Brazil - The Atlantic Rainforest - June 2025 - Logistics and Itinerary

 

Logistics

• A seven day guided trip with Mick. Most of the time was spent in the Atlantic rainforest inland from the coast, firstly at Intervales State Park and then at Legago das Aguas reserve. The final guided day was in and around Peruibe for a whole suite of different birds. We added a day in Sao Paolo at the end of the trip principally so that I could catch up with a distant relation who lives in the city, but we were also able to do some birding here on our own.
• Guide: Another fantastic guide from Agami Nature Tours, Bruno. One of the most sociable people you could ever hope to meet, he is an excellent birder but above all he is just great fun and the trip was full of laughter. At Intervales we were fortunate to have the incomparable Betinho as a local guide, and at Peruibe we met up with Fabio who also owned the small birding lodge we stayed at.
• Costs: This was very reasonably priced trip at $2650. As ever it is all inclusive - guiding services, accomodation, meals, and all transport. Agami know the area well and Brad (who had guided me in the Pantanal) constructed a bespoke itinerary for us based on the time I had available. Normally this trip is 16 days long but Brad was happy to do a much shorter trip for us picking the best sites. Naturally it went like clockwork and we saw virtually everything. I can't remember the exact details but a deposit of around 30% was required up front, with the remainder due three months before departure.
• Flights: We flew on British Airways from London to Sao Paolo. Using an Amex 2-4-1 voucher it cost £454 and 100,000 avios each for business class seats. Bring it on. We left after work on Thursday, landing at GRU at 6am on Friday. The return flight departed at 3pm and landed in London at 6am. I slept both ways.
• Transport:  Bruno arrived in a smart and shiny hire car. By the end of the week there was more mud than paint but it did at least keep working!
• Accomodation: All included in the price, the accomodation at Intervales was of a decent standard. Legado das Agaus was somewhat more basic but you are so shattered at the end of each day that you could sleep anywhere. The pousada at Peruibe was very nice.
• Literature/Resources: In addition to a day-by-day trip itinerary provided by Agami I had created lists of targets using eBird. I brought Van Perlo but barely used it as Merlin is in effect also a field guide. Bruno eBirded the whole thing and then shared the lists with us at the end of the day.
• Food - Very good food everywhere we went. At Intervales it was a buffet in the village outside the park, made better by opening at 6am so we could get an early start. At Legado we were the only people staying so instead the chef made us a set meal each night. He also made a mean Caipirinha. Elsewhere we ate in the standard Brazilian buffet restaurants.
• Weather - Colder than you might expect in the mountains, especially overnight, so bring a fleece. We encountered rain only a couple of times, a small umbrella is all you need rather than full waterproofs. Mostly nice and sunny and ideal birding temperatures of around 20-25C.
• Other - I bought an Airalo eSIM but barely used it as there is no phone signal for most of this trip. You can use wifi in the evenings for your all-important eBirding. I took a small amount or Brazilian Real with which I ended up using mostly for drinks and a tip for Betinho. I had wanted to bring more but couldn't get any in time so instead brought dollars which I gave to Bruno.

For context. Brazil is vast.

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Early morning arrival into Sao Paolo where we were picked up by Bruno, followed by a four hour drive west via Sorocaba and Capao Bonito to Intervales State Park, arriving for a late lunch. Afternoon spent birding the trails close to the visitor centre, great views of Red-and-White Crake and Blackish Rail in the wetland close to the visitor centre.
• Day 2 - Intervales State Park. Morning birding Carmo Road with Bruno and the local guide Betinho, followed by a good session around the feeders in the village over lunch. In the afternoon we birded the Palm Trail and other areas of the reserve. Owling after dark around the park boundaries. Overnight in the park.
• Day 3 - Intervales State Park. Morning birding down the long Lajeado Trail made harder in the rain and curtailed. Late morning around the visitor centre and another great session around the feeders after lunch. Afternoon birding various spots around the park. More Owling and Overnight in the park again.
• Day 4 - Intervales State Park. Most of the morning on the Carmo Road again where we struck gold with Helmeted Woodpecker. More birding in the village and more fun around the feeders during lunch. We then moved to Legado das Aguas which took most of the afternoon. There was just enough time left in the day to enjoy the feeders on the balcony at the canteen. Overnight in the reserve accomodation.

• Day 5 - Legado das Aguas. Birded around the buildings before breakfast and then took the circular Cambuci trail to the top of the gully.  Afternoon at the ground feeder hide just outside the park. Overnight in the reserve accomodation again.

• Day 6 - Legago das Aguas. Birded the Copaiba Trail after breakfast, a very elusive Variegated Antpitta gave us the runaround for at least an hour without ever showing itself. Then we drove out of the reserve and down to Peruibe on the coast, meeting Fabio at a local restaurant before birding the mangroves at Rio Preto. Dumped our stuff at Fabio's pousada in Guarau, then birded the beach area for a short while before heading north-east up the coast to Itanhaem for Red-tailed Parrots and other birds of the coastal lowlands. Overnight at Mochileiros Pousada.

• Day 7 - Guarau and Peruibe. Morning at Restinga Park and the beach, then around the village followed by an hour or so at Fabio's feeders. Back to the mangroves briefly before lunch and an afternoon transfer to Sao Paolo. Brief afternoon birding at Parque do Povo before meeting some relations on my Mum's side for dinner.

• Day 8 - Early morning birding Ibirapuera Park in central Sao Paolo. Then a taxi late morning to the airport for our mid-afternoon flight home.