It is not just the allure of beaches and music that draws people from around the world to Rio; the wet rainforests along the southern coast of Brazil are a birder’s delight. Separated from the Amazonian rainforests by the dry interior habitats that dominate much of the country, the birds here evolved in relative isolation, resulting in loads of endemics. Numerous spectacular antbirds, cotingas, flycatchers, and tanagers are found nowhere else. Just a hundred miles inland, the rainforest is replaced by savannah and gallery forest with a very different set of birds and its own set of endemics. This tour combines the best sites of both regions for a truly unforgettable experience.

Day 1: Arrival. Our flights arrive in the morning in Sao Paulo. We’ll drive through the middle of the day to Intervales State Park, where we will spend three nights in a simple but pleasant hotel in the park.

Days 2-3: Intervales. This huge park is a birding wonderland – huge numbers of endemics thrive in the wet montane forest, and many are easier to find here than anywhere else. We’ll spend time walking tracks looking for striking birds like Giant and White-bearded Antshrikes, Black-fronted Piping-Guan, and Red-breasted Toucan. The more open habitat can be great for Large-tailed Antshrike, Dusky-tailed Antbird, and Red-eyed Thornbird. Swallow-tailed Cotingas often nest near the restaurant and the stunning Long-trained Nightjar can often be found flying over at dusk.

Days 5-6: Ubatuba. The lowland forest patches near town can be surprisingly good. Many rare birds are regularly seen here like Buff-throated Purpletuft, Spotted Bamboowren, and Tufted Antshrike. We’ll visit a private feeding station that is a magnet for handsome hummers like Festive Coquette and Saw-billed Hermit.

Day 7: Pereque and Guapi Assu. The incredibly beautiful and endangered Black-hooded Antwren will be our morning target before be skirt the edge of Rio and drive to Guapi Assu Bird Lodge for a three-night stay.

Day 8: Guapiassu. Birding this huge reserve at the foot of the mountains will give us a chance to find some species we may have missed such as Crescent-chested Puffbird, Spot-billed Toucanet, and Shrike-like Cotinga. There is also a nice wetland near the lodge that is good for late afternoon birding. Along with the easier waterbirds, we can try our luck at several species of skulking rails, and maybe even witness the roding display of the rare Giant Snipe.

Day 9: Pico Caledonia. We’ll rise early and head up the mountains in order to search for the very rare Gray-winged Cotinga, a ghostly bird that haunts the highest reaches of the forest. Later we bird our way back down the mountain, making selected birding stops depending on what we still need.

Day 10: To Itatiaia. After some final birding, we carry on to Brazil’s oldest national park. We’ll stay two nights in a lovely hotel with feeders that attract some of the most colorful birds on the planet, including Blue-naped Chlorophonia and Saffron Toucanet.

Day 11: Itatiaia. We’ll have a full day to explore the forest. Trails give us a chance at some shy species like Such’s and Rufous-tailed Antthrushes and Rufous Gnateater. Pileated Parrot can often be seen here, and feeders lower in the park sometimes bring in the dainty Frilled Coquette.

Day 12: Algulhas Negras. The highest peaks in southern Brazil are easily accessed by a rough road on the other side of the park, and species like Itatiaia Thistletail, Black-capped Piprites, and Thick-billed Saltator are more easily seen here than anywhere else. Night in a nearby hotel.

Day 13: Travel to Canastra. This is mostly a travel day, but we’ll have a few hours in the morning and evening for some birding. The habitat changes dramatically as we head inland to the down of Sao Roque de Minas, where we spend three nights.

Days 14-15: Serra da Canastra NP. This park is simply magnificent. The chance to see Brazilian Merganser, the world’s rarest duck, would be enough to attract most birders, but there is plenty more here. The windswept grasslands on the plateau are a world apart with their Cock-tailed and Sharp-tailedTyrants, Black-masked and Blue Finches, and occasionally even Giant Anteaters and Maned Wolves. The gallery forest at the base of the mountains has totally different birds like Helmeted Manakin and Planalto Foliage-gleaner. Scrubbier habitat can be good for noisy Curl-crested Jays and the outrageous Stripe-breasted Starthroat, and Crowned Eagle is occasionally seen too.

Day 16: Onward to Caraça. We’ll want to leave early to have time to look for Three-toed Jacamar on the way to Caraça, a reserve protected by a Catholic monastery. We’ll have only one night here, but it should be enough to see the endemic Serra Antwren and others, as well as witness the bizarre nightly ritual of an elderly monk feeding wild Maned Wolves on the church steps.

Day 17: Caraça and Cipó. After a late breakfast, we’ll move on to out last site, the isolated Serra de Cipo. In the afternoon we’ll have a first visit to the rocky mountaintops in search of Hyacinth Visorbearer (with a name like that you’ve just got to see it), Cipó Canastero, and the other endemics.

Day 18: Departure. After a final morning of birding, we’ll return to Belo Horizonte in time to catch mid-day flights home.

TOUR INFO:

CLIMATE: Hot and humid in the lowlands to cool in the highest elevations. Rain is possible in most areas.

DIFFICULTY: Moderate. This is a fast-paced trip that will target as many endemics as possible, some long days and quite a lot of driving are necessary. The walking is not usually difficult, but two-mile roundtrip hikes are required to search for Shrike-like Cotinga and Cipo Canastero, and getting to the Gray-winged Cotinga spot involves walking up a very steep, cobbled road.