Three Week Brazil Ecotourism Tour Travel

Three Week Brazil Ecotourism Tour

21 Days / 20 Nights

This 3-week Brazil Ecotourism Tour is for those who want to experience our finest natural destinations in the Atlantic and Amazon Rainforests, the Pantanal Wetlands and the Cerrado Bushlands. The scenery and wildlife amongst these natural wonders take you to four major ecosystems with jaguar, ocelot, anteater, otter, maned wolf, monkeys galore and abundant birdlife to encounter. 

The REGUA Birding Lodge in the Atlantic Rainforest close to Rio de Janeiro has reforestation and conservation projects, including the reintroduction of the tapir to Rio state. The diverse habitat on the lower mountain slopes makes it a wonderful starting point, with sloth and potoo among the highlights.

The Pantanal Wetlands offer the finest wildlife viewing in South America, especially for avians but also for the large felines. The northern Pantanal has the Jaguarland hotspot, plus ocelot and much more. Savannah creatures such as giant anteater, armadillo and crab-eating fox can be found in the vegetation, while giant otter, caiman and tapir are found in the river systems. Hyacinth macaw, jabiru stork and huge flocks of parakeets can be seen in the skies. 

Cristalino Lodge is an Amazon Wildlife specialist, with wildlife photography also a possibility. Toucans, macaws and many other colourful Amazon birds are observed here, with peccary, collared anteater and tayra possible mammal sightings. The lodge also has Amazon treefrogs, piranha and many types of monkeys helping to give it that true jungle feel. 

The high bushlands of Chapada dos Guimaraes make a quick stopover before some nights at Santuario do Caraça, a beautiful religious sanctuary hidden in the hills. Here, the unique experience of maned wolf coming in to feed on the church steps is the undoubted highlight, but with tapir and abundant birdlife in the Cerrado.

Iguazu Falls and Yacutinga Lodge finish your time, with the rainforest lodge close to the most beautiful falls on the planet. The rainforest in the national parks is also full of wildlife, as well as having the falls themselves to amaze you... 

There are also many options for changes to this tour, with more regular tourism possiblities should you wish to combine the ecotourism idea. We can also include more activities in the wilds, such as hiking and kayaking, and adapt the idea to concentrate more on birding perhaps. 

Combines With: We can always add in even more destinations if you have the time!

Best Time to Visit: May through to October would usually be the best combination across these destinations and ecosystems, with the seasonal weather patterns working best in this period.

from $ USD

Three Week Brazil Ecotourism Tour

21 Days / 20 Nights


Destinations Visited

  • Iguazu Falls
  • Amazon
  • Pantanal Wetlands
  • Cuiaba & Chapada dos Guimaraes
  • Belo Horizonte & Minas Gerais
  • Serra dos Orgaos Mountains

Trip Style

Traditional

Activities Included

  • Wildlife Observation
  • Ecotourism

Tailor Made Tours

All our Brazil and South America Tours, are completely flexible with regards to dates, duration or the tours, activities and accommodation that we can include. All the tours featured on our website are our recommendations based on our experience of how to make the very best of your time in South America. We can adjust these details in any way that you wish. We are here to organise a tour that suits you after all!

Itinerary

Day 1
Atlantic Rainforest Lodge Arrival

Destination: Rio de Janeiro to REGUA Atlantic Rainforest Lodge

Your 3-Week Ecotourism Tour of Brazil begins on arrival in Rio de Janeiro, where immediate transfer takes you around Guanabara Bay and below the Serra dos Orgaos mountains. After two hours and 120km you find the Guapi-Açu Atlantic Rainforest Lodge nestling on the lower slopes. The Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve (REGUA) will be your first stop, with wetlands close to the lodge where caiman and capybara make their home along with many birds such as grebe, heron, ducks, and colourful tropical species such as the Brazilian tanager. The lodge also reintroduced tapir to the state and they may bring their youngsters for a bath. Dusk brings leaf-nosed bats to visit the feeders.
Day 2
Rainforest Trails & Waterfalls

Destination: REGUA Atlantic Rainforest Lodge

The REGUA domain stretches up the lower slopes of the mountains, with trails to take you there, including patches of dense primary Atlantic Rainforest. Your days can be as active or relaxed as you prefer. There are also waterfalls tumbling down rocks, and local or volunteer guides take you there to spot the wildlife in the trees and the undergrowth, while explaining to you the reforestation and conservation work done at REGUA. Over 100 species of bird have been catalogued around the lodge, plus Howler and Capuchin Monkeys. The region is also home to the beautiful Golden Lion Tamarin. Nocturnal observations can include huge moths, beetles, owls and the fabulous potoo.
Day 3
Rainforest Wildlife

Destination: REGUA Atlantic Rainforest Lodge

Possibilities to explore further afield exist too, with colourful species such as Saffron Toucanet, Frilled Coquette, Maroon-Bellied Parrot and Channel-Billed Toucan in the area. As well as the avian life, the REGUA rainforest is also home to many mammals and you may come across some of them during your days at the lodge. Ocelot and Puma have been caught on camera-traps. Sloth, Collared Anteater, Tayra, Possum and Porcupine climb the trees, while Grisson, Paca, Armadillo and the Crab-Eating Fox scuttle beneath. Otters can be found in the lowland rivers too. Colour is added by butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, lizards, snakes and frogs.
Day 4
Into the Pantanal Wetlands

Destination: REGUA to Rio, Cuiaba & SouthWild Pantanal Lodge

After returning to Rio in the morning, you fly to Cuiabá, the capital of Mato Grosso state in Brazil, where you begin the 3-hour drive to SouthWild Pantanal Lodge close to Pocone in the Northern Pantanal, the second major ecosystem of Brazil for you to visit. From the raised dirt roads it is easy to spot wildlife on the surrounding savannah and in the waters. The largest rodent in the world, the capybara, is especially visible, as are caiman, the largest reptile in South America. Before dinner you can visit the Ocelot Hide for the finest viewing of this magnificent medium-sized feline. Evening can bring a trip out around the lodge to look for owls and other nocturnal creatures.
Day 5
In Search of the Jaguar

Destination: SouthWild Pantanal Lodge to Jaguar Reserve

Your first Pantanal Dawn Chorus starts the day before your early breakfast at the lodge. At 7am, the group departs the lodge to continue further down the Transpantaneira to Porto Jofre, the end of the road. Transferring to small boats, the navigation on the Rio Cuiaba takes you 13km upstream to the Jaguar Research Centre Reserve. After lunch, an afternoon boat trip around the smaller rivers and shallower creeks gives you the chance to find the elusive jaguar on the muddy banks of the waterways. After dinner, you can enjoy a science lecture and a proper insight into the work of the SouthWild team in the foremost jaguar research station on the planet.
Day 6
Sightings & Scenery

Destination: Pantanal Jaguar Reserve

With three radio-equipped boats out on the waters at all times of day, sightings are common. Researchers have catalogued 96 different jaguars in the study area, using the unique patterns of spots on their foreheads and cheeks to distinguish them. The number of diffferent jaguar sighted per year in the research area has increased from a handful to almost 40, giving the area around the Three Brothers River the highest recorded density of jaguars in the world. As well as the wildlife, the scenery around the Rio Piquiri and the Meeting of the Waters State Park is wonderfully photogenic, with vegetation, waterways, clear Pantanal skies day and night, and spectacular sunsets.
Day 7
Jaguar Hot-Spots

Destination: Pantanal Jaguar Reserve

When staying in the SouthWild Jaguar Flotel, the days include two four hour boat trips around the rivers and creeks of the area, with a decent break for lunch between them to avoid the heat of midday in the Pantanal. The Three Brothers, Black Channel, Cuiaba and Piquiri Rivers are all renowned hunting, breeding and relaxing areas for many jaguar, and site of many of the best jaguar footage recorded by experts from the BBC and National Geographic wildlife teams. Jaguar Extreme trips from SouthWild have a 100% success rate for sightings in the last four years, with a refund offer for anyone who has no luck. Increased sightings now average between 2 and 3 per day.
Day 8
Pantanal Wetlands Wildlife

Destination: Pantanal Jaguar Reserve

The jaguar is an umbrella species, so that when conservation projects preserve the habitat of the creature, many other creatures benefit as a result. This area of the Pantanal is one of the finest to observe other large mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and boats can approach to close distances without disturbing the wildlife. Giant otters are also increasing in number and families can be observed hunting in the rivers and playing on the banks. Tapir, giant and collared anteaters, armadillo, peccaries and coatis will all be trying to avoid your jaguars. Capuchin and squirrel monkeys, hyacinth macaws, toucans and the fabulous sloth spend their days high in the trees, avoiding the predators below.
Day 9
Goodbye to Jaguarland!

Destination: Pantanal Jaguar Reserve to SouthWild Lodge

After a final morning boat trip, you leave the Flotel and the research area around 8am, returning the 13km downstream to Porto Jofre. The final road journey back to SouthWild Pantanal Lodge gives more chance to see and photograph the savannah animals. After lunch at Santa Teresa, an afternoon boat trip takes you to the wildlife-rich Rio Pixaim. Your final night in the Pantanal brings the chance to enjoy one more night of clear skies and stars as abundant as the wildlife. Owls, night-jars and the smaller feline predators such as the ocelot are active in the dark hours, with the lodge also having an early evening ocelot visit most nights, the best place on earth to photograph them!
Day 10
Over the Amazon to Cristalino

Destination: Pantanal Lodge to Cuiaba, Alta Floresta & Cristalino Lodge

After returning to the airport in Cuiaba after breakfast, a quick flight takes you over the southern reaches of the Amazon Jungle to Alta Floresta, where you will be picked up for the short road and boat journey along the Rio Cristalino. This river is named for the clarity of its waters, and from the lodge boat you can see this and perhaps even some riverine wildlife along the way. Caiman and Tapir are possible sightings along the banks, with Kingfisher and Egrets flying above them. On arrival at Cristalino Jungle Lodge you can enjoy the Amazon ambience as you settle in to your accommodation. An introduction to the lodge, its activities and the surrounding area follows.
Day 11
Amazon Views & Hikes

Destination: Cristalino Amazon Lodge

Stays at Cristalino Lodge can be tailored to your specific wishes, with available activities depending on the season, weather and recent wildlife sightings. A morning hike to the 50m high Canopy Tower gives you a view of the Amazon from tree-top level, with monkeys, macaws and other colourful Amazon avians often observed. The Ficus Trail takes you on a jungle hike to a giant fig tree, while the Taboca Trail in the afternoon takes you to observe the seasonally flooded forest (January to July or so) where tree trunks on lower ground remain half-submerged and very photogenic. Possible wildlife sightings include monkeys, the Sloth and the Tayra.
Day 12
Amazon Flora & Fauna

Destination: Cristalino Amazon Lodge

A morning hike takes you to the Saleiro Tree-House in the middle of a forest reserve that boasts mineral-rich soil. This attracts many mammals - Tapir, Collared and White-Lipped Pecary and the wonderful Anteaters, both Giant and Collared can all be observed in the area. An afternoon boat trip upriver and a hike along the Brazil Nut Trail takes you through an area of these Amazon giants, with many creatures that like to feed on their produce. The return journey downriver can be done by boat and also by canoe if you prefer. Paddling for yourselves gives you the chance to observe the animals and birds that use the riverbanks and trees for shelter.
Day 13
Amazon Lowlands

Destination: Cristalino Amazon Lodge

Being woken up by the Amazon Jungle Dawn Chorus is a special beginning to any day. Parrots,parakeets, macaws, toucans and hundreds of other species compete to make the most noise. Your morning activities begin with a boat trip and a hike along the Sierra Trail, which passes through drier ground in a deciduous forest. The trail is set above the lowlands, with various wonderful viewpoints across the hilly landscape. Colourful Amazon Orchids can often be found in this area. An afternoon trip to Teles Pires Island takes you to a haven for colourful tropical birds, with nesting wood storks. The island is especially photogenic at sunset.
Day 14
From the Forest to the Bushlands

Destination: Cristalino Lodge to Cuiaba & Chapada dos Guimaraes

You have the morning to enjoy one final spectacular Pantanal dawn chorus. The skies are alive with colourful flocks of parakeets, swirling macaws and flitting toucans, all of which are wonderful to observe against the clear blue skies. After breakfast you travel back to Cuiaba and the continue past the city another hour or so to the Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park. This area of flat-topped mountains and waterfalls is part of the Brazilian Cerrado, the bushlands which make up much of the interior of the country. You can spend the afternoon walking the trails around the lodge and enjoying more birdsong and with the chance of seeing cerrado creatures such as the Giant Anteater.
Day 15
Into the Mountains of Minas

Destination: Guimaraes to Cuiaba, Belo Horizonte & Santuario do Caraça

A morning hike to visit various waterfalls can be arranged, with excellent birdlife in the early hours. Your local guide can also point out the regional wildlife. After lunch you transfer back to Cuiaba mid-afternoon. After flying to Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais, you transfer the 150km around the mountains of the Serra do Gandarela National Park. The magnificent Santuario do Caraça nestles in pristine cerrado bushlands, surrounded by 2,000m peaks. A late arrival means that you would likely prefer to retire immediately, although keeping an eye out for the nocturnal wildlife that visits the church might be worthwhile!
Day 16
Maned Wolf & More!

Destination: Santuario do Caraça

The day can be spent hiking the relatively easy trails from the sanctuary to the two nearby waterfalls: Cascatinha, reached by a flat 2km trail; and Cascatona around 6km from the sanctuary in the opposite direction. The Morro do Cruz viewpoint is also worth the short, steep climb with views back down to the complex, a cut-off from the Cascatona trail. Every night after mass, the priest calls the local maned wolf in to eat on the steps of the church, in front of the watching guests, a unique experience under the starry Minas Gerais skies. Recently a tapir has been making occasional appearances too!
Day 17
Iguazu Falls Views

Destination: Caraça to Belo Horizonte & Iguazu Falls

An early start can have you awake to see if the local tapir is taking his morning bath in the pond behind the complex. You can also enjoy the noise of abundant avian life marking the dawn with a noisy chorus. After transferring back to the airport in Belo Horizonte, the morning flight takes you to Iguazu Falls, and your first chance to see the 275 separate falls of the Rio Iguazu comes as you land. In the late afternoon you transfer to your hotel with the evening free. Please be sure to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for Iguazu Falls, as walkways, paths and yourselves become wet from the spray. Camera protection is also a good idea.
Day 18
Falls & Forest

Destination: Iguazu Falls to Yacutinga Lodge

Morning has your first close up look at Iguazu Falls during a tour of the Brazil National Park, where you can enjoy the majestic panoramic views of Iguazu from across the gorge. Options include viewing the falls from above with helicopter rides above them. You can also enjoy lunch at Porto Canoas Restaurant above the falls. The afternoon brings your journey to the Yacutinga Lodge and Ecotourism project in the Iguazu Rainforest. The journey passes through lush forests, small towns and yerba mate plantations. Upon arrival at the eco-lodge you'll be welcomed, shown around and given an introduction to the various eco-projects and activities at Yacutinga.
Day 19
Rainforest Activities

Destination: Yacutinga Rainforest Lodge

After breakfast you head out for a morning canoe excursion along the San Francisco River, which flows through the eco-reserve, a great opportunity to photograph the bird and animal life of the forest as you glide downstream. After lunch at the lodge, you have some free time to enjoy the pool or take a walk around the orchid trail and hummingbird garden. In the afternoon your expert naturalist guide takes you through the rainforest to explain the flora and fauna of the forest and help you to spot the resident wildlife. After dinner you can take a night hike through the jungle in search of nocturnal wildlife.
Day 20
The Majesty of Iguazu

Destination: Yacutinga Lodge to Iguazu Falls

After breakfast you make the return journey from Yacutinga Lodge back to Puerto Iguazu, from where you will be met for the tour of the Argentinean National Park. After time for a buffet lunch on arrival, you can explore the park in the afternoon, where walkways allow you to experience the majesty of Iguazu from very close quarters. The undoubted highlight is the mesmeric experience of looking down into The Devil's Throat as the falling water pounds the bottom, creating the roar and mist that mean Iguazu Falls can be seen and heard for miles around. You finish the day with the adventure boat ride up the canyon and under the falls and spend the evening with a view of them from your hotel on the Brazil side.
Day 21
Flying Away from Brazil!

Destination: Iguazu Falls to Rio de Janeiro & Away

Your three-week Ecotourism Tour of Brazil finishes with a morning visit to the Bird Park, which allows you close contact with toucans, macaws, humming-birds and butterflies flying around the huge aviaries. Your transfer to the airport will be arranged in time to connect with your flight back to Rio (with Sao Paulo or an extension to visit Buenos Aires also possible). This tour is aimed at those who want to concentrate purely on the Ecotourism side of Brazil, although we can adapt it to your requirements if you would prefer a mix of regular tourism too. We can also extend it and include different destinations to make it ideal for your requirements!

Prices

* Domestic Flights Estimated Price
$1,250 USD
** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation
Simple B&B
On Request
3 Stars
On Request
4 Stars
On Request
5 Stars
On Request

* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed.

** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.


* Domestic Flights Estimated Price ** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation
$1,250 USD
Simple 3 Stars 4 Stars Luxury
On Request
On Request
On Request
On Request
 

* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed.

** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.