phone-icon 1-888-990-5552 email-icon info@rockjumper.com
user-icon
Log in / Register

Brazil - Northeast - Classic

© Ruby-topax Hummingbird by Lev Frid
Brazil - Northeast - Classic 2028

09 Jan 2028 - 26 Jan 2028 (18 days)

BRL51,000 SPACES AVAILABLE

client-img

Tour Leader: Lev Frid

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
Book Now

Tour Price (Per person): BRL51,000 (USD9,977 * GBP7,533 * EUR8,615 * AUD14,485)

This tour pairs with: Brazil - Northeast - Endangered Endemics Extension 2028

Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated, and dates may change*

Northeast Brazil is a region of striking contrasts, where gleaming white-sand beaches give way to arid, cactus-studded landscapes and cool, forested highlands. This diversity of habitats supports one of South America’s most rewarding birding regions, renowned for its exceptional concentration of range-restricted and endemic species. From dry Caatinga to lush Atlantic Forest, this tour samples the finest birding sites across Ceará and Bahia, delivering an outstanding species list in a compact itinerary.

Our journey begins on the coast near Icapuí before heading inland to the forested slopes of Serra de Baturite, where highlights include Grey-breasted Parakeet, Ceará Gnateater, and Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant. We then continue to the dramatic granite inselbergs of Quixadá, searching for specialties such as Pygmy Nightjar and White-browed Guan. Moving south, we bird the Chapada do Araripe region via Santana do Cariri and Barbalha, positioning ourselves for one of Brazil’s most iconic endemics, the dazzling Araripe Manakin, alongside White-browed Antpitta and Great Xenops. The dry Caatinga around Canudos provides a stark contrast and delivers a major highlight of the tour, the Critically Endangered Lear’s (Indigo) Macaw.

We then transition to the spectacular landscapes of Chapada Diamantina, widely regarded as one of Brazil’s premier birding destinations. This breathtaking plateau hosts several localized endemics including Hooded Visorbearer, Grey-backed Tachuri, Diamantina Tapaculo, and the recently described Sincorá Antwren. From the interior highlands we descend toward the Atlantic Forest foothills at Boa Nova, a biodiversity hotspot where forest and Caatinga meet. With over 430 recorded bird species, the area offers superb birding and chances for Slender Antbird, Narrow-billed Antwren, Bahia Spinetail, and Pin-tailed Manakin. We then spend time in the outstanding Serra Bonita Reserve, home to Pink-legged Graveteiro, Plumbeous Antvireo, Bahia Tyrannulet, and Crescent-chested Puffbird.

The tour concludes along Bahia’s coast, birding the forests and mangroves around Itacaré and Praia do Forte, before finishing in Salvador. This classic itinerary delivers an exceptional cross-section of Northeast Brazil’s most important habitats and endemics in just 18 days.

Combined, the Classic Tour and Endangered Endemics Extension form one of the most comprehensive birding experiences in Northeast Brazil, offering remarkable habitat diversity, scenery, and over 100 endemic bird species.

Top Birds

Lear’s Macaw; Araripe, Kinglet, White-crowned & Blue-backed Manakins; Hooded Visorbearer; Horned Sungem; Brazilian Ruby, Pink-legged Gravateiro; Sincora, Star-throated and Salvadori’s & and Narrow-billed Antwrens; Slender & Scaled Antbirds; Black-cheeked Gnateater; Little Wood Rail; Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant; Grey-breasted Parakeet; Ceara Gnateater; Pygmy Nightjar; Caatinga Cachalote; Great Xenops; White-browed Antpitta; Bahia Tyrannulet; Striated Softtail; Bahia Spinetail.

Habitats Covered

humid and semi-deciduous forests, chapada, cloud forest, lowland forest, dry forest, scrub, caatinga and cerrado

Expected Climate

warm to hot and humid, cooler in the higher lying areas

Max Group Size

8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader

Tour Pace & Walking

MODERATE TO CHALLENGING: This tour requires a good level of fitness, stamina, and overall health. It’s best suited for experienced birders who are comfortable with a more active itinerary. Please note that it may not be ideal for avid photographers, new birders, or those with mobility or health concerns.

Moderate. Endemic and target focussed trip. Not suitable for dedicated photographers; inexperienced birders; or anyone with mobility or health challenges.

Accommodation

Mostly comfortable, some lodges are simple, not all lodges have enough rooms for Single rooming.

Ease of Birding

Moderate to demanding. Forest species visuals aren’t always of great quality. Forest edge & caatinga birding is more rewarding. Several low density or difficult target species.

Photographic Opportunities

Reasonable to good. Internal forest photography is challenging, several fruit & hummingbird feeders.

What our clients say about us

Dušan Brinkhuizen
PE, Brazil 2023

This was my second trip with Dusan and like the first trip, he made sure everyone was looked after to the best of his abilities and was always attentive to peoples differing needs. He worked extremely well with our local guide, who himself was attentive to everyone, and they both tried hard to get everyone onto the birds. No complaints to them whatsoever. I would be very happy to bird with Dusan again and probably will.

Tuomas Seimola
DB & PB, Brazil 2022

Very productive and relaxing tour

Forrest Rowland
BM, Brazil 2018

A Fantastic experience!! Considerably better than I had expected. Guides were fantastic!! And the inclusion of local Brazilian guide - Leo - was a real plus. He worked great together with Forrest Rowland, and his knowledge of the country and the vegetation was a real plus. The mammals and other critters were a real plus to the tour. The facilities, driver, and van were also great! Overall, this tour ranks among the top of the 7-8 birding tours I have ever taken, and Rockjumper is certainly a company I would highly recommend to others!!!

Tuomas Seimola
RB - Manaus 2022

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.

Stephan Lorenz
PM, Brazil 2019

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.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Your details

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form

  • Contact permission

    We would love to send you Newsletters (twice yearly).via Type a message, Promotions/Discounts (weekly), Blog Articles/Image of the Month (monthly) and other content that we think you would find interesting. If you are happy with this then please select your preferences below. If you would like to unsubscribe from previous subscriptions, or leave our mailing list entirely, then please do so by visiting the Preference Centre link at the bottom of these emails.

Route Map

Tour Route Map