Did you know that Brazil has over 60 national parks? We bird in many of them on our tours, but there are numerous beautiful parks that, for various reasons, are seldom visited. Some in the depths of Amazonia are quite newly established and have almost no access, and the birdlife of others is sampled well on existing tours. And then there are some that, although famously rich in wildlife including rare birds, are far enough off the beaten track that darned few people manage to reach the gate. This December, for the first time, we're going to take a few of you to bird two of these backcountry parks.

Serra da Canastra National Park is a vast plateau of cerrado above clearwater rivers coursing through semideciduous woodlands below the wall of the serra. This is the single best place to search for the rare Brazilian Merganser, and Canastra is also a stronghold for Giant Anteater (good chance) and Maned Wolf (how lucky could we get?). Other avian specialties include Great Dusky Swift, Campo Miner (if there are recent burns around), Brasilia Tapaculo, Ochre-breasted Pipit, and Stripe-breasted Starthroat.

Bret and Marcelo scouted Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park earlier this year and were mightily impressed with its birds and also its inspiring landscapes and state of preservation. Among the specialties to be sought there are Dwarf Tinamou, Ocellated Crake, Brazilian Merganser (another shot at this rare duck), Giant Snipe, Stygian Owl, Chestnut-capped Foliage-gleaner and, at both parks, a host of species with distributions centered on the cerrados and riparian woodlands of the ancient Brazilian Shield such as Yellow-faced Parrot, Horned Sungem, Russet-mantled Foliage-gleaner, Collared Crescentchest, Cock-tailed Tyrant, Sharp-tailed Tyrant, Helmeted Manakin, Curl-crested Jay, Sedge Wren (any place with breeding Sedge Wrens is a great place!), White-striped Warbler, Black-masked Finch, and Yellow-billed Blue Finch.

We'll be based in a couple of comfortable little pousadas for our eight days of birding. This is a rare opportunity to see some of the best of Brazil with both Bret and Marcelo guiding a group of just eight participants, so get away from winter's tightening grip for a tropical reprieve of the highest order.

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Combo Tours
If you would like a longer birding holiday, some departures of this tour may be combined with:
BRAZIL'S RIO ROOSEVELT: Birding the River of Doubt