Tour Leader: Bradley Davis
Tour price (Per person): GBP1,832 * EUR2,204 * AUD3,534 * USD2,295
Single Supplement: GBP255 * EUR307 * AUD493 * USD320
Tour Leader: Bruno Renno
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): GBP2,076 * EUR2,497 * AUD4,004 * USD2,600
Nowhere inspires more awe and wonder at the raw beauty of remote nature like the Amazon Basin of South America. Pioneered by Major Candido Rondon de Silva, explorations in this region of Brazil became the stuff of legend, as Rondon enabled the first telegraph line and subsequently the first road, to cross the Brazilian Amazon. He discovered numerous indigenous groups, named several major rivers, and is hailed by many Brazilians as one of the true heroes of Brazil’s native people and lands.
Our short extension to Acre is the perfect complement to our tour to Pousada PiraAçu, giving us an extra opportunity at finding Rondonia Bushbird, as well as a good number of low-density species restricted to the terra firme and bamboo forests of southwestern Amazonia.
Blue-headed Macaw; Rufous-headed Woodpecker; White-throated Jacamar; Black-faced Cotinga; Bamboo Antshrike; Bluish-slate Antshrike; Goeldi’s Antbird; Ornate Stipplethroat; Bamboo (Ihering’s) Antwren; Yellow-breasted Warbling-Antbird; Striated, Riparian & Manu Antbirds; Rufous Twistwing; Long-crested Pygmy-Tyrant; Acre Tody-Tyrant; Flammulated Bamboo-Tyrant; White-cheeked Tody-Flycatcher; Rufous-breasted & Fine-barred Piculets; Yellow-billed Nunbird; Lemon-throated Barbet; Southern Emerald Toucanet; Black-capped Parakeet; Peruvian Recurvebill; Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin; White-rumped Sirystes; Black-and-white Tanager.
varzea forest, Beni savannah, white sand forests, cerrado, small oxbow lakes, seasonally flooded areas, mixed terra firme forest, patches of slender bamboo, wide floodplains, transitional forests, upland terra firme and hilly terra firme forest
temperatures are warm to very hot with high humidity
8 with 1 local birding leader
moderate pace, some longer walks
good to very good
moderate with numerous challenging species
average to good
WOW – this was an entirely different trip than the main trip. The Pousada facility was a little more rustic than some of the other accommodations but nothing we couldn’t handle. It was certainly better than a hammock at the guard headquarters which Bradley indicated was the only thing available prior to Pousada. This portion required what seemed like a lot more walking and climbing over tree falls than anywhere else on the trip. It seemed that more of the birds were skulkers but then we were focusing on “ant-somethings” which are notoriously secretive. Again, it was disappointing there was not a single ant swarm and the mixed flocks were generally small and moved away from the trails fairly quickly. It was also frustrating that the best of the three trails (Capelinha) in the park was not available to us due to an on-going mammal-use survey. But, none of these things were within the control of Tuomas, Bradley, or our local guide. They were pros at adapting and modifying to take advantage of the trails that were available to us. By my count the main trip list was about 446 and we gained 81 sp on the extension, however, 40% of those were lifers, so worth the effort and expense, in my opinion. Our local guide, Gilberto, was indispensable. His recent knowledge was invaluable to know where to go for the target species.
The tour was fantastic and both of our guides were excellent. We enjoyed traveling with Lev. He is so enthusiastic! He is an excellent birding guide and also very knowledgeable about the natural history of the animals we saw. That made the experience even more enjoyable. He worked very hard to enable us to see some of the trickier birds, like the Zigzag Heron that was hiding in the trees. It turns out, he even speaks 'zigzag', as he carried on a 10 min conversation (back and forth calls) with the heron, trying to coax him into a better view. It was wonderful having a local guide, Leo, on this trip as well. He added a lot to the birding experience, was essential for dealing with logistics, and had a wealth of knowledge about the history of Brazil and the places we visited, that made it an even more interesting trip. Well Done Rockjumper!!
Overall we were very pleased with the trip. We have been to the tropics in various places in SA but hadn’t really experienced the heat of the Amazon. At first I was concerned about the siesta in early afternoon and the loss of bird time but by the third day I looked forward to it!! The lack of ant swarms, foliage-gleaners and mixed foraging flocks was disappointing. Some of the key target species had not been seen by local guides for several months to over a year. We hope it is not an on-going trend due to climate change but it may be. We felt fortunate to have had the opportunity and hope that others can continue to have this experience. We were pleased with the “tag-team effort” by Tuomas and Bradley. They worked well together with making sure the logistics flowed, everyone had their needs met as much as possible, and kept the pace moving. We were fortunate to have 8 people that had all travelled in groups before and were tolerant of various personalities and their strengths and weaknesses. Both Tuomas and Bradley were patient and talented in getting everyone (usually) in the group to see the target species. I will be giving a presentation to the local Audubon Chapter in November and will be recommending Rockjumper and their various trips to the group.
Rob Williams was helpful above and beyond the call by going out of his way to make it an enjoyable tour.
A Fantastic experience!! Considerably better than I had expected. Guides were fantastic!! And the inclusion of local Brazilian guide - Leo - was a real plus. He worked great together with Forrest Rowland, and his knowledge of the country and the vegetation was a real plus. The mammals and other critters were a real plus to the tour. The facilities, driver, and van were also great! Overall, this tour ranks among the top of the 7-8 birding tours I have ever taken, and Rockjumper is certainly a company I would highly recommend to others!!!
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