Discovering wildlife of the Chaco
Highlights
- Opportunity to witness some of South America’s charismatic big mammals like jaguars, pumas and tapirs.
- Enjoy a unique landscape with salt lakes that hold great concentrations of water birds and the dunes of Médanos del Chaco National Park
- A great chance to see Chaco endemic birds like Quebracho Crested-Tinamou, Black-legged Seriema, and Black-bodied Woodpecker and more
Overview
The Great Chaco offers impressive wildlife, with good chance of seeing some of South America’s charismatic big mammals like jaguars, pumas and tapirs. It also hosts reptiles and birds in abundance, many of which are restricted to this ecoregion. You will enjoy a unique landscape with salt lakes that hold great concentrations of water birds and the dunes of Médanos del Chaco National Park (7 days tour) with its arid vegetation and the palm savannahs of the Humid Chaco.
This tour will give you a chance to see Chaco endemic birds like Quebracho Crested-Tinamou, Black-legged Seriema, and Black-bodied Woodpecker. Lowland Tapir, Puma, Giant Anteater and Chacoan Peccary are amongst the mammals we may encounter: the last of these was presumed extinct when it was described from fossils in 1930. It came as a surprise when it was rediscovered in 1972, to become the (then) third and largest peccary species known! Today, the Paraguayan Chaco holds the main population of this species.
- Day 1 - Birding at Benjamín Aceval
We will leave very early (05:00 am) in direction to Laguna Capitan. Early birding at Benjamín Aceval, only 40 km of Asunción (1 hour approximately), where we will see many birds in ecosystems of Chaco Humid, including Plumbeous and Buff-necked Ibis, Black-collared Hawk, Golden-green and Pale-breasted Woodpeckers, Red-legged Seriema, Great-rufous Woodcreeper, Red-billed Scythebill, Purplish and Plush-crested Jays, Black-capped Donacobius, Scarlet-headed Blackbird and Crested Oropendola. Before midday we will continue our travel to Laguna Capitán, and in the afternoon watch birds and wildlife until nightfall.
- Day 2 - Birding and wildlife watching at the salt lakes
We will spend the morning birding and wildlife watching at the salt lakes, arriving at Campo María, where we will spend the rest of the day. We will see some of the Chaco endemics: Cream-backed Woodpecker, Crested Gallito, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Chaco Earthcreeper, Cinereous Tyrant, Black-capped Warbling-Finch and Many-colored Chaco-Finch. Many waterbirds and shorebirds will definitively increase our list during this day, with great possibilities to see White-faced Whistling Duck, Coscoroba Swan, up to thousands of Chilean Flamingos, Ringed and Brazilian Teal, Collared Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and many others.
- Day 3 - Birding at Filadelfia Reserve
Morning birding at Chaco Lodge or Filadelfia Reserve (depending on bird activity of the last day, and climate conditions). Filadelfia Reserve will give us a chance to see some species: Greater Rhea, White-bellied Nothura, Golden-green Woodpecker, Black-legged Seriema, Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Rufous-fronted and Little Thornbird, Greater-wagtail Tyrant, Masked Gnatcatcher, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Golden-billed Saltator, Ultramarine Grosbeak, and others. After lunch, we return to Asunción.
- All accommodations on a sharing basis at hotels, lodges or other establishments of a reasonable standard (or best available in the area);
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) from day 1 to 3
- Drinking water and one soft drink/beer per meal;
- All ground transportation from first day to final day of tour;
- All costs of local guides;
- All entrance fees for reserves, parks, museums that are part of the itinerary;
- Travel and medical insurance;
- Visa, passport and vaccination costs;
- Telephone calls, laundry and other items of a personal nature;
- Gratuities