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Pantanal, Brazil (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Janet g
- Start date
Grousemore
Senior Member
Hi Janet and welcome to Birdforum from the Moderators and Staff.
We have some well-travelled people on the site, so hopefully someone will provide some gen before long.
We have some well-travelled people on the site, so hopefully someone will provide some gen before long.
david kelly
Drive-by Birder
Janet g said:
I was thinking about this earlier before deciding on Panama. Why don't you try the website of the Pantanal Bird Club. Their website is www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana
David
dacol
Well-known member
Janet g said:
The basic question is how tight is your budget! Basically tour companies and guides that specialize in birding tend to be much more expensive than others that offer more general, wildlife and landscape oriented tours. The drawback is that the later can be very frustrating for a birder. Also booking from abroad [ie, outside of Brazil] tend to be more expensive than booking in Brazil. On the other hand booking from abroad through a reputable company will offer a greater guarantee of getting what you want. So there are many trade-offs.
The more accessible part of the Pantanal that is very good for birding is along the Transpantaneira road from Poconé to Pôrto Jôfre. As far as I know, there is no public transportation along this road. Most tourists, birders or otherwise, go on a package tour that includes lodging and transportation. It is also possible to rent a car in Cuiabá and drive all the way to Pôrto Jôfre. Besides being expensive it also requires nerves of steel and an ability to patiently deal with all kinds of countertemps as this road is in very bad shape (it is unpaved with hundreds of wooden bridges in various states of disrepair). One birder reported having met a German woman who was travelling by herself on a bike with camping gear along this road, so that is a possibility if you are gutsy enough to do it...
It is also possible to reach the southern part of the Pantanal from Campo Grande through Aquidauna and there along a road to Corumbá (or fly into Corumbá and start from there). This part is not as visited by birders as the north part mentioned above. The north part, starting from Cuiabá, is preferred by birders because you can combine it with visits to other areas (and habitats) such as Serra das Araras, Chapada dos Guimarães and even Alta Floresta and the Cristalino Lodge. David's suggestion of checking out the Pantanal Bird Club (not really a birding club but a company specialized in birding excursions) is a good one as the different areas accessible from Cuiabá are discussed.
When one arrives at the airport in Cuiabá or in Corumbá (southern Pantanal) one is bound to be approached by lots of people selling tour packages. Some of those can be very good deals. The problem, of course, is that you won't have the means to know which ones are good and which ones are not. Some travel books [Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, Insight Guide, South America Handbook] have a few recommendations and some more current advice about the local scene. Check the following bird trip report [which includes more than just the Pantanal]
http://www.worldtwitch.com/hansson_brazil.htm
for a suggestion about another local (in Cuiabá) travel company that arranges excursions in the northern Pantanal.
Bottom line is that a truly independent trip to the Pantanal is likely to be at least as expensive as one excursion arranged through a local company after you arrive in either Cuiabá or Corumbá. Transportation is the problem. Also most (if not all) of the lodges in the Pantanal work only through reservations made through travel agencies in Cuiabá or in Corumbá [and you have to pay in advance, before even seeing the lodge]. This makes independent travel a bit more complicated.
Now to maximize the ratio #bird-species-seen/money-spent I would go with one of the fixed-departure-date trips of the Pantanal Bird Club. Braulio Carlos of the PBC has an excellent reputation (see this article
[http://www.iadb.org/idbamerica/English/FEB02E/feb02e3-c.html]
for an interesting interview with BC and a somewhat different perspective on his work). You will spend more than if you just book a local excursion upon arrival in Cuiabá but you will see many more birds.
Dalcio
Last edited:
Rasmus Boegh
BF member
Hi Janet,
It basically depends on you:
The Cheapest: It is easy and very cheap to get a trip to the Pantanal via the certified youth-hostels (careful! Sometimes people will approach you claiming that they are officials from these rather wellknown hostels - even if they are not!) in Corumba and Campo Grande. They run their own tours (and no, you don't have to be "less than 25" to go on them) that leave from these towns almost every day and normally last three or four days. You basically turn up at their hotel, and they can connect you with a tour one of the following days - very easy! However, these are for people who want to see ANIMALS IN GENERAL - not birds in particular. Therefore your guide is NOT likely to know much about most of the smaller birds. You still have a very good chance of seeing the amazing Hyacinth Macaws, though. Either you could follow the guide around, doing much of the small bird ID'ing yourself, or, what I would recommend; walk around the hacienda yourself. In this way you should be able to see a large percentage of the birds found in the Pantanal. In this manner I managed to see two species of storks (Jabiru & Maguari), three species of ibis, Roseate Spoonebill, 7 (!) species of herons/egrets (incl. Boat-billed), Limpkin, Southern Screamer, Anhinga, Large-billed Tern, King Vulture, Black-collared Hawk, Snail Kite, Laughing Falcon, Chaco Chachalaca, Grey-necked Woodrail, Wattled Jacana, Red-legged Seriema, four Macaws (Golden-collared, Blue-and-Yellow, Red-and-Green & Hyacinth), Black-hooded Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Parrot (Amazon), Guira Cuckoo, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Blue-crowned Trogon, Amazon Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Spot-backed Puffbird, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Toco Toucan (common), White Woodpecker, Pale-crested Woodpecker, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Chotoy Spinetail, Rufous Cachalote, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Red-billed Scythebill, Band-tailed Antbird, Helmeted Manakin, various tyrants (two Monjitas, Black-backed Water-tyrant, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cattle Tyrant, Rufous Casiornis etc. etc.), Black-capped Donacobius, Fawn-breasted Wren, Purplish Jay, Epaulet Oriole, two Cardinals (Yellow-billed & Red-crested), various Seedeaters and so on...
This list is far from being complete (send me a PM if you're interested in the complete list). It still includes several species that are relatively common and widespread, but appear to figure on the wish-lists for many people visiting Brazil for the first time. Also note that relatively few species are restricted to the Pantanal region, though several of the widespread species can be rather hard to see elsewhere. To top it off I also saw several caimans (a harmless crocodile that mainly eats fish), several Anakondas (of the relatively small and harmless yellow variant found in this region), loads of Capivaras, several Black Howler Monkeys and a Tapir (however, sightings of Tapirs & Jaguars clearly depends on luck and are not to be expected). Anyway, it certainly wasn't a bad birding experiance - especially when realizing that total cost (incl. transportation, three meals a day & unlimited purified water for drinking) for this three-day trip was less than 100 US$! - This was approx. one year ago.
Second possibility is somewhat more expensive, but perhaps the best for you. Rent a car in Cuiaba and drive south along the Transpantaneira. I would advice you to get the new edition of Lonely Planet Brazil for more specific info on hotels etc. Even though this road isn't of European standards it is certainly not as bad as described in the above post and only rarely flooded. Usually not even a 4x4 is needed! As mentioned by Dalcio in the previous post there is no public transportation along the Transpantaneira and hitchhiking certainly isn't recommendable (here or anywhere else in South America for that matter); even less so for a women travelling alone. If you do your homework, you are likely to see almost as many birds on a self-guided trip in a rented car along the Transpantaneira as on one of the expensive tours with a pro birdguide. It's easy and you get the advantage of being able to go exactly where you want to go at your pace. However, unless you can find another person to share the cost of renting a car with, it could possibly end up being almost as expensive as going on a fully guided bird-tour. Doing the Transpantaneira I basically saw the same species as mentioned above, with noteworthy additions being Undulated Tinamou, Agami Heron, Bare-faced Curassow, Blue-throated Piping-guan, Sunbittern, Greater Thornbird, White-lored Spinetail & Mato Grosso Antbird. These additions are probably possible anywhere in the Pantanal and seem to be more dependant on luck (or play-back!) than anything else.
There are several top standard busses a day between Corumba and Campo Grande (~5 hours). The same can be said about Campo Grande and Cuiaba (~9 hours). The roads between these cities are of European standards, but the distances are greater than they may appear when looking at a map. The road going north from Cuiaba to Alta Floresta quickly deteriorates and it is a 12+ hour trip. Brazil is a massive country and for this reason many prefer to fly.
If in the region, there are a few other areas that may be of interest:
*Cristalino Jungle Lodge near Alta Floresta. The nearest and easiest Amazonian area to visit from the Pantanal region. Not cheap, but some amazing birds there. Follow this link and you will know why I consider this one of the top Amazonian spots for birding anywhere (and I've visited many Amazonian localities - incl. top lodges - in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela & Brazil):
http://www.worldtwitch.com/brazil_lees_2003.htm
I would advice you NOT to take their Birding Package, but rather send them a mail asking what a few days in their lodge would cost. This is expensive, but still much cheaper than getting the specific Birding Package. Also remember to spend a day or two at their hotel in Alta Floresta. At least one of the specialities (the stunningly beautiful Crimson-bellied Parakeet) is much easier in the forest around the hotel than at their lodge. Monkeys are also rather common around the hotel (I saw Red Howler Monkey, Brown Capuchin & White-bellied Spider Monkey).
The jungle-lodge:
http://www.cristalinolodge.com.br/
The hotel:
http://www.cristalinolodge.com.br/fah/english/apresentacao.htm
*Pousada Currupira d'Araras. Expensive, but the nest of the Harpy Eagle appears to be active again (a friend of mine saw it there a few months ago) - what other reason could you need! Virtually impossible to visit without help from the Pantanal Bird Club:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/6292/
*Chapadas dos Guimaraes. This national park is rather easy to visit being less than two hours from Cuiaba. Either by bus or rented car. Easy access to several cerrado specialities not found in the Pantanal; not at least one of the few localities where Blue-winged Macaws are still seen fairly regularly.
Field Guides to bring for the Pantanal: You are rather lucky as there is a fairly good field guide for this part of Brazil: “Birds of Southwestern Brazil" by Bathasar Dubs. For voices I would recommend “Birds of Bolivia 2.0” (by Sjoerd Mayer) which covers virtually every species found in this region. Do yourself a favour and start practicing ID's and voices as long before the trip as possible (preferably several month before). If new to Neotropical birding also realize that many species (especially in forest) are virtually impossible to see without play-back...
Otherwise you may be interested in a rather lengthy post I wrote a few months ago, though it mostly deals with the eastern part of Brazil:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=16102
- post #4.
Rasmus
NB. ...and welcome to BirdForum...
It basically depends on you:
The Cheapest: It is easy and very cheap to get a trip to the Pantanal via the certified youth-hostels (careful! Sometimes people will approach you claiming that they are officials from these rather wellknown hostels - even if they are not!) in Corumba and Campo Grande. They run their own tours (and no, you don't have to be "less than 25" to go on them) that leave from these towns almost every day and normally last three or four days. You basically turn up at their hotel, and they can connect you with a tour one of the following days - very easy! However, these are for people who want to see ANIMALS IN GENERAL - not birds in particular. Therefore your guide is NOT likely to know much about most of the smaller birds. You still have a very good chance of seeing the amazing Hyacinth Macaws, though. Either you could follow the guide around, doing much of the small bird ID'ing yourself, or, what I would recommend; walk around the hacienda yourself. In this way you should be able to see a large percentage of the birds found in the Pantanal. In this manner I managed to see two species of storks (Jabiru & Maguari), three species of ibis, Roseate Spoonebill, 7 (!) species of herons/egrets (incl. Boat-billed), Limpkin, Southern Screamer, Anhinga, Large-billed Tern, King Vulture, Black-collared Hawk, Snail Kite, Laughing Falcon, Chaco Chachalaca, Grey-necked Woodrail, Wattled Jacana, Red-legged Seriema, four Macaws (Golden-collared, Blue-and-Yellow, Red-and-Green & Hyacinth), Black-hooded Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Parrot (Amazon), Guira Cuckoo, Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, Blue-crowned Trogon, Amazon Kingfisher, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Spot-backed Puffbird, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Toco Toucan (common), White Woodpecker, Pale-crested Woodpecker, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Chotoy Spinetail, Rufous Cachalote, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Red-billed Scythebill, Band-tailed Antbird, Helmeted Manakin, various tyrants (two Monjitas, Black-backed Water-tyrant, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cattle Tyrant, Rufous Casiornis etc. etc.), Black-capped Donacobius, Fawn-breasted Wren, Purplish Jay, Epaulet Oriole, two Cardinals (Yellow-billed & Red-crested), various Seedeaters and so on...
This list is far from being complete (send me a PM if you're interested in the complete list). It still includes several species that are relatively common and widespread, but appear to figure on the wish-lists for many people visiting Brazil for the first time. Also note that relatively few species are restricted to the Pantanal region, though several of the widespread species can be rather hard to see elsewhere. To top it off I also saw several caimans (a harmless crocodile that mainly eats fish), several Anakondas (of the relatively small and harmless yellow variant found in this region), loads of Capivaras, several Black Howler Monkeys and a Tapir (however, sightings of Tapirs & Jaguars clearly depends on luck and are not to be expected). Anyway, it certainly wasn't a bad birding experiance - especially when realizing that total cost (incl. transportation, three meals a day & unlimited purified water for drinking) for this three-day trip was less than 100 US$! - This was approx. one year ago.
Second possibility is somewhat more expensive, but perhaps the best for you. Rent a car in Cuiaba and drive south along the Transpantaneira. I would advice you to get the new edition of Lonely Planet Brazil for more specific info on hotels etc. Even though this road isn't of European standards it is certainly not as bad as described in the above post and only rarely flooded. Usually not even a 4x4 is needed! As mentioned by Dalcio in the previous post there is no public transportation along the Transpantaneira and hitchhiking certainly isn't recommendable (here or anywhere else in South America for that matter); even less so for a women travelling alone. If you do your homework, you are likely to see almost as many birds on a self-guided trip in a rented car along the Transpantaneira as on one of the expensive tours with a pro birdguide. It's easy and you get the advantage of being able to go exactly where you want to go at your pace. However, unless you can find another person to share the cost of renting a car with, it could possibly end up being almost as expensive as going on a fully guided bird-tour. Doing the Transpantaneira I basically saw the same species as mentioned above, with noteworthy additions being Undulated Tinamou, Agami Heron, Bare-faced Curassow, Blue-throated Piping-guan, Sunbittern, Greater Thornbird, White-lored Spinetail & Mato Grosso Antbird. These additions are probably possible anywhere in the Pantanal and seem to be more dependant on luck (or play-back!) than anything else.
There are several top standard busses a day between Corumba and Campo Grande (~5 hours). The same can be said about Campo Grande and Cuiaba (~9 hours). The roads between these cities are of European standards, but the distances are greater than they may appear when looking at a map. The road going north from Cuiaba to Alta Floresta quickly deteriorates and it is a 12+ hour trip. Brazil is a massive country and for this reason many prefer to fly.
If in the region, there are a few other areas that may be of interest:
*Cristalino Jungle Lodge near Alta Floresta. The nearest and easiest Amazonian area to visit from the Pantanal region. Not cheap, but some amazing birds there. Follow this link and you will know why I consider this one of the top Amazonian spots for birding anywhere (and I've visited many Amazonian localities - incl. top lodges - in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela & Brazil):
http://www.worldtwitch.com/brazil_lees_2003.htm
I would advice you NOT to take their Birding Package, but rather send them a mail asking what a few days in their lodge would cost. This is expensive, but still much cheaper than getting the specific Birding Package. Also remember to spend a day or two at their hotel in Alta Floresta. At least one of the specialities (the stunningly beautiful Crimson-bellied Parakeet) is much easier in the forest around the hotel than at their lodge. Monkeys are also rather common around the hotel (I saw Red Howler Monkey, Brown Capuchin & White-bellied Spider Monkey).
The jungle-lodge:
http://www.cristalinolodge.com.br/
The hotel:
http://www.cristalinolodge.com.br/fah/english/apresentacao.htm
*Pousada Currupira d'Araras. Expensive, but the nest of the Harpy Eagle appears to be active again (a friend of mine saw it there a few months ago) - what other reason could you need! Virtually impossible to visit without help from the Pantanal Bird Club:
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/6292/
*Chapadas dos Guimaraes. This national park is rather easy to visit being less than two hours from Cuiaba. Either by bus or rented car. Easy access to several cerrado specialities not found in the Pantanal; not at least one of the few localities where Blue-winged Macaws are still seen fairly regularly.
Field Guides to bring for the Pantanal: You are rather lucky as there is a fairly good field guide for this part of Brazil: “Birds of Southwestern Brazil" by Bathasar Dubs. For voices I would recommend “Birds of Bolivia 2.0” (by Sjoerd Mayer) which covers virtually every species found in this region. Do yourself a favour and start practicing ID's and voices as long before the trip as possible (preferably several month before). If new to Neotropical birding also realize that many species (especially in forest) are virtually impossible to see without play-back...
Otherwise you may be interested in a rather lengthy post I wrote a few months ago, though it mostly deals with the eastern part of Brazil:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=16102
- post #4.
Rasmus
NB. ...and welcome to BirdForum...
Last edited:
Edward woodwood
Member
Hi there
My firends have just returned from a 8000 km driving trip round Brazil. I would second what Rasmus says. They hired a car cheaply and drove the whole way. Hire company was excellent replacing the car four times!
You will pay way over the odds with a tour company and will be rather restricted in your movements
My firends have just returned from a 8000 km driving trip round Brazil. I would second what Rasmus says. They hired a car cheaply and drove the whole way. Hire company was excellent replacing the car four times!
You will pay way over the odds with a tour company and will be rather restricted in your movements
