27 Sep 2026 - 22 Oct 2026 (26 days)
BRL62,950 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Dušan Brinkhuizen
Tour price (Per person): BRL62,950 * USD11,955 * GBP9,177 * EUR10,522 * AUD18,774
Single Supplement: BRL5,900 * USD1,120 * GBP860 * EUR986 * AUD1,760
20 Sep 2027 - 15 Oct 2027 (26 days)
BRL64,950 - Spaces Available
Tour Leader: Lev Frid
Tour price (Per person): BRL64,950 * USD12,334 * GBP9,468 * EUR10,857 * AUD19,371
Single Supplement: BRL6,400 * USD1,215 * GBP933 * EUR1,070 * AUD1,909
When most people think of Brazil they think of Rio, Carnivale, Sugarloaf Mountain and endless beaches. When birders think of Brazil, they think – ENDEMICS. Amongst other claims to fame, Brazil hosts a spectacular array of endemic flora and fauna, including more than a reasonable share of stunning endemics. The South East of Brazil is a critical endemic zone, one that we will cover in a single Mega style tour.
Our tour covers a section of the Cerrado biome, focussing on the tricky Brazilian Merganser before concentrating on the threatened Atlantic Forests, seeking out a myriad of remarkable and rare endemic species. Habitats range from high mountains to lowland gallery forest encompassing such famous sites as Ubatuba, Intervales and Itatiaia.
Brazilian Merganser; Cock-tailed & Sharp-tailed Tyrants; Black-masked Finch; Helmeted Manakin; Ocellated, Rufous-faced & Grey-breasted Crakes; Hyacinth Visorbearer; Cipo Canastero; Cipo Cinclodes; Rock & Marsh Tapaculos; Horned Sungem; Checkered Woodpecker; Serra, Black-hooded, Sao Paulo & Restinga Antwren; Grey-backed Tachuri; Hangnest Tody-Tyrant; Grey-winged & Black-and-gold Cotingas; Black-and-gold, Brazilian & Diademed Tanagers; Green-crowned & Purple-crowned Plovercrests; Three-toed Jacamar; Saffron Toucanet; Black-capped Piprites; Long-tailed Antshrike; Buff-throated Purpletuft; Brazilian Ruby; Festive Coquette; Vinaceous-breasted Amazon; Araucaria Tit-Spinetail; Sharp-billed Treehunter; Bertoni’s Antbird; Red-tailed Amazon; Azure Jay; Such’s Antthrush; Yellow-legged & Solitary Tinamou; Variegated Antpitta; Black-headed Berryeater; Bay-ringed Tyrannulet; Ornate Hawk-Eagle; Grey-bellied Hawk; Spotted Bamboowren.
Maned Wolf; Giant Anteater; Giant Armadillo
lowland and montane Atlantic rainforest, cerrado, old cacao plantations, open grasslands with secondary forest, highland Araucaria forest, high elevation grasslands, coastal restinga, mangroves
warm to hot and humid but much cooler in the higher lying areas
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader and 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.
comfortable
moderate, with some very difficult species
good, but limited due to nature of tour
We really appreciated our trip. Our Rockjumper guide, Bobby Wilcox, and the local guides were awesome; always on the lookout for new birds and other animals, even on the long drives. The organization was flawless, the lodges were great and perfectly located. Our triplist and lifers goals were exceeded! The group was great and always well controlled by Bobby. Very well done! Our long sighting of a female jaguar was certainly the peak of this trip !!!
WOW – this was an entirely different trip than the main trip. The Pousada facility was a little more rustic than some of the other accommodations but nothing we couldn’t handle. It was certainly better than a hammock at the guard headquarters which Bradley indicated was the only thing available prior to Pousada. This portion required what seemed like a lot more walking and climbing over tree falls than anywhere else on the trip. It seemed that more of the birds were skulkers but then we were focusing on “ant-somethings” which are notoriously secretive. Again, it was disappointing there was not a single ant swarm and the mixed flocks were generally small and moved away from the trails fairly quickly. It was also frustrating that the best of the three trails (Capelinha) in the park was not available to us due to an on-going mammal-use survey. But, none of these things were within the control of Tuomas, Bradley, or our local guide. They were pros at adapting and modifying to take advantage of the trails that were available to us. By my count the main trip list was about 446 and we gained 81 sp on the extension, however, 40% of those were lifers, so worth the effort and expense, in my opinion. Our local guide, Gilberto, was indispensable. His recent knowledge was invaluable to know where to go for the target species.
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.
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.
Lev was a well kept secret from Rock Jumper ....incredible birder , bird guide, and overall naturalist . Would book another trip with Lev
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Brazil - Pantanal: Birds & Wildlife (Small Group) 2025 - September 2025
Brazil - Pantanal: Birds & Wildlife II 2025 - August 2025
Brazil - Amazonia NP Extension 2025 - August 2025
Brazil - Pantanal: Birds & Wildlife I 2025 - August 2025
Brazil - Manaus & Rio Negro 2025 - July 2025
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest I 2025 - January 2025
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2024 - October 2024
Brazil - Northeast - Mega Birding Tour 2024 - September 2024
Brazil - Pantanal: Birds & Wildlife (Small Group) 2024 - September 2024
Brazil - Pantanal: Birds & Wildlife II 2024 - August 2024
Brazil - Pantanal: Birds & Wildlife I 2024 - August 2024
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest I 2024 - January 2024
Brazil - Atlantic Coastal Forest II 2023 - October 2023
Brazil - Amazon Rainforest Extension (Small Group) 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Northeast - Mega Birding Tour 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Pantanal: Birds & Wildlife (Small Group) 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Amazon Rainforest Extension II 2023 - September 2023
Brazil - Madeira & Tapajós - Endemics of the Rio Aripuanã (TM) 2023 - August 2023