BRAZIL CAMPO GRANDE - CHAPADA DOS GUIMARÃES
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BRAZIL
CAMPO GRANDE - CHAPADA DOS GUIMARÃES
& NORTHERN PANTANAL
AUGUST 15-29, 2020
August 15 - Arrival in São Paulo, Brazil – Transfer to Hotel near the Airport
NT 1 of 1 at Ibis Hotel in Guarulhos
August 16 - Fly to Campo Grande - Transfer to Pousada Aguapé
This morning we will fly from São Paulo to Campo Grande, the modern capital of the state of
Mato Grosso do Sul. In Campo Grande we will be met by our local guide and load up into our
air-conditioned van for the transfer to our lodge, the Pousada Aguapé (ca. 3 hours). After check-
in at the lodge, we can take our first birding walk on the lodge property where we are likely to
encounter the first Hyacinth Macaws of the trip, in addition to Toco Toucan, Nanday Parakeet,
Chaco Chachalaca, Campo Flicker, Plush-crested Jay and more.
NT 1 of 2 at Pousada Aguapé
Nanday Parakeet
Campo Flicker
Six-banded Armadillo
August 17 - Full day at Pousada Aguapé
We have a full day to explore the Pousada Aguapé property. Aguapé is a family-run lodge
situated near the banks of the Aquidauana river, and we shall explore the area on foot, by boat,
and using open safari vehicles. The safari trips typically offer excellent opportunities to observe
the enigmatic Giant Anteater, a species which can be difficult to find farther north in the
Pantanal; we are certain to see families of Capybaras, gangs of the ostrich-like Greater Rhea,
stately pairs of Red-legged Seriemas and a great deal more. There are a handful of birds we will
want to target at Aguapé, birds which do not occur or are rare in the northern Pantanal: Blaze-
winged Parakeet, Spectacled Owl, Chestnut-capped Foliage-gleaner and White-fronted
Woodpecker to name just a few. A night safari on the property could yield more anteater
sightings, and there is also a chance for the gorgeous Ocelot here.
NT 2 of 2 at Pousada Aguapé
Giant Anteater
Plumbeous Ibis
August 18 - All day exploring the Southern Pantanal – Transfer to Pousada Pequi
Another exciting morning of birding at Pousada Aguapé. After lunch at the lodge, we will
transfer to the nearby Pousada Pequi, where we shall spend one night. Like Aguapé, the Pousada
Pequi is an intimate lodge where the owners are your hosts on a traditional “fazenda
pantaneira” (Pantanal ranch). Amongst the main attractions here are the excellent feeders around
the lodge, including one which tends to attract the showy Blue-and-yellow Macaw for good
photo opportunities.
The Southern Tamandua, a small anteater species, Nine-banded Armadillo and the diminutive
Pampas Deer will all be targets on this day as well.
NT 1 of 1 at Pousada Pequi
Blue-and-yellow Macaws
Aplomado Falcon
Pampas Deer
August 19 - Return to Campo Grande - Fly to Cuiabá
Depending on the timing of our flight today, we should have time for some birding in the
morning; at the very least we’ll have a last chance to enjoy the feeders. We then return to Campo
Grande (ca, 3 hours) to catch our flight to the bustling city of Cuiabá in Mato Grosso state. We
will be spending one night in Cuiabá.
NT 1 of 1 at Grand Odara Hotel in Cuiabá
August 20 - Chapada dos Guimarães.
After an early breakfast at our hotel in Cuiabá, we drive approximately an hour (ca. 65 km) to the
north-east to the small town of Chapada dos Guimarães. This interesting area is set on a scenic
sandstone plateau topped with a mix of scrubby cerrado habitat and humid gallery forests,
sandstone cliffs and fascinating rock formations. Birders love this area because it is surrounded
by significant patches of cerrado savannas and gallery forest habitats, which are loaded with
numerous species of birds. We have most of today and a full day on the 21st to bird the Chapada
dos Guimarães area.
NT 1 of 2 in Chapada dos Guimarães.
Burrowing Owl
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
Bridal Veil Falls Aug 21- Chapada dos Guimarães National Park and surrounding area We have a full day to bird in and around Chapada dos Guimarães, where we’ll focus on the area’s specialties. First thing in the morning we will try and chase down a number of cerrado endemics such as White-rumped & Shrike-like Tanagers, White-eared Puffbird, Rufous-winged Antshrike, Chapada Flycatcher, Curl-crested Jay, Collared Crescentchest, Black-throated Saltator, White-vented Violetear, and with a bit of luck, the spectacular Horned Sungem. As the morning heats up we will retreat to the shady gallery forests that hug watercourses in valleys such as the Jamacá valley. This habitat holds a different set of birds, with targets including Amazonian Motmot, Band-tailed and Fiery-capped Manakins, Southern Antpipit, Pheasant Cuckoo and White-shouldered Fire-eye. Birding in rocky cerrado close to the sandstone cliffs along the escarpment might turn up the scarce Blue Finch or a Stripe-tailed Yellow-Finch, while scans for raptors and swifts could yield sightings of a King Vulture, Black-chested Buzzard- Eagle or flocks of Biscutate Swifts. An afternoon visit to an area of cerrado farther afield could produce the endemic Yellow-faced Parrot and the scarce Checkered Woodpecker. We'll also visit the famous Bridal Veil falls, Mato Grosso's best-known 'postcard' spot, an impressive 86-m waterfall. Even better, this is a usually a good spot to see Red-and-green Macaws, Blue-winged Macaw, Cliff Flycatcher, and Crested Black-Tyrant. NT 2 of 2 in Chapada dos Guimarães.
White-rumped Tanager Black-throated Saltator
Horned Sungem White-eared Puffbird
August 22 - Transfer to the Pantanal.
After some final birding in Chapada dos Guimarães, we depart by mid-morning to drive back to
Cuiabá before heading south-west to the Pantanal (ca. 3.5 hours travel). After passing Cuiabá, the
scrubby rather arid brushland begins to thin out as we descend gradually into the low-lying
sedimentary depression where the Pantanal sits. As we reach the small town of Poconé, the
paved road ends with a jarring suddenness: we have reached the Transpantaneira, the dusty
“highway” which strikes 150 kilometers into the northern Pantanal. As we bump and bounce
along we’ll begin to notice egrets, herons, and raptors alongside the road attending water-filled
ditches and drying-out watering holes. Our next lodge, Pousada Piuval, is certainly one of the
finest birding lodges anywhere in the Pantanal, and it makes for a perfect first stop along the
Transpantaneira. After lunch and getting settled into the rooms, we’ll get right to the birding,
exploring the marshes, forest patches, and intervening drier open areas on the expansive lodge
property.
NT 1 of 2 at Pousada Piuval.
Green Kingfisher (female)
Yellow-chinned Spinetail August 23 - Pousada Piuval. Piuval hosts a variety of habitats on its 17,700 acres of property, and with a full day to bird here there will be plenty to keep us busy. The dry forests here host a number of species we may not have seen thus far during the trip, and we will be on the lookout for White-eyed Attila, Amazonian Motmot, Mato Grosso Antbird, Saffron-billed Sparrow, and other denizens of this habitat in the morning. Rarer possibilities are Black-bellied Antwren and Spot-backed Puffbird. Open areas between natural forest patches are good for Red-legged Seriema, which only occurs in drier parts of the Pantanal. The forests themselves could yield Red-billed Scythebill or its massive cousin, the Great Rufous Woodcreeper. In the afternoon, we can take a boat trip on the
Baía Piuval, a wide shallow lake with vast rafts of floating vegetation where we’ll search for
Least Bittern, Purple Gallinule and Yellow-breasted Crake.
NT 2 of 2 at Pousada Piuval
Nacunda Nighthawk
Red-legged Seriema
Paraguayan Caiman (youngster)Ringed Kingfisher
Yellow-breasted Crake
August 24 - Transpantaneira to Porto Jofre.
We depart early this morning, driving south down the Transpantaneira and stopping
opportunistically to enjoy the abundant bird life gathered around small pools that diminish by the
day during the dry season. Various bridges along the route are great places to stop and search for
wildlife: here we’ll see dozens of Large-billed Terns diving near the bridges, competing with
kingfishers and Neotropical Cormorants for hapless fish; sometimes a family of Giant River
Otters gets in on the fun, while numerous egrets, Wood Storks, Jabiru, Rufescent Tiger Herons
and Cocoi Herons patrol the edges, picking their way delicately through hundreds of basking
Paraguayan Caiman. The balance of the morning is spent driving to the end of the
Transpantaneira to Porto Jofre, where we have lunch before the transfer to our comfortable live-
aboard yacht, the Millennium. After a welcome drink aboard the Millennium, we board a
comfortable motor launch and head upstream to explore the Cuiabá river and its tributaries in
search of South America’s greatest predator, the Jaguar.
NT 1 of 2 aboard the Millennium yacht.Black-collared Hawk
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
JaguarParaguayan Caiman August 25 - Full day river trip searching for Jaguars. We have a full day to explore the Cuiabá river and its tributaries to continue our search for Jaguars as they rest in the shade or while they hunt for Capybaras and caiman along the river banks. There is plenty of other interesting things to see during this day, and we should encounter Giant River Otters, Blue-throated Piping-Guan, Jabiru, Roseate Spoonbill, Black-collared Hawk, Blue-crowned Trogon, Little Cuckoo, and much more. Exposed sandbars will have breeding colonies of Black Skimmers, Yellow-billed and Large-billed Terns along with dapper pairs of Pied Lapwings and Collared Plovers. Our motor launches are equipped with folding canopies to protect us from the intense tropical sun, and have strong four-stroke engines allowing us to reach all of the best locations quickly and quietly. All boats from our hotel maintain constant radio contact, meaning we will be quickly alerted of any nearby Jaguar sightings. NT 2 of 2 aboard the Millennium Yacht.
Giant River Otter
Jabiru
Capybara with Giant CowbirdBlack-fronted Nunbird August 26 - Travel to Rio Claro. Another morning boat trip in Jaguar country is bound to be unforgettable. While the most reliable area for Jaguars is centered on the lower reaches of the Three Brothers river and the stretches of the Cuiabá river above and below the Three Brothers, there are so many smaller rivers, oxbows, and bays in the area that the possibilities for exploration are seemingly endless. We plan to return a bit earlier to the Millennium today in order to have a few minutes to pack up before lunch and departure. In the afternoon we return to Porto Jofre and spend the afternoon driving north on the Transpantaneira to the Pousada Rio Claro, where we stay a single night. If we arrive to the lodge in time, we can check out the feeders which are usually quite active with swarms of Yellow-billed Cardinals, Grayish Baywings and Purplish Jays. NT 1 of 1 at Pousada Rio Claro.
White-headed Marsh-Tyrant
Southern Screamer
Scarlet-headed Blackbird
August 27 - Rio Claro and transfer to Aymara Lodge
A boat trip on the Rio Claro is always a highlight of any visit to the northern Pantanal. The slow-
moving river is relatively narrow and absolutely jam-packed with birds and other wildlife.
Highlights typically include all five South American kingfisher species, a parade of herons and
egrets, remarkable views of Black-collared and Great Black Hawks, and both the unique
Sunbittern and the lone South American representative of the finfoot family, the Sungrebe. If we
are fortunate, we might even find the shy and elusive Agami Heron! After our boat trip we drive
north on the Transpantaneira to our final stop on the tour, the lovely Aymara Lodge. Aymara is
located in a wooded area along a narrow river full of wildlife. The lodge has recently re-opened
under the management of birders and nature photographers, which means that the needs of the
serious wildlife watcher are truly take to heart at this location. Regular visitors to the lodge
grounds include Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Bare-faced Curassow, Chestnut-bellied Guan,
Chestnut-eared Aracari, Golden-collared Macaw, Hyacinth Macaw (nesting beside your rooms!),
Crimson-crested and Pale-crested Woodpeckers, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Red-billedScythebill, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and more. Mammal watching around the lodge is good, with
excellent chances for Black-and-gold Howler Monkeys, South American Coati, Azara’s Agouti,
and even the shy Paca.
NT 1 of 1 at Aymara Lodge.
Sunbittern
Bare-faced CurassowGolden-collared Macaw
August 28 - Aymara Lodge and travel to Cuiabá. Afternoon flight to São Paulo
We should have most of the morning to bird at Aymara before we need to pack up and depart for
Cuiabá. The forest trails on the lodge property are excellent, replete with enticing possibilities:
Undulated Tinamou, Blue-throated Piping-Guan, Buff-bellied Hermit, White-wedged Piculet,
Planalto Slaty-Antshrike, Large-billed Antwren, Mato Grosso Antbird, White-lored Spinetail,
Southern Antpipit, Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant, White-naped Xenopsaris, Helmeted and Band-
tailed Manakins, Green-backed Becard, Gray-headed Tanager and Orange-backed Troupial are
amongst the species we could encounter here during the last birding walk of our trip.
Departure from Aymara and drive for approximately 2 and a half hours to Cuiabá, arriving in
time for late afternoon / early evening departure for São Paulo.
NT 1 of 1 Ibis Hotel in Guarulhos.
Great Black HawkBuff-necked Ibis
Hyacinth Macaw
August 29 - Departure from Sao Paulo International Airport (GRU Airport)
End of tour.
TOTAL PRICE PER PERSON (BASED ON 6 TO 8 PARTICIPANTS)
$5,600
Included in the price:
Lodging from August 15th to 28th
Professional bird guide Steven Easley and local bird guide from Brazil
Professional driver and private vehicle
All meals from breakfast on August 16th to supper on August 28thBottled water throughout the trip Transfers from and to the airport Boat rides as specified in the itinerary Domestic flights on Aug 16th: Sao Paulo-Campo Grande, Aug 19th: Campo Grande- Cuiba and Aug 28th: Cuiba- Sao Paulo NOT included in the price: International airfare Any type of drinks during sit-down meals Tips to guides, drivers, porters Travel Insurance Visa to enter Brazil Items of personal nature NOTE: The trip starts and ends in Sao Paulo GRU International Airport
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