Northeast Brazil is a land of outstanding contrast: from gorgeous white-sand beaches, to arid, cactus-topped plateaus, and the humid montane slopes in between. This region has all the beauty and diversity that any birder could ever hope for. Perhaps what this area is best known for, however, is the stunning array of beautiful endemics that flourish in the diverse habitats of Ceara, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia and Espiritu Santo. With this in mind, our tour explores all the best sites in this fascinating region and offers an impressive bird list that includes Lear’s (Indigo) Macaw, the striking Araripe Manakin and rare, White-collared Kite!
We begin in the state of Ceara, visiting Serra de Baturite for Grey-breasted Parakeet, Ceara Gnateater and Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant, before heading to Quixada for the rarely recorded Pygmy Nightjar and White-browed Guan. Chapada do Araripe puts us in position for the recently described Araripe Manakin and other superb species such as White-browed Antpitta and Great Xenops in advance of our visit to Canudos for the Critically Endangered Lear’s Macaw! The birding continues apace, as we head to São Benedito do Sul for a plethora of sought-after species; Scalloped Antbird, incredibly adorned Seven-colored Tanager, Orange-bellied Antwren and Alagoas Tyrannulet. White-collared Kite, Forbes’ Blackbird, Pinto’s Spinetail and Yellow-faced Siskin make up the target species near Tamandare before we head to Estancia for the endangered Fringe-backed Fire-eye. The next featured location is one of the best birding sites in Brazil, Chapada Diamantina. Hailed as perhaps the most breathtakingly beautiful of all Brazilian National Parks, it hosts several localised endemics including Hooded Visorbearer, the recently described Sincorá Antwren, Grey-backed Tachuri and Diamantina Tapaculo.
We then head towards the coast and Boa Nova. Located in the southwest of Bahia state where the Montane Atlantic forests meets Caatinga, this diverse location hosts over 430 bird species. Here we shall search diligently for the highly localised Slender Antbird, Narrow-billed Antwren, Bahia Spinetail and Pin-tailed Manakin. We spend some time in the delightful Serra Bonita Reserve, host to Pink-legged Graveteiro, Plumbeous Antvireo, Bahia Tyrannulet and Crescent-chested Puffbird before taking in the coastal lowlands of Porto Seguro where targets include White-winged Potoo, White-winged Cotinga, Bahia Antwren, Ochre-marked Parakeet, Red-browed Amazon and the rare Banded Cotinga.
We finish the tour in Espiritu Santo, visiting Vargem Alta in search of enigmatic, critically endangered Cherry-throated Tanager and Linhares for Red-billed Curassow. There are few tours that can offer over 100 endemics in a matter of 27 days, but this tour of Northeast Brazil does just that!
Cherry-throated & Seven-colored Tanagers; Lear’s (Indigo) Macaw; Araripe Manakin; Red-billed Curassow; White-collared Kite; Grey-breasted Parakeet; Ceara Gnateater; Buff-breasted Tody-Tyrant; Pygmy Nightjar; White-browed Guan; White-browed Antpitta; Great Xenops; Scalloped & Slender Antbirds, Alagoas Tyrannulet; Forbes’ Blackbird; Pinto’s & Bahia Spinetails; Yellow-faced Siskin; Fringe-backed Fire-eye; Hooded Visorbearer; Sincorá, Narrow-billed, Bahia & Orange-bellied Antwrens; Grey-backed Tachuri; Pink-legged Graveteiro; Plumbeous Antvireo; Bahia Tyrannulet; Crescent-chested Puffbird; Diamantina Tapaculo; Pin-tailed Manakin; White-winged Potoo; White-winged & Banded Cotingas; Ochre-marked Parakeet; Red-browed Amazon.
humid and semi-deciduous forests, Atlantic Rainforest, chapada, cloud forest, lowland forest, dry forest, scrub, caatinga and cerrado
warm to hot and humid, cooler in the higher lying areas
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader
Our Mega tours are very fast-paced birding adventures designed for the dedicated lister and serious birder. The focus of the tour is to see as many of the endemics and area specials as possible in our given time. In order to cover the necessary route to maximise the species list we tend to spend a single night at most sites and travel large distances. There is very little down time aside from that spent driving from one site to the next. These tours are not suitable for dedicated or avid photographers; inexperienced or new birders; as well as anyone with serious mobility or health challenges.
mostly comfortable, with some rustic locations
moderate with some tricky species
>500 with +-100 endemics
worthwhile, but limited by time
Guides - in addition to Tuomas we a great local guide - whose bird-finding skills were fully up to Rockjumper standards, so had all the resources needed to get us onto the birds. Highlight of the trip was undoubtedly birding in comfort and style on the river cruise section. Being paddled in a canoe through flooded varzea forest must be the height of birding luxury. Land-based sections of the tour were also rewarding despite the inevitable heat and chiggers (fortunately minimal rain). Overall a very satisfying tour, with more lifers for me than on a longer trip to Colombia in 2019 that also included Amazonian habitat on the Vaupes River. A great bunch of people too.
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.
Rob Williams was helpful above and beyond the call by going out of his way to make it an enjoyable tour.
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!!
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!!!
18 Sep 2024 - 14 Oct 2024 (27 days)
BRL53,950 - No Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Tour price (Per person): BRL53,950 * USD10,521 * GBP8,442 * EUR9,851 * AUD16,121
Single Supplement: BRL3,300 * USD644 * GBP516 * EUR603 * AUD986
17 Sep 2025 - 13 Oct 2025 (27 days)
BRL58,950 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Robert Williams
Tour price (Per person): BRL58,950 * USD11,496 * GBP9,225 * EUR10,764 * AUD17,615
Single Supplement: BRL4,600 * USD897 * GBP720 * EUR840 * AUD1,375
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest I 2024 - January 2024
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2023 - October 2023
Brazil - Amazon Rainforest Birding Extension (Small Group) 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Northeast - Mega Birding Tour 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Birds & Wildlife of the Pantanal & Cerrado (Small Group) 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Amazon Rainforest Birding Extension II 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Madeira & Tapajós endemics of the Rio Aripuanã (TM) 2023 - August 2023
Brazil - Birds & Wildlife of the Pantanal & Cerrado II 2023 - August 2023
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest I 2023 - January 2023
Brazil - Southeast - Mega Extension 2022 - October 2022
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2022 - October 2022
Brazil - Southeast - Mega Birding Tour 2022 - October 2022
Brazil - Amazon Rainforest Birding Extension (Small Group) I 2022 - September 2022
Brazil - Birds & Wildlife of the Pantanal & Cerrado (Small Group) I 2022 - September 2022
Brazil - Amazon Rainforest Birding Extension II 2022 - September 2022
Brazil - Birds & Wildlife of the Pantanal & Cerrado II 2022 - August 2022
Brazil - Birds & Wildlife of the Pantanal & Cerrado I 2022 - August 2022
Brazil - Amazon Rainforest Birding Extension (Small Group) II 2022 - July 2022
Brazil - Birds & Wildlife of the Pantanal & Cerrado (Small Group) II 2022 - July 2022
Brazil - Northeast - Mega Birding Tour 2019 - September 2019