2 weeks in Rio, Pantanal, and Iguazu in October - advice (1 Viewer)

Hi Guys
We are planning to spend 2 weeks in Brazil in October. It wont be 100% birding more a mix of scenery, birds and mammals. We will probably get a company like Trailfinders or Audley travel to package the trip for us.

1/ Having read the excellent advice on this site and personal recommendation it sounds like REGUA and Serra Dos Tucanos are two sites to visit from Rio (are they far apart ?). Is one better than the other ?
2/ Any recommendations of where to stay in the Pantanal - we have about 6 nights and were planning to stay at 2 accomodations in different habitats. I particularly like sites with feeders as this gives a lot of good photo opportunities
3/ Iguazu - which accommodation would you recommend ?
3/ What would you recommend as an identification book ?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Tony

Tony Knight said:

1/ Having read the excellent advice on this site and personal recommendation it sounds like REGUA and Serra Dos Tucanos are two sites to visit from Rio (are they far apart ?). Is one better than the other ?

Tony

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They are perhaps an hour or so's drive apart, so it's not too hard to do both if you have time. REGUA has better and more varied birding on the doorstep. It has wetlands and lowland forest, so if you want to bird those habitats it's a much better bet. Serra dos Tucanos probably has easier access to higher altitude sites (1000 metres plus). You can visit the same sites from REGUA but you'll have a bit more travelling to do in most cases. If I had to choose one or the other I'd choose REGUA because you have some of the best birding in Brazil more-or-less within walking distance or a short drive away.

Andrew Whitehouse said:

They are perhaps an hour or so's drive apart, so it's not too hard to do both if you have time. REGUA has better and more varied birding on the doorstep. It has wetlands and lowland forest, so if you want to bird those habitats it's a much better bet. Serra dos Tucanos probably has easier access to higher altitude sites (1000 metres plus). You can visit the same sites from REGUA but you'll have a bit more travelling to do in most cases. If I had to choose one or the other I'd choose REGUA because you have some of the best birding in Brazil more-or-less within walking distance or a short drive away.

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Thanks Andrew. Do you need a vehicle to visit the sites at REGUA or SDT? We would literally just be transported to the hotels and then left. I gather the birding at SDT is literally in the hotel grounds?

Tony

I had hoped to stay 2 nights at REGUA and a further night at Serra Dos Tucanos. The 2 nights at REGUA are secured but SDT is already fully booked for October so we can't stay there. Is there a similar lodge within an hour or two of REGUA in a slightly different environment which would have different birds in the grounds and on the feeders ?

Ps for others planning to head to SDT, note the lodge is in the process of moving further up into the hills and they are planning to only take minimum 7 night bookings in future. It therefore won't be possible to add a day or two there as part of a multisite tour.


Thanks
Tony

Try this one: http://www.valedastaquaras.com.br/en/index.php
It is further up than Serra dos Tucanos but in the same general area. There is an article and a checklist of the birds found there published in the latest issue of Cotinga, the journal of the Neotropical Bird Club: Pacheco et al, Cotinga 36 (2014): 74-102 .

dacol said:

Try this one: http://www.valedastaquaras.com.br/en/index.php
It is further up than Serra dos Tucanos but in the same general area. There is an article and a checklist of the birds found there published in the latest issue of Cotinga, the journal of the Neotropical Bird Club: Pacheco et al, Cotinga 36 (2014): 74-102 .

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Thanks Dacol - that looks great. I'll do some more research on it. Seems they have great humming bird feeders but no other fruit feeders mentioned which is a shame for my photography.

cheers
Tony

Lilian Ferrez is a birder herself. Email her with your questions, address is on the website.

dacol said:

Lilian Ferrez is a birder herself. Email her with your questions, address is on the website.

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Thanks Dacol - I did yesterday so just waiting for a reply now.

In the Iguazu area, I would recommend you to stay on the Argentine side. There is a specific area (selva Iriapú) with many lodges in a jungle environment. I believe that none of these lodges are specialized in birding tourism (nor on the Brazilian side). There are a number of lodges that are specifically dedicated to birding (with feeders, of course) within an hour and a half drive away from Iguazu falls.

We've always rented a car in Brazil, and had no issues. There's a fantastic public-domain Garmin map (http://www.tracksource.org.br/desenv/tabela_mapsets.php) to get you everywhere, the roads are good. Just don't drive at night, and stay off the main highway between Rio & Sao Paulo.

I agree with dacol that Vale das Taquaras is an excellent choice. My wife & I spent five nights there a couple of years ago, and Lila is a great host. We saw some good birds there, and enjoyed ourselves a lot. We did not visit Serra dos Tucanos, although we did look for it one day without success, so I can't say how it compares. We also visited Regua, but only on a day trip as they were full, but it seemed like a great place, and Colin (the owner?) was very helpful and personable.

We've also been to the Pantanal, where we stayed at Pousa Alegre, which is relatively inexpensive (~$200/day for two all inclusive) and has a lot of wildlife around. Love it! There are some fruit feeders around, but no hummingbird feeders - I'm not sure what feeders you're primarily interested in. Anyway, you'll have no shortage of photo ops at Pousa Alegre. With the Pantanal, you'll really choose either coming in from the north or from the south - it's huge. If you do go from the north, as we did, you might also consider visiting Chapada dos Guimares, which is fantastic! They do have hummingbird feeders, and very different birds from the Pantanal, even though it's only an hour or so from Cuiaba.

We've not been to Iguazu.

We used the Ber van Perlo book (spelling?). It's adequate, but not as good as many other guidebooks in S.A.

HTH, Jim

Hi Tony,

When are you guys in Iguazu? I'll be there until 27th September if you wanted to meet up. Will be staying in the Selva Iryapu area as recommended, some decent mid range hotels in a jungle setting should be OK for birds (and my only option for early morning birding as the national park doesn't open til 8 a.m.).
I bought the Birds of South America - the Passerines volume (Ridgely & Tudor) is excellent if a bit bulky - you could always cut out the plates & maps section. The smaller non-Passerines volume by Erize et al is decent but the plates aren't quite as good and the maps too small.

Cheers,
N

Just back from a Pantanal trip. Can endorse Pousa Alegre - a great all round wildlife location, had the largest concentration of caiman and waterbirds we saw all trip and night drives were good giving us amazing Tapir views and a narrowly missed Giant Anteater (gnash). Hyacinth Macaw and Chestnut-bellied Guan in the grounds...

We didn't stay there but Rio Claro Lodge also seems to be really great for all round wildlife - Nanday Parakeets on the feeders, good forest birds and boat trips on the key Claro. We stayed at Matto Grosso Lodge close by, which was also excellent but lacked the forest habitat and parakeets.

If your budget can handle it, boat trips out of Porto Jofre are seeing amazing success at the mo with Jaguar sightings. If you commit a day on the river, you would be unlucky to see just one. We saw two but others were coming back having seen as many as 5, including mating pairs and cats taking caiman!!

Nohatch said:

Hi Tony,

When are you guys in Iguazu? I'll be there until 27th September if you wanted to meet up. Will be staying in the Selva Iryapu area as recommended, some decent mid range hotels in a jungle setting should be OK for birds (and my only option for early morning birding as the national park doesn't open til 8 a.m.).
I bought the Birds of South America - the Passerines volume (Ridgely & Tudor) is excellent if a bit bulky - you could always cut out the plates & maps section. The smaller non-Passerines volume by Erize et al is decent but the plates aren't quite as good and the maps too small.

Cheers,
N

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Sorry, only get there in Oct for 3 days;

We are now staying;

Iguazu - 3 nights at Loi Suites on Argentinian side
Nth Pantanal - 2 nights Pousada Rio Mutum and 3 nights Araras lodge
Chapada - 1 night at Pousada do parque
Rio - 3 nights at Pestana
REGUA - 2 nights, and
Vale das Taquaras - 1 night

Can't wait !

Tony

No worries! This is a fab location with lots of birds. I spent a couple of days on the Macuco trail and still come across new species. The more touristic/busy trails along the falls aren't very good (well, apart from amazing views of the falls of course!), but the one to the Garganta Diablo leads past some nice flooded forest and I had a couple of different species there.
The area around your hotel is decent, although a lot of the forest has been cleared (so much for a Selva Iryapu "reserve") - the little pond on the way has some wetland birds. The Brazilian side is a bit of a circus so only worth it for the close up and panoramic views of the falls.
Finally, there is a humminbird garden in town which is worth it for an hour or two to tick all the hummers.

Have a great trip!
J