We rise early today for birding in the vast Pantanal Wetlands - one of the last untouched wildlife sanctuaries in the world, stretching over 96,000 square miles (250,000 square km).
Comprising a wide variety of habitats ranging from Brazilian savanna ('cerrado') and grasslands, to semi-arid woodland, Amazon and Atlantic rainforests, the Pantanal offers much easier birding and game viewing than in the dense jungles of the Amazon Basin. These vast tropical floodplains are home to an amazing diversity of birdlife, with nearly over 650 species including the spectacularly blue Hyacinth macaw, a parrot cloaked in deep indigo plumage with yellow eye patches, and the Jabiru stork - the second largest flying bird in the Americas after the Andean condor. There are also at least 159 different mammals, 93 reptiles, 53 amphibians, 260 fish and over 1,100 butterfly species.
On your first early morning birding walk you can hope to see the White-eyed parakeet, Monk parakeet, Rufous hornero, Yellow-browned tyrant, Purplish jay, Sayaca tanager, Saffron finch, Red-crested cardinal and many more. In the afternoon we climb an observation tower with possibilities of spotting the Sun bittern, Little blue heron, Whistling heron, Bare-faced ibis, Snail kite, Purple gallinule, Yellow-billed tern, Amazon kingfisher, Pygmy kingfisher, Barred antshrike and more. Other colourful species include the Roseate spoonbill, Southern screamer, Chestnut-bellied guan, Bare-faced curassow, Red-legged seriema, Chestnut-eared aracari, Blue-crowned parakeet, Orange-backed troupial, Blue-crowned trogon, Toco toucan, Yellow-billed cardinal and the diminutive Rufous-tailed jacamar. You can also see several species of ibis, egrets, storks, skimmers, terns, hawks, kites and a host of other raptors and passerines. In the evening we take a night drive looking for the Black-crowned night-heron, Nacunda nighthawk, Pauraquee, Great horned owl, Common potoo and other birds of the night.
Millions of capybara, the world's largest rodent, and caiman (similar to alligators) also live here as well as the nocturnal Brazilian tapir, one of the largest mammals in South America with a strange trunk-like nose. You can hope to see the Crab-eating raccoon, South American coati (nicknamed the hog-nosed raccoon because of its pig-like snout.), Crab-eating fox, Giant anteater, Lesser anteater, Collared anteater, Black-striped capuchin monkey, Brown capuchin, Howler monkey, Agouti, Tayra, White-lipped peccary, Collared peccary, Chacoan peccary, Red brocket deer, endangered Marsh deer, the ostrich-like Greater rhea and the diminutive Black-tailed marmoset. If you are fortunate you may see an ocelot, a spectacular wild cat also known as the Dwarf leopard.
Guided activities vary by lodge but usually include walking trails, boat rides, climbing an observation tower to see the vastness of the Pantanal, birding, game drives, catch-and-release fishing and night walks. Horse riding is available at some lodges (either included or at an extra charge) and in the evening you can enjoy star gazing in the clear night skies.