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The Best of Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest

Dates & Prix

Prix : 4700 euros par personne
Supplément single: 0 euros

du 15 Nov 2024 au 24 Nov 2024
Durée: 10 jours / 9 nuits

Votre guide

Journalier

Itinerary

Please note that the itinerary below offers our planned programme of excursions. However, adverse weather & other local considerations can necessitate some re-ordering of the programme during the course of the tour, though this will always be done to maximise best use of the time and weather conditions available.

Day 1
Depart UK

We depart London Heathrow in the morning on a direct scheduled British Airways flight. Arriving into Rio in the evening, we transfer to a hotel near to the airport before travelling the 2.5 hour drive onto the eco-lodge the following morning.

Day 2
Eco-lodge Itororó

Following an early breakfast, we will be met by a representative and transferred to the Eco-lodge Itororó, approximately 150km away from the airport. Andy Foster will be waiting to welcome you upon arrival at the lodge, where we will be shown to our rooms. Shortly after we will gather on the main veranda where we will begin to see our first Atlantic Rainforest Forest species on the many feeding stations that this comfortable lodge has to offer. The rest of the day will be spent within the lodge grounds and we will use the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the many different species that frequent the feeders, enjoying the vibrant colours of the tanagers, marvelling at the extraordinary bills of the toucanets and trying to distinguish between the many hummingbirds that hover effortlessly metres in front of us, sipping syrup from the rows of feeders on offer. For those keen on photography the feeding stations provide the opportunity to photograph an enormous range of species at very close range.
Species we can expect to see today include Dusky-legged Guan, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Scalethroated Hermit, Plovercrest, Violet-capped Woodnymph, White-throated Hummingbird, Brazilian Ruby, Surucua Trogon, Spot-billed Toucanet, Yellow-browed Woodpecker, Grey-bellied and Pallid Spinetails, White-browed Foliage Gleaner, White-collared Foliage Gleaner, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, White-throated Woodcreeper, Scaled Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper, Bertonis Antbird, Ochrerumped Antbird, Brazilian Antthrush, Rufous Gnateater, Blue Manakin, Pin-tailed Manakin, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, Drabbreasted Bamboo-Tyrant, White-rimmed Warbler, Fawnbreasted Tanager, Azure-shouldered Tanager, BrassyBlond-Crested Woodpecker breasted Tanager, Uniform Finch and Green-winged Saltator.

Day 3
Pico de Caledonia, High Altitude Excursion

With 170+ species recorded in the lodge grounds alone, including 70+ Atlantic Rainforest Endemics, there are sure to be a few members of the group who would be happy to spend their entire time at the lodge and if you would like to do this, you are very welcome to. However, the plan for the holiday is to cover the whole altitudinal range of the Serra do Mar Mountains, therefore ensuring that we maximise our chances of seeing as greater variety of species as possible.
Refreshed from a good night’s sleep, today we will start at the top of the altitudinal range available to us. Driving for approximately an hour up to an altitude of 1800m, we will begin a full day of birding the upper levels of the Serra do Mar Mountains. Walking slowly up to an altitude of 2300m, we will search for a variety of high altitude species including the endemic Itatiaia Thistletail.
As we gain altitude and continue our walk up a steep road we see a change in the habitat; small, stunted trees surrounded by bamboo and other low vegetation provide the first areas in which we hope to see Bay-chested Warbling Finch, Diademed Tanager, Blue-billed Black Tyrant and Rufoustailed Antbird. As we walk further uphill we begin to enter the habitat where we stand a good chance of seeing the rare and endemic Grey-winged Cotinga, Serra do Mar Tyrannulet and the Black and Gold Cotinga. We will also search in this area for the Brazilian Antthrush and Mousecoloured Tapaculo. Almost at the summit we hope to conclude our ascent with views of the rare and endemic Itatiaia Thistletail.
Whilst this small, wagtail-sized brown bird will certainly not be the most exotic looking species that we’ll see during our stay, it was only discovered in the area a few years ago, and is highly desirable amongst keen birders.

Day 4
Three-toed Jacamar Extension

After breakfast we will have an early departure for a day of open country birding. On this full day excursion we visit several sites where the endemic Three-toed Jacamar is regularly found. Along the way we pass through a variety of habitats and cover a fair distance (200 km) stopping regularly en route to look for other species.
The Three-toed Jacamar, is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated population of less than a 1000 individuals However, this is far from a single species quest and we are likely to encounter a wide array of species across the course of the day. Stretches of water are likely to hold Whistling and Capped Heron with Black-capped Donacobius in the marginal vegetation, whilst the open grassland and patchy secondary forest will no doubt attract the attention of an interesting mix of raptors including Plumbeous Kite, Savanna Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Aplomodo, Laughing and Bat Falcon. Passerines and near passerines of this habitat that we could see, include such delights as Blue-crested Jays, White Woodpecker, Blue-winged Parrotlet, Striped Cuckoo and Black-necked Aracari. It is not unusual for us to find nearly 100 species on this excursion, including an extensive list of Tanagers such as Hooded, Hepatic, Brazilian and Gilt-edged Tanager.

Day 5
Macae de Cima

Today we will spend a full day birding at an altitude of between 1000m to 1450m. We will start with a 25 minute drive until we arrive at the beginning of the Macae de Cima trail, a great trail that runs through a variety of habitats including primary forest, bamboo and secondary growth. All of these habitats combined provide perfect conditions for a great variety of birds.
This trail really is very special and we will slowly drive along the track stopping and birding at various points throughout the day with short walks in between. Birds we hope to see on this trail include Plumbeous Pigeon, Scale-throated Hermit, Plovercrest, White-throated Hummingbird, Brazilian Ruby, Yellow-browed Woodpecker, Rufous-capped Spinetail, Pallid Spinetail, Orange-eyed Thornbird, White-collared Foliage-Gleaner, Giant Antshrike, Tufted Antshrike, Bertonis Antbird, Ochre-rumped Antbird, Rufous Gnateater, Black and Gold Cotinga, Bare-throated Bellbird, Pin-tailed Manakin, Serra do Mar Tyrant-Manakin, Drab-breasted BambooTyrant, White-rimmed Warbler, Chestnut-headed Tanager, Azure-shouldered Tanager, Brassybreasted Tanager and Green-winged Saltator.

Day 6
Eco-lodge Itororo Blue and White Trails

The Itororo Lodge grounds really warrant a full days birding, so we will spend the morning birding the Blue Trail returning to the comfort of the Lodge for lunch, followed by some birding on the White Trail during the afternoon. Today we hope to see some of the following species: Brown Tinamou, Dusky-legged Guan, Spot-winged Wood-Quail, Black Hawk-Eagle, Black and White Hawk-Eagle, Barred Forest-Falcon, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Scale-throated Hermit, Plovercrest, Brazilian Ruby, Surucua and Black-throated Trogon, Saffron and Spot-billed Toucanet, Yellow-eared and Yellow-browed Woodpecker, Rufous-capped, Pallid, Grey-bellied and Chicli Spinetail, White-browed, White-collared, Buff-browed and Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner, White-throated, Lesser, Scaled and Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Black-billed Scythebill, Giant and Variable Antshrike, Star-throated Antwren, Bertonis and Ochre-rumped and Dusky-tailed Antbird, Rufous-backed Antvireo, Rufous-tailed Antthrush, Rufous Gnateater, Gray-capped Tyrannulet, Gray-hooded Flycatcher, Drab-breasted Bamboo-Tyrant, Gray-hooded Attila, Bare-throated Bellbird, Greenish Schiffornis, Rufous-crowned Greenlet, Yellow-legged Thrush, White-rimmed Warbler, Half-collared Sparrow, Chestnutheaded, Black-goggled, Ruby-crowned, Azure-shouldered, Golden-chevroned, Fawn-breasted, Brassy-breasted and Burnished-buff Tanager, Uniform Finch and Green-winged Saltator.

Day 7
Eco-lodge Itororo before transferring to Regua

This morning we will depart from Eco-lodge Itororo at around 07.30 and take a 45 minute drive to the Cedae Trail where we will bird for a couple of hours. This is a great trail located at 550m in altitude where we hope to see species such as Pale-browed Treehunter, Green-headed, Red-necked and Olive-green Tanagers, Black-cheeked Gnateater, Spot-backed Antshrike and Mantled Hawk. Late morning we will drive for a further 45 minutes and check into the comfortable Guapiassu Bird Lodge at the Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Acu. The lodge is situated overlooking an impressive wetland restoration project that was started several years ago and now compromises a fantastic mix of small lakes, marshland and replanted tabebuia trees, bordered by lowland humid evergreen forest. REGUA now owns and administrates an area of over 7,500 hectares. The reserve protects a total cross section of the Atlantic rainforest protecting many species of birds endemic to the Atlantic forests.
After lunch we will take a walk around the wetlands where we will start to see a whole range of new species including Whistling and Capped Heron, Brazilian Teal, White-faced and Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Grey-headed Kite, Savanna Hawk, Limpkin, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, White-headed Marsh Tyrant and Chestnut-capped Blackbird. Surrounding the wetland is lowland forest, a habitat very difficult to encounter as much of this habitat has been destroyed in the past. We venture into this forest in the hope of finding species such as Reddish Hermit, White-chinned Sapphire, Rufouscapped Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Crescent-chested Puffbird, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Sooretama Slaty Antshrike, White-flanked Antwren, Unicolored Antwren and Long-billed and Moustached Wren.
This evening we will go out in an open top vehicle for some night birding, species we hope to see include Tawny browed Owl, Mottled Owl, Black Banded Owl, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Pauraque as well as Common Potoo and that extraordinary star of the wetlands, the Giant Snipe.

Day 8
The Green Trail at Regua

After an early breakfast we will be transferred to the start of the Green trail, this great trail leads through lowland forest and has already had over 100 species recorded along it! Our target birds for today include Saw-billed Hermit, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Reddish Hermit, Pale-browed Treehunter, Blackcapped Foliage-Gleaner, White-eyed Foliagegleaner, Star-throated Antwren, Unicolored Antwren, Silvery-flanked Antwren, Rufouscapped Antthrush, Pin-tailed Manakin, Southern Antpipit, Elegant Mourner, Rufouscapped Motmot, Blue Manakin, Plain-winged Woodcreeper, Lesser Woodcreeper and Buffbellied Puffbird.

Day 9 
Regua Wetlands, lowland forest and transfer to Rio

We will spend our last morning birding around the wetlands, the lowland forest and another short trail for a couple of great target birds, Frilled Coquette and Yellow-fronted Woodpecker. There will also be time for enjoying the stunning views from this great reserve. Lunch will be taken at the lodge before departing back to Rio de Janeiro airport, in time for our evening flight back to London.

Day 10 
London

The tour concludes in London, where we will land in the early afternoon.

Photos

Infos pratiques

En raison de la pandémie de Covid 19, les formalités d’entrées sur le territoire de destination et de retour en Belgique peuvent être sujettes à des obligations temporaires et imprévisibles pouvant entraîner des frais supplémentaires (tels que test pcr, quarantaine, ...) auxquels le voyageur devra se soumettre.  Pour toutes informations, veuillez nous consulter ou consulter le site du SPF des «  Affaires étrangères »  régulièrement : https://diplomatie.belgium.be/fr