus journeys along rough roads to transport us to the areas that are diverse and rich in wildlife. We will mail a complete list of recommended clothing and a suggested reading list to you approximately five months prior to departure. For travelers who delight in natural history, possess a sense of humor, flexibility, and a true spirit of adventure, your adventures in Brazil will be remembered for many years to come. Expedition Leader:
Dr. Mark Brazil
Mark developed his fascination with the natural world, especially birds, during his boyhood in the landlocked English county of Worcestershire. He then pursued his academic interests in biology during studies in England and Scotland, while exploring the coasts and mountains of Britain in search of birds. Mark earned his Ph.D. from Stirling University, Scotland, for his work on avian ecology and behavior in Iceland. Ornithological research, natural history consultancy for TV companies, and guiding naturalists and wildlife photographers have taken him to all continents, but his particular passion is Asia in all its diversity. Fascinated by island biology, he is a leading authority on the natural history of Japan, where he worked as a professor of biodiversity and conservation at Rakuno Gakuen University near Sapporo. In addition to being a field naturalist, he is a columnist, author, and editor. His books include Wild Asia: Spirit of a Continent, The Birds of Japan (the definitive text of bird biology and distribution in the Japanese archipelago), the monograph The Whooper Swan, and most recently, A Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: September 3, 2010Depart USA
Depart from the USA this evening on your independent overnight flight to Rio de Janeiro. Day 2: September 4, 2010
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Arrive Rio de Janeiro and transfer to our hotel. After lunch depart for an afternoon at the Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro, a botanical microcosm of Brazil, showcasing Victoria Amazonica lilies and more than 700 species of orchid, and supporting many of the region’s common birds. We also ride the cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf, Rio’s iconic peak, for marvelous views of the city and its famous beaches. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at the Caesar Park Hotel.
Caesar Park Hotel Day 3: September 5, 2010
Rio De Janeiro- Belo Horizonte- Serra Da Canastra National Park
A short morning flight brings us to Belo Horizonte where an overland drive to Serra da Canastra National Park takes us through the central part of the state of Minas Gerais. The rocky, hilly landscape is dotted with farms and pastures and the occasional dark green patch of remnant forest is lit by bright yellow and purple flowering trees. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. Day 4: September 6, 2010
Serra Da Canastra National Park
A vast area of rugged mountains and termite-mound-studded grasslands, Serra da Canastra National Park presents a spectacular backdrop to our full day excursion. The wooded gullies and rolling savannas support unusual birds, including the comical-looking toco toucan and cock-tailed tyrant, as well as the world’s highest concentration of giant anteaters. We hope to have good photographic opportunities of these and other fascinating animals as they roam the grasslands. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. Day 5: September 7, 2010
Serra Da Canastra National Park- Caraca Natural Park
Today we set out overland to Caraça Natural Park with stops for photos, birding, and lunch en route. Set among tall mountains and lush montane forest, this beautiful park was originally a seminary retreat. Our accommodations for the next two nights are in renovated rooms in a wing of the original 17th-century seminary, surrounded by park lands among high mountains and lush forest. Tonight we gather outside the church, hoping to witness a maned wolf coming to take meat, a tradition that began more than 15 years ago. Dinner and overnight at the seminary. Day 6: September 8, 2010
Caraca Natural park
We have a full day to explore the Caraça wilderness on various walks with special focus on the endangered masked titi monkey, often located early in the morning by its strange laughing call. We will also look for the uncommon black-tufted-ear marmoset. The many birds of the area include such gems as the elusive swallow-tailed cotinga and the hyacinth visorbearer. Dinner and overnight at the seminary. Day 7: September 9, 2010
Caraca Natural Park- Ouro Preto- Belo Horizonte
We depart Caraça early this morning, driving south to visit the World Heritage Site of Ouro Preto, a charming colonial city built from the fabulous wealth acquired from what were then some of the richest gold mines in the Western Hemisphere. After a lunch and a tour here, we drive to Belo Horizonte for dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at our hotel. Day 8: September 10, 2010
Belo Horizonte- Cuiaba- Pantanal
We depart Belo Horizonte very early this morning and fly to Cuiaba. We set out for the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a Biosphere Reserve. The first 60 miles is through a disturbed cerrado transition ecosystem that leads to the raised-dirt highway known as the Transpantaneira. Suddenly, wildlife abounds; this is one of the finest birding regions on Earth. The astonishing biodiversity here includes an incredible array of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Fish concentrate in the few seasonal pools, which in turn are crowded with storks, herons, spoonbills, ibises, and limpkins, not to mention ever-watchful jacaré caimans that search the ponds for easy prey. We continue through a diverse blend of cattle country, forest, and swamps, with repeated stops for observation and photography. Our journey continues after dusk with an evening spotlighting excursion to look for crab-eating foxes, crab-eating raccoons, and other mammals of the area. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in the Pantanal. Day 9: September 11, 2010
Pantanal- Porto Jofre
We spend our first morning in the Pantanal on the Pixaim River, searching for the family of giant otters that makes its home in this area. After lunch we continue southward towards Porto Jofre, making frequent stops for birds, nature-viewing, and photography as we head ever deeper into the Pantanal. We scan any wetland areas along the way for capybara and marsh deer, and we stop to admire the immense treetop nests of the jabiru stork, an iconic bird of the region. By the time we reach Porto Jofre, at the very end of the Transpantaneira, in the heart of the northern Pantanal, the sight of hundreds of jacaré caimans, dozens of capybaras, and a multitude of water birds will have presented a unique and memorable spectacle. Dinner and overnight at the Porto Jofre Hotel. Day 10: September 12, 2010
Porto Jofre- Pantanal- Cuiaba River To fully explore this rich wetland area, we spend much of today in boats on the Cuiaba River to watch some of the area’s innumerable riverine birds, including kingfishers, terns, and skimmers, as well as keep a lookout for capybaras, caimans, howler and capuchin monkeys and, if we are extremely lucky, perhaps even a jaguar. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. Day 11: September 13, 2010
Pantanal- Pixaim River During today’s drive northward we search for the region’s rare and beautiful hyacinth macaw and stop for lunch along the Pixaim River. We continue to Araras Eco-Lodge arriving in the late afternoon, which gives us time to watch the hordes of birds at the feeders, to seek out local mammals, including coati, or to simply relax. After dinner another fascinating night drive takes us in search of crab-eating fox, great potoo, and perhaps even the ocelots occasionally seen in the area. Overnight at Araras Eco-Lodge. Day 12: September 14, 2010
Cuiaba- Vitoria- Santa Teresa
We return to Cuiaba, transfer to the airport for our flight to Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, then drive to Santa Teresa, a charming city whose tiled-roof farmhouses reveal its 19th-century Italian roots. The town is laid out in the shape of a cross; flowers and trees decorate its square. We visit the botanical garden of the Mello Leitao Museum, where flowers and feeders attract multiple species of iridescent hummingbirds, including the stunning swallow-tailed hummingbird, and perhaps even the scarce frilled coquette. Dinner at a local restaurant; overnight at our hotel in Santa Teresa. Day 13: September 15, 2010
Santa Teresa- Muriqui Project- Lombardia Forest
After breakfast we drive to Santa Maria de Jetibá to visit the Muriqui Project whose mission is to study and conserve the populations and habitats of the northern muriqui. One of the world’s 25 most critically endangered primates, and South America’s largest primate, the muriqui is endemic to Brazil’s Atlantic rain forest region. Only a few hundred individuals remain and our visit to the project will help support this species. This afternoon we visit the Lombardia Forest, which shares parkland with the Augusto Ruschi Reserve, home to the buffy-headed marmoset, maned sloth, brown capuchin, and masked titi monkeys. Birding here is rich and rewarding and we hope to find antbirds, manakins, puffbirds, toucanets, and many more rare and endemic species. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. Day 14: September 16, 2010
Santa Teresa- Vitoria- Iguacu Falls
After breakfast we drive to Vitória and enjoy lunch in town before boarding our flight to Iguaçu via Rio de Janeiro. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Iguaçu. Day 15: September 17, 2010
Iguacu Falls
We have a full day to explore Iguaçu, one of the world’s most dramatic, and South America’s most celebrated waterfall. The falls are located on the Rio Iguaçu, just above the meeting point of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, and surrounded by luxuriant subtropical rain forest. Today we visit the Argentinean side of the two-and-a-half-mile-wide falls to enjoy a glorious combination of furious whitewater, rain forest, and diverse birdlife, including caciques, toucans, and woodpeckers. Of special interest are the kettles of great dusky swifts as they swirl and dart through the rising clouds of spray and cling to the cliffs behind the falls; among them we may find white-collared and biscutate swifts. The endangered tegu lizard is relatively common here, and the number and colors of butterflies is astounding. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. Day 16: September 18, 2010
Iguacu Falls- Rio De Janeiro- USA
This morning we take a leisurely walking excursion to admire the Brazilian side of the falls and to enjoy the most spectacular of all the views—the grand panorama. After lunch fly to Rio de Janeiro, then connect to your independent flight back to the USA.
