Few countries in the Americas hold more mystique and intrigue than the massive nation of Brazil. No feature on the continent of South America is more recognizable, more written about, or more wistfully contemplated than the mighty Amazon River. Despite this amazing river’s nearly 4000 miles of length, remarkably few ports of access exist. In fact, the entirety of the Amazon Basin, some 2,800,000 sq. miles (!), represents the largest contiguous area of intact rain forest, and least populated area, in the entire Western Hemisphere. No wonder the draw of the Amazon is irresistible to the nature-loving explorer in all of us! This tour is centred in the heart of the basin, in the states of Amazonas and Para, where we will access the entire suite of micro-habitats in the region. From the white water river islands and flooded varzea forests of the Amazonas and Negro river systems, across hilly terra firme, we will spend time in boats, and afoot, searching out the Amazon Basin’s most spectacular and iconic bird species. Wildlife possibilities range from Tapir and Pink River Dolphin to the elusive Jaguar. This tour is an in-depth exploration of the best Amazon birding has to offer.
*2024 Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Top Birds
Harpy and Crested Eagles, Black-faced & White Hawks, Lined Forest Falcon, Dark-winged & Grey-winged Trumpeter, Grey, Variegated & Rusty Tinamou, Little Chachalaca, Black Curassow, White-crested, Spix’s & Marail Guan, Horned Screamer, Azure Gallinule, Hoatzin, White-winged & Rufous Potoo, Black-bellied Cuckoo, Amazonian Pygmy Owl, Red-and-green Macaw, Scarlet-shouldered & Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet, Crimson-bellied, Santarem, Golden, Golden-winged & Tui Parakeet, Festive Amazon, Vulturine, Short-tailed, Caica, Dusky, Orange-cheeked, Black-headed & Red-fan Parrot, Guianan Puffbird, Guianan & Amazonian Trogon, Green-tailed & Paradise Jacamar, Black-spotted & Brown-chested Barbet, Red-necked & Green Aracari, Guianan & Gould’s Toucanet, Scaly-breasted, Red-necked, Golden-collared & Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Varzea Piculet, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Crimson Fruitcrow, Purple-breasted & Guianan Red Cotinga, Capuchinbird, Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, Glossy-backed Becard, Spangled & Pompadour Cotinga, Natterer’s Slaty, Saturnine, Cinereous, Castelnau’s, Glossy, Blackish-grey & Spot-winged Antshrike, Ash-winged, Pygmy, Spot-backed, Brown-bellied, Rufous-bellied, Long-winged, Klages’s, Leaden, White-eyed, Sclater’s, Ihering’s & Grey Antwren, Guianan Warbling, Willis’s, Black-and-white, Black-headed, White-plumed, Ash-breasted, Black-faced, Chestnut-crested, Ferruginous-backed, Rufous-faced, Harlequin & Xingu Scale-backed Antbird, Pale-faced Bare-eye, Alta Floresta, Variegated & Spotted Antpitta, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Long-billed, Zimmer’s, Red-billed, Ocellated, Uniform, Hoffmanns’s & Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper, Curve-billed Scythebill, Cinnamon-crested & White-crested Spadebill, Fiery-tailed Awlbill, Crimson Topaz, Black-eared Fairy, Racket-tailed Coquette, Olive-spotted Hummingbird, Parker's, Red-and-white, White-bellied & chances for Scaled Spinetail, Lesser Hornero, Brownish Elaenia, Pearly-breasted Conebill, White-eyed Attila, Screaming Piha, Tiny & Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin, White-throated, White-fronted, Black, Snow-capped, Flame-crested & Yellow-crested Manakin, Wing-banded Wren, Masked Yellowthroat, Guianan & Chestnut-belted Gnateater, Guianan Tyrannulet, Painted Tody-Flycatcher (Tody-Tyrant), Pelzeln’s, Zimmer’s & Snethlage’s Tody-Tyrant, Short-tailed & Double-banded Pygmy Tyrant, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Rose-breasted Chat, Red-billed Pied Tanager, Fulvous Shrike-Tanager, Paradise, Flame-crested, Fulvous-crested and Spotted Tanager, Golden-sided Euphonia, Blue-black (Rothschild’s) & Yellow-green Grosbeak
Top Mammals
Brazilian Tapir, Giant Otter, chances for Pink River Dolphin & Jaguar
Habitats Covered
lowland rain forest, varzea, terra firme forest, Campina forest, white-water & black-water river islands, rivers
Expected Climate
warm to hot and humid
Max Group Size
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader
Tour Pace & Walking
moderate pace, some longer walks
Accommodation
basic to comfortable
Ease of Birding
moderate with numerous challenging species
Number of Species Expected
450+
Photographic Opportunities
good
Client Testimonials
Overall we were very pleased with the trip. We have been to the tropics in various places in SA but hadn’t really experienced the heat of the Amazon. At first I was concerned about the siesta in early afternoon and the loss of bird time but by the third day I looked forward to it!! The lack of ant swarms, foliage-gleaners and mixed foraging flocks was disappointing. Some of the key target species had not been seen by local guides for several months to over a year. We hope it is not an on-going trend due to climate change but it may be. We felt fortunate to have had the opportunity and hope that others can continue to have this experience. We were pleased with the “tag-team effort” by Tuomas and Bradley. They worked well together with making sure the logistics flowed, everyone had their needs met as much as possible, and kept the pace moving. We were fortunate to have 8 people that had all travelled in groups before and were tolerant of various personalities and their strengths and weaknesses. Both Tuomas and Bradley were patient and talented in getting everyone (usually) in the group to see the target species. I will be giving a presentation to the local Audubon Chapter in November and will be recommending Rockjumper and their various trips to the group.
I had the very best time on tour with Stephan. He is an excellent leader and a lovely, kind human being. In terms of his technical ability as a birding leader, his eyesight and hearing skills are excellent, which coupled with his first class fieldcraft and ID skills, meant that we saw/heard over 500 species during our tour. He also gelled well with the local guide Caio , so that in terms of finding, IDing and showing the birds to the group, we were treated to splendid views of our target species plus many many 'bonus birds' too. Stephan was also very patient with group members, some of whom for a variety of personal reasons, were less able to see the birds than the majority of the group-so that wherever possible-every group member who wanted to, had the opportunity to see every bird.
The tour was fantastic and both of our guides were excellent. We enjoyed traveling with Lev. He is so enthusiastic! He is an excellent birding guide and also very knowledgeable about the natural history of the animals we saw. That made the experience even more enjoyable. He worked very hard to enable us to see some of the trickier birds, like the Zigzag Heron that was hiding in the trees. It turns out, he even speaks 'zigzag', as he carried on a 10 min conversation (back and forth calls) with the heron, trying to coax him into a better view. It was wonderful having a local guide, Leo, on this trip as well. He added a lot to the birding experience, was essential for dealing with logistics, and had a wealth of knowledge about the history of Brazil and the places we visited, that made it an even more interesting trip. Well Done Rockjumper!!
Very productive and relaxing tour
This was a really wonderful trip, so rich in birds, mammals, scenery and food. I really valued the outstanding knowledge all three guides shared with us, their constant awareness of our needs, and their senses of humor. We covered a lot of ground but there was always plenty of time for birding and we were always well fed. I really loved this trip and would recommend it to everyone who wasn't to see plenty of birds.