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Day 1: Arrivals in Belém International Airport (BEL), the capital of Pará. If If time permits, the Hotel grounds will provide great looks at White-winged Parakeets and good chances for the endemic Buff-browed Chachalaca. The small birding at hotel includes Neotropical Palm and Short-tailed Swifts, Sulphury Flycatcher, Violaceous Euphonia and few others. Overnight in Belém.

Day 2: Morning of birding at Gunma Ecological Reserve in the near town of Santa Barbára do Pará. Here in a good portion of forest, we will be looking for some interesting birds such as Crimson Topaz, the rare Dot-eared Coquette, the endemic Hooded Gnateater, range restricted Willis’s Antbird, Amazonian Barred (medius) Woodcreeper and others to include Paradise Jacamar, Black-necked and Red-necked (nominate) Aracaris, Southern Mealy Amazon, Dusky Parrot, East Amazonian Fire-eye, Black-spotted Bare-eye (paraensis), Silvered Antbird, Cinereous Mourner, White-browed Purpletuft and Golden-sided Euphonia. In the afternoon, we should visit other protected forest near the large Guamá River, in search of the rare Black-chested Tyrant; Pale-tailed Barbthroat, Spotted and White-necked Puffbirds, White-bellied Parrot, Band-tailed and Blue-backed Manakins, Purple-throated Fruitcrow and others. Overnight in Belém.

Day 3: Early morning to repeat one of the above sites near Belém, or to visit Utinga State Park near the town. Noon flight to Santarém and ferry (at 5pm) across the Amazon River to reach Monte Alegre (north bank) in the evening for a one-night stay in simple guesthouse. The two hours ferry trip will give us chances to enjoy some beautiful varzea scenery where we hope to spot Tucuxi Dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis), Buff-necked Ibis, Horned Screamer, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Savanna and Black-collared Hawks, Snail Kite, Pied Plover, Large-billed and Yellow-billed Terns, Ringed and Amazon Kingfishers, Short-tailed Parrot, the stunning Oriole Blackbird, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Orange-fronted Yellow Finch and possibly others.

Day 4: Most of the day in Monte Alegre mainly to find the localised endemic Sulphur-breasted Parakeet in tall Cerrado forest. Our time there should include the interesting Monte Alegre State Park and surroundings, where we also hope to find Little Chachalaca, endemic Ochre-backed Woodpecker, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Northern Slaty Antshrike, White-bellied and Dusky Antbirds and possibly others. Ferry departing back to Santarém at 4pm. Overnight at hotel in Santarém.

Day 5: Early transfer and day to explore the fantastic Tapajós National Forest. There we will be looking especially for a few endemics between the Tapajos and Xingu rivers, the impressive Bare-eyed Antbird, the tiny Tapajos Hermit and the recently split Tapajos Fire-eye, among so many other spectacular birds we have chances to see on the beautiful trail and other sites in the National Forest, like White-browed Hawk, Cryptic Forest Falcon, Amazonian Trogon, Blue-necked and Great Jacamars, Gould’s Toucanet, Waved Woodpecker, Red-fan and Dusky Parrots, Santarem Parakeet, Uniform and Spix’s Woodcreepers, Xingu Scale-backed, Spix’s Warbling and Rufous-faced Antbirds, the smart Yellow-browed Antbird, Alta Floresta and Tapajos Antpittas, endemic Opal-crowned Manakin, Purple-breasted and endemic White-tailed Cotingas, Trilling Gnatwren, uncommon Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, Rose-breasted Chat and more. Lunch by the river with delicious fresh juice and our stay in local guesthouse at same site, a nice and peaceful place by the huge Tapajos River.

Day 6: Early morning for a final session at Tapajos National Forest before we continue our way south and across the Tapajos to the impressive Amazonia National Park for five nights. Lovely Wing-barred Seedeater should appear along roadside. We should arrive at our front-river guesthouse in the afternoon. The view of the river is fabulous and it should be easy to find Black-collared and White-banded Swallows on the river; close Yellow-browed Sparrows, Turquoise Tanager and even chances for Cinereous Becard, Natterer’s Slaty Anthsrike and Green-tailed Jacamar in the little forest behind the bungalow. If time permits, we can visit the close trail from Base Tracoá where we can look for the endemics Brown-chested Barbet and Vulturine Parrot and a vast array of species: Speckled Chachalaca, Gould’s Toucanet, Cream-colored Woodpecker, Speckled Spinetail, Elegant and Long-billed Woodcreepers, Glossy and Chestnut-backed Antshrikes, Ferruginous-backed and Band-tailed Antbirds, Amazonian Streaked Antwren, Amazonian Antpitta and more. Overnight at guesthouse at Amazonia National Park.

Day 7-8-9-10: We will have four full days to explore the amazing Amazonia NP and its trails. Most of our time here will be in pristine terra firme forest where birding can be remarkably rewarding – the National Park holds an avifauna of over five hundred species! Some of the highlights we expect to see here include: Fiery-tailed Awlbill, Dark-winged Trumpeter (ssp. viridis), White-browed Hawk, Harpy Eagle, Great, Blue-necked and Bronzy Jacamars, Collared, Spotted and Rufous-necked Puffbirds, Brown-chested Barbet, Red-necked Aracari, Cryptic Forest Falcon, Crimson-bellied Parakeet, the fascinating endemics Golden Parakeet (which we should visit a roosting site), Vulturine Parrot, Harlequin Antbird and Pale-faced Bare-eye; Slender-billed Xenops, Banded and Ferruginous-backed Antbirds, Ihering’s Antwren, Alta Floresta, Tapajos and Amazonian Antpittas, our first Black-bellied Gnateater, Rusty-belted Tapaculo, Snow-capped and Flame-crested Manakins, sometimes productive for cotingas such as Purple-breasted and endemic White-tailed Cotingas; Black-collared Swallow, Musician Wren, many of the Amazonian tanagers and hundreds more. A little time with a boat on the magnificent Tapajos, we should find Sand-colored Nighthawk, Blackish-grey Antshrike, Stripped Woodcreeper, Amazonian Inezia and even have time to get the right bank of the river to look for the smart near-endemic Black-girdled Barbet. Amazonia National Park is always a great Amazonian experience, with simplicity and very nicely located stay.

Day 11: After some final birding in the morning at Amazonia National Park, we will spend the day on the road driving back to Santarém. Dinner and overnight in Santarém.

Day 12: Early morning flight to Belém and later to Carajás, probably with arrival by late afternoon. Short transfer down the hills of Carajás National Forest to the town of Parauapebas. Hotel check-in heck and overnight.

Day 13-14-15-16: To complete this fantastic journey through Pará state, we will be between the Xingu-Tocantins interfluvium, having four full days to explore the amazing hills of Serra dos Carajás, certainly among the best birding destinations in the Amazon and in Brazil. Economically, Serra dos Carajás holds the largest iron ores in the world. The mining company VALE runs the Carajás National Forest, which best sites will be available for us to enjoy a remarkable visit. Terra firme with huge trees, stunning humid valleys, foothills with dense bamboo clumps and the dry iron-rocky Canga habitat should put together several highlights on our list: the endemics White-crested Guan, Dark-winged Trumpeter (dextralis), Santarem, Pearly and Jandaya Parakeets, Brigida’s Woodcreeper, Para Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-faced Antbird, Black-bellied and Black-breasted Gnateaters, Snethlage’s Antpitta, Opal-crowned Manakin, White-tailed Cotinga and White-naped Jay; besides many other rarities and appealing species, such as Brazilian Tinamou, Marbled Wood Quail, Pavonine Cuckoo, Harpy Eagle, Eastern Striolated Puffbird, Rufous-capped Nunlet, Cryptic and Slaty-backed Forest Falcons, Hyacinth Macaw, Red-fan Parrot, Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper (retentus), Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Peruvian Recurvebill, an undescribed Synallaxis Spinetail, Wing-banded Antbird, Amazonian Antpitta, Black-chested Tyrant, Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher, Blackish Pewee, White Bellbird, Spangled and Purple-breasted Cotingas, Guianan Red Cotinga, Fiery-capped Manakin, Rose-breasted Chat, Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak and hundreds more.

Day 17: Tour ends today with connecting domestic flights from Carajás Airport (CKS).

Tour details