Pantanal & The Amazon

In the central region of South America, you can find three distinct biomes, each with rich and characteristic avifaunas. From Cuiabá, in Matto Grosso, all main locations can be reached easily in just a few hours. The Pantanal, meaning “swampland” is a flat wooded savanna mingled with wetlands and rivers.

This is home to the emblematic Hyacinth Macaw. Hundreds of Jabiru, Maguari and Wood Storks, ibises and wildfowl share the space with equally large numbers of Caymans. The striking Sunbittern, Sungrebe and Black-collared and Great Black Hawks are also fond of watercourses. To the north, the savannas of the Cerrado have Collared Crescent-chest, Blue-winged Macaw, Biscutate Swift, Rufous-sided Pygmy-tyrant and other specialities of this typically Brazilian landscape. Amazing cliffs and rock formations are a special setting for Red-and-green Macaws that fly by.

The Amazonian jungle of Alta Floresta is one of a kind. From a 50 m tower a myriad of parrots fly around you, and the smallest canopy passerines can be seen eye-to-eye. The not uncommon army-ant swarms attract "professional” antbirds and woodcreepers, while the hectic under-storey mixed flocks keep your binoculars busy.

At the end of the trip you can add a visit to Serra das Araras where Harpy Eagles are faithful to their nesting tree.