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 Hyacinth macaw, 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 Yacare caiman (similar to alligators) also live here as well as the 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.
Along the waterways you can hope to see vocal families of endangered Giant otters, Anaconda and many other mammals, reptiles and birds. The riverbanks of the Pantanal also offers the best opportunity to see the apex predator of the region - the mighty jaguar. Similar in looks to a leopard, but bulkier and heavier set, the jaguar is the most powerful of the big cats and the third largest in size after the tiger and lion. The best time to visit the Pantanal to see a jaguar is during the dry season (July to September) when rainfall is at its lowest and the wetlands gradually dry out, forcing the animals to congregate around the rivers and ever-diminishing lagoons. However a sighting of this magnificent creature in the wild is never guaranteed.
Activities vary by lodge and in addition to birding you can usually also enjoy guided walks, boat rides, game drives, catch-and-release fishing and night walks. Horse riding is available at some lodges (either included or at an extra charge).