This 11 day/10 night trip will explore the birds and wildlife of Pantanal and Chapada dos Guimarães.

Start in the city of Cuiabá and then head to the famous Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, spending the whole morning looking for bird species like Red-and-green Macaw, Blue-winged Macaw, Chapada Flycatcher, Coal-crested Finch, Guira Cuckoo, Toco Toucan, and Peach-fronted Parakeet. We will drive toward our accommodation, Pousada do Parque Lodge. You will be thrilled with the birding opportunities that this place offers, with species such as Planalto Hermit, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Red Pileated Finch, Chopi Blackbird, Pale-crested Woodpecker, Flavescent Warbler, and a good number of night birds such as Nacunda Nighthawk, Common Potoo, Rufous Nightjar, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Little Nightjar, Pauraque, and Tropical Screech Owl. 

Birding outside the park includes good targets such as White-rumped Tanager, White-banded Tanager, Collared Crescentchest, Pavonine Cuckoo, Amazonian Motmot, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Brown Jacamar, White-eared Puffbird, and Spot-backed Puffbird. We might also have a chance to see the endemic Crested Black Tyrant, and have time to admire the famous Cachoeira Véu de Noiva (bridal veil waterfall).

After three nights at Pousada do Parque in the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, we will drive to Poconé at the entrance to the largest wetland in the world, the Pantanal. During our stay in the Pantanal we will visit and stay at different lodges, which are carefully chosen to provide the best birding and wildlife opportunities.

During our stay at the Pantanal Mato Grosso Hotel we will do boat trips searching for aquatic species such as Amazon, Ringed, Green, Green-and-rufous, and American Pygmy Kingfisher, Agami Heron, Jabiru, and Cocoi Heron. Here we also might see Blue-throated Piping Guan, Golden-collared Macaw, Black-collared Hawk, Sungrebe, and Giant Otter.

We will drive along the Transpantaneira, which is the only road that passes through the northern Pantanal and ends on the Cuiabá River. Here we will stay for two nights at the comfortable Hotel Pantanal Norte – Porto Jofre, which will be our base to look for the majestic Jaguar along the Cuiabá River. The chances to see this legendary animal are very high in the Pantanal, and we should be rewarded with more than one sighting. After two nights at Porto Joffre, we will return to Cuiabá, from where you can connect with your domestic flights back to São Paulo and home from there.

Cost: $4,990 per person, double occupancy; $537 single supplement. Limit 8 people.

Complete description and itinerary can be viewed here.

For questions and registration about this trip, contact Eric Schroeder at travelprogram@goldengatebirdalliance.org

Please do not contact the vendor first.