DAY ONE
Flight from UK to Sao Paolo via Amsterdam with KLM. Local flights are possible for this tour from Birmingham, Manchester, Norwich or London Heathrow. We’ll arrive in time to do some birding in one of Sao Paolo’s greener parks. Overnight Sao Paolo at an airport hotel.

DAY TWO
We fly to Cuiaba and, after a fabulous meal in a churrasqueira, set off south along the Transpantaneira highway. The drive will be just a taster of what’s to come as we’re likely to get our first views of fabulous species such as Plumbeous Ibis, Snail Kite, Black-collared Hawk, Greater Rhea and Guira Cuckoo. The lodge where we spend the night is set in the most fabulous location, surrounded on three sides by wetlands which, if the water levels are right will be teeming with birds and we’ll have a first chance to enjoy the wealth of herons, egrets, Limpkins, jacanas, Wood Storks etc. and, if we haven’t seen some already we should have a chance to get close to Greater Rheas. One of the most exciting birds here is the Nacunda Nighthawk. It might be a member of the Nightjar family but it’s slightly rounded wings with striking white panels make it look almost like a Lapwing and its habit of gliding around in flocks over drying marshes makes it reminiscent of pratincoles. If time permits, we’ll take a jeep trip through some of the best habitats. Overnight Piuval

DAY THREE

There are a number of activities available to us today and the guides will choose the best options. We will most likely take an open-backed truck safari which means, wherever the birds are, we can drive right up to them! It takes us to areas where concentrations of waterbirds such as Snail Kites, Striated Herons, Limpkins, Wood Storks, Wattled Jacanas and Great Egrets. Amongst them are flocks of Black-bellied and White-faced Whistling Ducks, Roseate Spoonbills, Large-billed Terns, Black Skimmers, Buff-necked Ibis and Black-necked Stilt. We might flush a Nacunda Nighthawk and drive up to where it lands so we can photograph it at close range. The same thing could apply to a species that is easily heard but often difficult to see – Yellowish Pipit.

Another possible trip is to one of the islands of trees on the flat plain because these provide nesting habitat for the fabulous Hyacinth Macaws. With their massive size, long pointed wings and long tails these look like a made-up bird, the sort that features in animated films such as Avatar!

In the evening we can make another jeep safari, this time staying out after dark, searching especially for the remarkable Giant Ant-eater. In doing so we’ll find more Pauraques and nightjars and maybe a Bat Falcon, a Crab-eating Fox or a Tapir. There are Jaguar here too, and on our 2024 trip we even saw a Puma! Overnight Piuval.

DAY FOUR

Today we’ll drive along the Transpantaneira highway towards Porto Joffre. Of course we’ll be birding and mammal-watching all the way as we’ll pass through fabulous wetland habitats. The road itself is elevated above the nearby plain, as if on a levee, and from here we can often look down into roadside pools with birds such as Plumbeous, Bare-faced, Green and Buff-breasted Ibises, Rufescent Tiger Heron, Capped and Whistling Herons, Ringed and Amazon Kingfishers and Gray-necked Wood Rail, all begging to be photographed. Raptors will be almost constantly in view, with numbers of Roadside Hawk, Black-collared Hawk, Southern Caracara, Savannah Hawk, Snail Kite and Turkey Vulture, with some Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures and Great Black Hawks too. We’ll stop whenever something exciting is spotted such as Jabiru, Red-legged Seriema, White Woodpecker, Southern Screamer or even a Tapir and whenever we stop there’ll be a chance of birds flying over such as Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Toco Toucan, Turquoise-fronted Parrot and a variety of parakeets. There’ll be two distinctive nests along the highway – the teapot-like domes belonging to Rufous Horneros and the clusters of sticks, like kebab-stands, belonging to Greater Thornbirds. We’ll also pause at promising-looking marshes where birds such as Black-capped Donacobius, Yellow-chinned and Chotoi Spinetails, Smooth-billed Ani, White-headed Marsh Tyrant and Scarlet-headed Blackbird are likely. We reach a new lodge at SouthWild Pantanal, for a one night stop. One of the main reasons for staying here is so that we can use the Ocelot hide for an evening stake-out. Sightings of the cat are not guaranteed, but hopefully we will be lucky. 

DAY FIVE

SouthWild Lodge has two excellent observation towers, which give the opportunity not only to see canopy birds but also get eye-to-eye with nesting Jabiru storks. The lodge also has a network of trails which give chances to get to grips with some more elusive forest birds, and feeders which attract, among other things, the spectacular Toco Toucan. Photographic opportunities here are excellent as many of the birds are used to people being around. Our exact plan for today will depend a little on what we’ve already seen, though we are likely to spend more time on the harder to see forest birds. 

We then continue along the Transpanateria to Porto Joffre and take on a new mode of transport because from here the only way to get about is by boat along the Cuiaba river.  A motor boat will take us to our place of accommodation which will be a ’Flotel’ – a boat on which we will sleep in the cabins and eat delicious food cooked in the galley. En route to our flotel we might get our first views of riverside birds such as Pied Lapwing, Collared Plover and Yellow-billed Tern and as the sun sets there could be Band-tailed Nighthawks over the boat.

DAY SIX
This will be a fabulous day spent cruising along the Cuiaba river and its quieter tributaries. The birdlife here is just phenomenal with kingfishers, herons, cormorants and raptors all seen regularly and often at point blank range. It’s a fantastic place for photographers but the main aim of the day is to see the most famous creature of the Pantanal – a Jaguar. They spend most of their days either hunting or loafing at sites along the banks of the river but, of course, they are immaculately camouflaged. Fortunately there will be several boats exploring the many channels and, with so many eyes searching diligently, there are really good chances that at least one jaguar will be found – and they usually stay for long enough for every boat to see them. There’s always a chance too of seeing some action; we might see one stalking along the river bank or walking off into the forest or plunging into the water to catch and drag either a Caiman or a Capybara. Whatever you see you’re sure to be impressed by this fearsome and utterly gorgeous beast. Overnight on the Flotel.

DAY SEVEN
Today we undertake the long drive back along the Transpantaneira highway, stopping of course for more views of waterbirds or to look for smaller birds in the roadside bushes. One stop will be at a lodge where the feeders attract species such as Palm, Silver-beaked and Sayaca Tanagers and we might be able to find the ferruginous Pygmy Owl that often roosts there. We’ll continue our drive to the next lodge where we should have time to enjoy the birds of this vicinity and we may have time for another jeep safari in the night, hoping for mammals such as marsh deer and coatis and birds such as Pauraques and other nightjars but our main aim is to spot a Brazilian Tapir. Overnight at Pouso Alegre.

DAY EIGHT
We’ll awake to a cacophany of Plumbeous Ibis, Buff-breasted Ibis and Chaco Chachalacas tempting us out of our beds. As we walk around the grounds of the lodge we might be joined by Rusty-margined and Chestnut-bellied Guans and we’ll get views of birds like Rufous-bellied Thrush, Thrush-like Wren, Saffron Finch, Palm Tanager and Yellow-billed Cardinal. Star birds to look for here include Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Great Rufous Woodcreeper and the logic-defying Red-billed Scythebill but the most exciting bird at the lodge is probably the Toco Toucans which come to the feeders at dawn for some amazing photographic opportunities. Other birds around the lodge include the dazzling Orange-backed Troupial, Epaulet Oriole, the massive Crimson-crested Woodpecker and the more diminutive Little Woodpecker, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Crested Oropendola, various parrots and parakeets and maybe an Antshrike such as Great or Barred.
We depart this lodge late morning, making it as far as Pocone for a lunch stop and then continuing during the heat of the early afternoon to Chapada dos Guiamraes National Park and a two night stay at Pousada do Parque.

DAYS NINE AND TEN
We have two whole days to explore the Chapada dos Guimares National Park, one of the best birding areas in the Cerrado region. Although we are still quite close to Cuiaba, there are many new species to look for here. For example, the range of tanagers now includes species such as Magpie, Black-faced, Shrike-like, Gray-headed, White-lined, White-rumped, Burnished Buff, Flame-crested and Swallow Tanagers – a dazzling array of patterns and plumages. There’s also a much more varied range of hummingbirds including White-vented Violet-ear, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Blue-tufted Starthroat, Horned Sungem and Planalto and Cinnamon-throated Hermits. We’ll add to our list of Macaws : if we haven’t already seen Red-shouldered Macaw on the Pantanal we’ve a better chance here, along with Red-and-green, Blue-winged and possibly Red-bellied Macaws. The area is also home to a number of Cerrado specialities such as Campo Miner, Coal-crested Finch, Southern Antpipit and the distinctive Collared Crescentchest and the forests here offer a chance of seeing Band-tailed Manakin, White-bellied Warbler, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker and Buff-throated Saltator. More open areas offer White-eared Puffbird, Rufous-winged Antshrike, Gray Monjita and Black-throated Saltator. Some of the habitats here are grasslands which we’ll explore in search of species such as Wedge-tailed Grassfinch, Plumbeous Seedeater and Grassland Sparrow. On day ten we drive back to Cuiaba and overnight at Amazon Hotel by the airport, ready for an early flight tomorrow. 

DAY ELEVEN

Today we rise early for a flight to Sao Paulo then a drive up into the nearby hills for a two-night stop in the fabulous Atlantic Rainforest. With a host of endemic birds quite different to those seen on the rest of the tour, only a couple of hours drive into the hills above the city, we will enjoy an action-packed time here! On the approach road to the lodge we will begin to see some great birds such as Surucua Trogon, Slatybreasted Wood Rail and Masked Water-Tyrant, but on arrival at this magical place prepare to be bewildered by an avalanche of new birds!

The verandah of the lodge has well-stocked feeders that attract a huge variety of tanagers and you’ll quickly get used to the greeny one (Olive-green Tanager), the black one (Ruby-crowned Tanager, only occasionally showing red in its crown), the rusty-brown one (female Ruby-crowned). the turquoise-headed one (Green-headed Tanager), the bluey-grey one with a bluer patch in the shoulder (Azure-shouldered Tanager), the deeper blue one with a yellow patch in its shoulder (Golden-chevroned Tanager), the one with black around the eyes and face (Black-goggled Tanager) and the reddish one on the floor below the feeders (Red-crowned Ant-Tanager). And that’s just the tanagers!

Larger birds such as Red-breasted Toucan, the greeny-yellow Saffron Toucanets, Plain and Maroon-bellied Parakeets, Red-rumped Cacique and a regular Yellow-fronted Woodpecker

are complemented by smaller ones such as Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Blue Dacnis, Golden-crowned Warbler and Rufous-capped Spinetail.  On the ground below, Rufous-bellied and White-necked Thrushes will be scavenging for scraps. In the comings and goings there may also be Black-throated Grosbeak, Planalto Woodcreeper, Buff-fronted Foliage -gleaner, Lined Seedeater and Buff-throated Purpletuft. The verandah overlooks a pool on the other side of which were a pair of Riverside Warblers. If you can tear yourself away from this avalanche of birds, there are hummingbird feeders on the other side of the lodge and these attract regular Violet-crowned Woodnymphs and Scale-throated Hermits as well as the occasional Brazilian Ruby or tiny Festive Coquette. Tomorrow morning we go birding! Please note that flight times are not published until a couple of months beforehand, and it’s possible we may not arrive at the lodge until after dark on the first day. We will still get the chance to see all these species and more tomorrow!

DAY TWELVE

Today we have a full day exploring the Atlantic Forest close to the lodge. We will no doubt start at first light where we have a chance to see and hear the range-restricted Least Pygmy-Owl if we didn’t catch sight of it last night. A moth sheet also attracts a lot of birds at first light, such as White-throated Woodcreeper, Riverbank Warbler and the spectacular Tufted Antshrike. The haunting calls of Variegated Antpitta will emanate from the forest nearby, but we’d have to be really lucky to glimpse it. Back at the lodge for breakfast we can check the feeding stations for any surprises like the superb Blonde-crested Woodpecker, and then we will set off for a morning on the trails. Harder-to-see birds will be on the agenda and we could find Crescent-chested Puffbird, Pin-tailed Manakin, Grey-capped Tyrannulet, Golden-crowned Warbler, Grey-hooded Atilla, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, White-breasted Tapaculo and White-bearded Bellbird. Red-ruffed Fruitcrow is even sometimes seen in the area. The afternoon will be left to see what we might have missed, and we will either have a drive to a different area to bird or spend more time around the lodge. Large birds such as Dusky-legged Guan and Black-fronted Piping-Guan are often around the lodge in the late afternoon. At dusk, a Brazilian Tapir often comes to the lodge to eat fruit put out by the owners, allowing for incredible close range views.

DAY THIRTEEN

A walk around the grounds this morning will have us gazing at lots of great species such as Long-tailed Tyrant, White-throated Hummingbird, White-spotted Woodpecker, Half-collared Sparrow and the surprisingly Magpie-like Magpie Tanager. Not forgetting the gorgeous little Ochre-collared Piculet or Bicolored Hawk too.

We will then be able to use the facilities at the lodge after lunch to freshen up and change ready for the drive back down to Sao Paulo for our evening flights back to the UK.

DAY FOURTEEN

Arrival back to the UK via Amsterdam where the tour will conclude.

WHATS INCLUDED

Return flights UK/Sao Paulo via Amsterdam with KLM including designated luggage allowance, all internal flights within Brazil, airport transfers, twelve nights accommodation in a variety of good quality lodges, one overnight on board aircraft, meals from in-flight on day one to in-flight on day fourteen, ground transport in Brazil, services of leaders and reserve entrance fees. 

NOT INCLUDED

Travel to/from London and any overnight stay that might be required, tips [allow around $200], alcoholic drinks and any items of a purely personal nature.

Brazil – Pantanal and Amazon 2023

*Note the 2023 was a different itinerary to our 2024 tour

Brazil – Pantanal & Cerrado 2024

Brazil Pantanal & Cerrado 2025