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When: |
June 5th - 19th 2006 |
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Where: |
Various locations |
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Attendees: |
Chuck Hathcock Dave Keller Brian Jones (Link to his trip report) Shannon Jones |
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So the
question I keep getting asked, is "Why did you go to Brazil??"
Honestly, the most basic answer is that Brian asked me if I wanted to go and
he was going to plan the whole thing! That made it an easy 'YES'. But beyond
this obvious answer, I've always wanted to go to Brazil. Being into ecology
like I am, seeing the rich biodiversity of South America was high on my travel
priority list. I really want to see these places before they are gone forever.
There seems to be a sad correlation in this world where most of the world's
premier biodiversity hotspots happen to occur in areas of an ever increasing
human presence. And as the world's population increases, the need for raw
materials increases, and the losses of these natural areas are inevitable.
My travel companions on this trip were my good friend and colleague Dave and
my two good friends from Tucson, Brian and his wife Shannon. Dave and myself
were staying 15 days and Brian and Shannon extended to stay another 5 days
in Brazil. I would have extended as well, but vacation time and money are
scarce resources for me! A fifth traveler, Jeff, dropped out at the last minute
and was not able to go. He really missed out.
This trip focused on three eco-regions in Brazil. The first 5 days were spent
in the Atlantic Rain Forest in southeastern Brazil. The next 5 days were spent
in the Pantanal in southern Brazil, and the last 5 days were spent in the
Amazon Rain Forest in north-central Brazil. The map below gives a general
idea of where we were at.
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We looked at several eco-tour companies to potentially lead this trip and finally selected Focus Tours, based out of Santa Fe New Mexico. The decision to go with this company was based on many factors such as the company's history, their wide range of tour options, their willingness to develop a custom tour for our group, their commitment to conservation in Brazil, and lastly their commitment to the local people of Brazil by hiring only local drivers, guides, and naturalists. Links to the tour company and conservation work they do are at the top of the page.
Since the trip was really three smaller trips, and that is how I will break up this trip report. Parts 1, 2, and 3 are linked below. Images in the text are linked to larger images and there are links to full image galleries at the end of each trip report.
The bird and mammal species lists for each eco-region are linked below as well. The species lists are in order of what we saw, when we saw it, and are only the new species seen. These species lists were compiled using my notes from the field, the Dall book, and occasionally using the internet to find the correct spelling of a Latin name. It may not be 100% accurate in the naming, but it is the best I could do.
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Atlantic Rain Forest |
The Pantanal |
Amazon Rain Forest |