Check out a Photo Gallery here, and an ebird Trip Report for the 2024 Tour here
Atlantic Forest Extension Option
Registration is open to Safari Brazil participants, & others.
Area description: One of the most famous destinations in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest Region, Itatiaia National Park comprises over 100 square miles. The nation’s oldest national park created in 1937, it spans parts of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, and is about a 4-hour drive from Sao Paulo.
Ranging in altitude from 1800 to 9000 feet, the altitudinal gradient in the park provides a diverse variety of habitats, from humid Atlantic Forest in lower elevations to Mountaintop Grasslands in higher elevations, resulting in a shockingly diverse avifauna with over 350 species recorded. Based at Hotel do Ypê within the National Park, we will explore the various nearby trails on the lower reaches of the park during our first full day. On our second full day, we will explore the cool, humid highlands.
Targets: One of the most special birds here shares the National Park’s name, the Itatiaia Spinetail, a specialist of the high altitude environments in the park. On the way to the highest altitude sites we will have the chance to see many other highland birds such as Rufous-tailed Antbird, the magnificent Black-and-gold Cotinga with its remarkable voice, a long, sharp, high-pitched whistle, Green-crowned Plovercrest, Bay-chested Warbling-Finch, Buff-throated Warbling-Finch, Mouse-colored Tapaculo, Araucaria Tit-Spinetail, Great Pampa-Finch, Blue-billed Black-Tyrant, Serra do Mar Tyrant-Manakin, Thick-billed Saltator, Serra do Mar Bristle-Tyrant, and many more!
Day 1: Transfer to ITATIAIA. Afternoon Birding.
Days 2 & 3: Full Days Birding in Itatiaia National Park.
Day 4: Morning Birding in Itatiaia National Park. Transfer to Guarulhos Airport.
Nights at Hotel do Ypê.
PRICE & BOOKING INFO
Tour Price/person*: TBA
Deposit: $1000/person
Single supplement: $350
Final Payment Due: 5 April 2025
Group size: 5 to 10 guests
*Based on double occupancy at lodgings, with a group size of 5 to 10 registrants. Maximum groups size is 10 registrants, plus guide(s) and driver(s). If there are fewer than 5 registrants, this tour may be cancelled or re-negotiated. Note that if you want a roommate we can try to find you one, but we cannot guarantee all guests a roommate. If none is available, you will be charged the single supplement.
The tour price (fee) includes
All accommodations, meals and transportation from airport pick-up on Day 1 in Sao Paulo (GRU) to airport to return and drop-off there on Day 4.
All guiding services, access permits and entrance fees to birding areas included.
Tips for drivers and staff at hotels and restaurants.
Internal trip transportation including flights.
Excluded from your tour fee are:
International arrival and departure flights. We can advise, but do not book international flights. We can book internal flights from Sao Paulo to/from the other airports upon request and for an additional charge.
Alcoholic beverages, beyond the 1 drink included with each dinner.
Personal expenses such as laundry services, charges for phone calls, additional expenses associated with travel such as insurance, visa fees, airport taxes, airline baggage fees, COVID tests, vaccinations, etc.
Documents
All travelers must have a current passport, valid for six months beyond the start date of this tour, with at least one blank page for visas.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Please review Hillstar Nature’s Terms and Conditions of Booking at the bottom of the Home page on our website. If a guest/participant cancels registration:
● 120 days or more prior to the start of the tour, a refund is issued minus a $500/person processing fee.
● Between 119 and 90 days prior to the start of the tour, half of the tour fee will be returned to the registrant.
● 89 days or less prior to departure, no refund of payments or deposits are issued.
Hillstar Nature strongly recommends all guests purchase travel insurance that covers Trip Cancellation, Trip Curtailment, Trip Interruption, and Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation.
View Hillstar Nature’s Terms & Conditions of Booking
