The Pantanal, the name given to the vast wetlands of southwest Brazil and eastern Bolivia, is famous for congregations of massive numbers of birds and mammals. We will stay at some delightful lodges and be spoiled by the easy birding. This tour is timed for the end of the dry season, when birds are often concentrated in the few remaining wet areas, and mosquito numbers are at their lowest. The low river levels also make it easier to spot Jaguars on the sandy banks, and we’ll devote a day searching for this alluring creature. The northern Pantanal is easily combined with a trip to the southern Amazon, where the birding is a little more challenging, although the rewards are perhaps greater; the Cristalino Jungle Lodge has its own private reserve with a mind-boggling bird list of nearly 600 species.

Day 1: Cuiabá. We’ll meet you at the airport and take you to a nearby hotel for the night.

Day 2: Chapada dos Guimarães. We’ll have the whole day to explore this national park north of Cuiabá. The scrubby cerrado (savanna) may not look like much, but it can be surprisingly good for birds such as White-banded and White-rumped Tanagers, White-eared Puffbird, and the rare Rufous-sided Pygmy-Tyrant. Gallery forest lower down has a different set of birds with a more Amazonian flavor such as Fiery-capped Manakin, Lettered Aracari, and Saffron-billed and Pectoral Sparrows. After lunch, we’ll check out the magnificent Bridal Veil falls, where Great Dusky Swifts can often be seen coming in to roost in the afternoons.

Day 3: Chapada to Cristalino Jungle Lodge. After a few more hours birding in the Chapada, we return to Cuiabá and catch a midday flight to the town of Alta Floresta. From here, we travel by vehicle and boat to the lodge, our home for the next five nights. Cristalino Jungle Lodge has quickly gained the reputation as being the finest lodge in the Southern Amazon, with comfortable rooms, great food and service, and terrific birding.

Days 4-7: Cristalino Jungle Lodge. With four full days to explore the area, we’ll have the chance to visit most of the best birding sites. Dawn on the sturdy 160 ft. (50 m) high tower is an unforgettable experience. The great view over the treetops gives us a good chance of seeing canopy species like Red-necked Aracari, Black-girdled Barbet, Spangled Cotinga, and Red-fan Parrot. Several trails from the lodge give access to bamboo-dominated areas with specialized species like Manu and Striated Antbirds, Rose-breasted Chat, Crested Foliage-gleaner, a distinctive race of Dot-winged Antwren, and Rufous-capped Nunlet. Another trail takes us to the top of some granite outcrops to more open forest of a markedly different nature, where we may find Natterer’s Slaty-Antshrike, Spotted Puffbird, and others. The seasonally flooded forest near the edge of the river has the endemic Glossy Antshrike, Bronzy Jacamar, and the subdued Flame-crested Manakin. Other trails pass through vast terra firme forests loaded with antbirds like Spot-backed, Dot-backed, Black-faced, Bare-eyed, Scale-backed, Banded, and more. This is truly one of the top birding spots in the world and there will be plenty to keep us busy for every minute.

Day 8: Cristalino to the Pantanal. After some final birding, we fly back to Cuiabá in the afternoon, then drive a few hours to the start of the famous Transpantaneira, or Pantanal Highway. We’ll spend the first two nights at Pousada Piuval, a comfortable lodge on a working cattle ranch near the start of the highway.

Day 9: Pousada Piuval. Piuval has some of the most impressive birding anywhere on the planet, with huge numbers of birds seen and daily lists reaching astronomical numbers, higher than for any of our other South American tours. The reason why it’s so great is the easy access to a wide variety of habitats, including rivers, wetlands, flooded pastures, gallery forest, and dry scrub. There’s simply not room here for all the birds, but some of the main highlights are the huge Hyacinth Macaws (seen daily), Greater Rhea, Bare-faced Curassow, Chestnut-bellied Guan, up to four ibises,  the hulking Southern Screamer, Jabiru, Maguari Stork (some years), Black-collared Hawk, White Woodpecker, Gray-crested Cacholote, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, and Red-crested Cardinal.

Day 10: Piuval to Pantanal Wildlife Center. After another morning at Piuval we drive a few hours south to Pantanal Wildlife Center for a two-night stay, a lodge situated on the edge of the Pixaim River. One of the highlights here are the afternoon boat trips on the river, a relaxing way to see Agami Heron, Blue-throated Piping-Guan, Pale-crested Woodpecker, Giant Otter, and more. Every evening we’ll enjoy the spectacle of Nacunda and Band-tailed Nighthawks flying low over the water along with huge Greater Bulldog Bats. On one night, there will be an optional spotlighting drive for nocturnal mammals and birds.

Day 11: Pantanal Wildlife Center. A nearby trail passes through superb gallery forest, which can be loaded with birds in the morning. The open nature of the forest makes it relatively easy to see them, and Band-tailed Antbird, Large-billed Antwren, and Helmeted Manakin can usually be seen without too much difficulty. A Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl imitation can often bring in large mobbing hordes of passerines, like Flavescent Warbler, Ashy-headed Greenlet, Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant, and others. In the afternoon we take another boat ride on the river.

Day 12: Pantanal highway. Today we’ll venture farther south, crossing many narrow wooden bridges as we look for more birds. This area can be good for the spectacular Scarlet-headed Blackbird along with other local species like Buff-breasted Wren, Cinereous-breasted and Rusty-backed Spinetails, and secretive Pavonine Cuckoo. We’ll spend two nights at a hotel near the southern end of the Pantanal Highway.

Day 13: Jaguar quest. We’ll spend all day on a comfortable boat cruising the river and its tributaries searching for the most revered animal in all of the Neotropics. While the boatmen are very experienced, there is still no guarantee that we’ll see one, and we’ll be at the mercy of Lady Luck. While Jaguar is the primary target of the day, we’ll of course be watching the usual hordes of birds that occur in this truly magical wilderness.

Day 14: Pantanal to Cuiabá. After breakfast we drive and bird our way back north along the Transpantaneira, reaching Cuiabá in time to connect with afternoon flights.

TOUR INFO:

CLIMATE: Usually warm to very hot and dry throughout, but occasionally winter cold fronts push up from the south bringing cooler weather and some rain.

DIFFICULTY: Mostly easy and flat. There is one steeper and more difficult optional hike at Cristalino.

ACCOMMODATION: Good to very good throughout. The Pantanal lodges all have private bathrooms, hot water, fans, and AC. Cristalino Lodge has four levels of rooms. We normally book standard rooms. If you prefer a superior or luxury room, they may be available for extra cost. Rooms with shared bathrooms are also available for a discount, which could be a good option for people requiring single rooms.