South of São Paulo

       This tour drives one to the world´s largest Atlantic forest remmants, lying in The Paranapiacaba Mountains, at about 900m high, connected with the lowlands of São Paulo South coast by the forest valleys of the Ribeira River.Close to the ocean, this large river mouth forms a biodiverse estuarine complex of islands and brackish water channels. Vegetations here includes mangrove, restinga, lowland and hillside forests. 

   Day 1 - 2 hours drive to Trilha dos Tucanos Private Reserve
  Day 2- Whole day exploring Trilha dos Tucanos, feeders and trails
 Day 3 – Morning birding in Trilha dos Tucanos. After lunch 1-hour drive to Intervales with time for afternoon birding
 Day 4 – Birding in Intervales State Park
 Day 5 – Full day birding in Intervales, after dinner drive to São Paulo south coast, Ilha do Cardoso State Park
 Day 6 – Birding in Ilha do Cardoso region and drive to Guarau, Juréia Ecological Station
 Day 7 – Full day birding the different habitats in the Juréia region
 Day 8 – Full morning birding in Guarau and around, after lunch we drive back to São Paulo 

                           With an area totaling more than 300,000 hectares preserved, and a list of more than 400 species of birds,  the Paranapiacaba Mountains in western São Paulo state are still cloaked in pristine Atlantic rainforest and form the Mata Atlantica Biosphere Reserve, which was declared an International Biosphere Reserve in 1991 and a World Heritage Site in 1999. It´s the largest continuous stretch of preserved Atlantic forest in the world and doing so, protects remaining populations of some of the most threatened animals like the Jaguar, Southern Wooly-Spider Monkeys, Ornate and Harpy Eagle. It is also one of the last safe places for overhunted Black-fronted Piping-Guan (Aburria jacutinga) who once occupied almost the entire length of the Atlantic Forest and today runs the risk of disappearing due to the illegal palm extraction, and fragmentation habitat.
                               At the first day we will start our exploring at Trilha dos Tucanos, where we will have a two night stay. This private owned lodgelocatedless than two hours from the city of São Paulo in north range of the Paranapiacaba Mountains can please us with lot of hospitality, excellent home cooking, cozy cabins in the woods, very well groomed trails through the mature forest and many, many, many birds are the ingredients of this very special script! Great viewing opportunities occur in the feeders that the owners take care with love. They receive several species of hummingbird, tanagers and other species that are often not very frequent in the feeders as the Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons), Tico tico-do-mato (flavirostris Arremon) and Unicolored(Haplospiza unicolor). During winter, the feeders attract a multitude of birds to near our cameras and binoculars, as the Spot-billed Toucanet (Selenidera maculirostris), Re-breasted Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus), channel-billed toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus),  Marron-bellied parakeet (Pyrrhura frontalis) and Yellow-legged Thrush (Turdus flavipes).  In almost every day of bird watching there are observed over a hundred different bird species. The tracks also hold many surprises and rarities like the Helmeted Woodpecker (Dryocopus galeatus), the Speckeld-breasted Antpitta (Hylopezus nattereri), the Serra do Mar Tapaculo (Scytalopus speluncae) , Brown Tanager (Orchesticus abeillei)  among other nearly 300 species that were found there ... and the list keeps growing.

                           In the third day we leave to Intervales State Park, a 121,000-acre (49,000-hectare) area, that is one of the main destinations for bird watching in southeastern Brazil due to it´s incredible diversity and abundance of birds , a well cared trail system, and good structure for birdwatching that includes expert local guides. We have two full days here to look foor distinctive atlantic forest specialities such asBlue-bellied Parrot (Triclaria malachitacea), the Black-capped Screech-Owl (Megascops atricapilla), Least Pigmy-Owl (Glaucidium minutissimum),  Giant Antshrike (Batara cinerea), Black-headed Berryeater (Carpornis melanocephala), Solitary Tinamou (Tinamus solitarius), Helmeted Woodpecker (Dryocopus galeatus), Black-legged Dacnis (Dacnis nigripes) and Chestnut-backed Tanager (Tangara preciosa). After our two full days here we drive downwards to the coastline to the region of Ilha do Cardoso State Park, where are good stretches of mangroves and preserved salt marshes, home to the endemic and endangered Red-tailed amazon (Amazona brasiliensis). A full day here will bring us across some other specialities of the lowlands such .
                At night we start our way back to São Paulo, with a stopo in Guaraú, Peruíbe where is possible to have access to Juréia Ecological Station and its coastal plains and mangroves where it is customary to find the black-backed tanager (Tangara peruviana), the Saracura-clapper (Rallus longirostris) , Figuinha-the-swamp (bicolor Conirostrum). Feeders attract a wide diversity of birds of the Atlantic Rainforest including a selection of endemic tanagers as Saíra-precious (precious Tangara), Dacnis nigripes. The ocean beaches, there are good chances for marine and migratory birds such as the Piru-Piru. If we have missed the Parrot down south here are also some good places to watch it.