North-East Brazil: Fifteen Days of Caatinga and Atlantic Forest Birding

Arrive at Fortaleza Airport and travel about 65 miles to Baturité. Check into the lodge and begin exploring the mountain forest. Use the first birding session to look for local specialties, then review the day’s observations over the evening checklist.

Spend the day exploring the mountain forest, with a lunch break between morning and afternoon sessions. Revisit promising areas for birds missed earlier. Stay out long enough to search for Spectacled Owl before returning to the lodge for dinner.

Leave after breakfast for the approximately 270-mile journey to Crato. Break the drive with birding stops in suitable habitats. The hotel near Araripe National Forest provides access to the following day’s main search areas.

Begin with caatinga birding before moving to the Araripe Manakin area during the morning. After lunch and a break, return to productive sites to look for missing species or improve earlier views. A late session may include a search for night birds.

Travel approximately 230 miles toward Canudos or Euclides da Cunha, taking birding stops along the way. Aim to arrive with enough time for a local session and possible nightjar searching. Scissor-tailed Nightjar is one of the evening targets.

Give the morning priority to searching for Lear’s Macaw. Continue through the Canudos area for other caatinga birds, including Scarlet-throated Tanager, parakeets and dry-country songbirds. Stay in the same accommodation for a second night.

Set off toward Estância after breakfast, following a route with further opportunities for Lear’s Macaw and Pectoral Antwren. Search locally after arrival for Fringed-backed Fire-eye. If conditions allow, add an evening attempt for Rufous Nightjar.

Make an early local birding stop before the long journey to Lençóis. This approximately 340-mile drive includes lunch and birding breaks en route. Reach the hotel toward the end of the day and prepare for a full day in the area.

Explore the habitats around Lençóis in search of specialties such as Hooded Visorbearer and Sincora Antwren. Include a forest patch for a different selection of species. Return to the same hotel rather than adding another transfer today.

Travel about 250 miles to Boa Nova, stopping for birds and lunch along the way. Use the time after arrival to begin searching the vine forest, where Slender Antbird is a principal focus. This stop begins a three-night stay.

Dedicate a full day to Atlantic Forest birding around Boa Nova. Search for the varied understory and canopy birds of the area, taking time at productive sites. Later in the day, make an attempt for Giant Snipe.

Let the previous day’s observations guide the route. Return to humid forest, vine forest or both to search for species still missing. Pause for lunch and a midday rest before continuing in the afternoon.

Drive approximately 190 miles toward Camacan and stop for lunch. Change to four-wheel-drive vehicles for the final climb to Serra Bonita Lodge. After checking in, begin birding the forest at around 950 metres, with Pink-legged Graveteiro among the targets.

Spend the morning searching the forest for birds missed on arrival. After lunch, allow time at the lodge feeders, where hummingbirds, tanagers and toucanets may give close views. This slower session also creates opportunities for photography.

Check out after breakfast and transfer to Ilhéus Airport. Continue with the onward flight arrangements selected for your journey home. No additional full birding excursion is scheduled for this departure day.