Great Chaco Paraguay Wildlife – The Undiscovered Pantanal

We will first visit the Humid Chaco, with its palm savannas and forest islands, in one of the important Bird Areas, where we usually add more than 80 bird species, howler monkeys, gray-brocket deers, and, on occasion, the Giant-Anteater to our wild list. Early birding at Benjamín Aceval, only 40 km from Asunción (1 hour approximately), where we will see many birds in Chaco Humid ecosystems, 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. This location also provides one of the best opportunities to witness the endangered Strange-tailed Tyrant. Before lunchtime, we’ll continue on to Laguna Capitán, where we’ll watch birds and wildlife until sunset.

Today we explore the Dry Chaco, with its spectacular Salty Lagoons, where in part of the year more than 2000 Chilean Flamingos, several types of waders, ducks, and egrets, exhibit the amazing biodiversity of the Chaco, as well as Collared Peccaries, Lowland Tapir, and other mammals, enrich the great nature of its dry woods.
We’ll spend the morning birding and wildlife watching at salty lakes before heading to Campo María or Chaco Lodge for the rest of the day. We will encounter various Chaco endemics, including the 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 undoubtedly add to our list on this day, with excellent chances of seeing White-faced Whistling Duck, Coscoroba Swan, thousands of Chilean Flamingos, Ringed and Brazilian Teal, Collared Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and many others.

This day, we’ll cross the Humid Chaco again, this time on routes that are closed for part of the year owing to the Paraguay River flood. The Pantanal is one of the world’s largest wetlands. From Bahía Negra, we will take a boat to Tres Gigantes Station along the Río Negro. Giant Otters, a large number of caimans, Chacoan Titi Monkeys, Marsh Deer, and other magnificent animals await us during our stay at Tres Gigantes.

We shall experience the Pantanal’s natural beauty near Tres Gigantes. An early trip along its paths will allow us to see some of the Pantanal’s lovely birds, such as the Mato Grosso Antbird, White-lored Spinetail, and Buff-bellied Hermit. Other birds we will see on the tour are Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Swallowed-tailed Hummingbird, Crested Oropendola, Fawn-breasted Wren, Silver-beaked Tanager, and Rufous Cacholote. During the afternoon, we will take a boat journey up the Rio Negro to see the abundance of aquatic birds. Depending on the time of year, there may be thousands of Bobolinks (November to April) as well as several seedeater species such as Rufous-rumped and Dark-throated. During the boat trip, we may observe Giant Otters, Caimans, and Marsh Deer.

After an early walk in the trails of Tres Gigantes Station, we will leave again in direction to Bahía Negra. From Bahía Negra, we will go to the Cerro Chovoreca Natural Monument, the only protected area in our Cerrado ecorregion of the paraguayan Chaco. In this area, we will stay in the lodges of sustainable cattle ranches.

We will walk in the trails of sub-humid forests of the Cerrado, where we have good chances to add some of the great bird diversity of this threatened ecorregion: Blue-throated Piping-Guan, Bare-faced Currasow, Great Potoo, Amazonian Motmot, Green-cheeked Parakeet, Yellow-collared and Red-and-Green Macaws, Giant Antshrike, Black-bellied Antwren, White-backed Fire-eye, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail. To our mammal list, we expect to add Black-tailed Marmoset, Lesser Grison, Azara´s Agouti, Greater and Lesser Hairy Armadillo, but also some possibilities of the Giant Armadillo. At night we will look for cats, expecting chances to add Puma, Jaguar, Ocelot or Jaguarundi.

An early walk to continue adding fauna to our lists. Before midday we will leave in direction to the Defensores del Chaco National Park. This Park is the largest protected area of the country, and it contains some of the of most wild areas of the Dry Chaco. During our time at the park, we will stay in the rustic administration house.

We will have an early walk in the trails of the Defensores del Chaco. Here we will have chances to see some of the 18 endemic birds of the Chaco, including the Brushland and Quebracho Crested-Tinamous, Black-legged Seriema, and Black-bodied Woodpecker. Chances of mammals are very good at Defensores, including Jaguar, Puma, Chacoan Peccary, Geoffroy´s Cat. Also, White lipped and Collared Pecaries, Plains Viscacha, Gray and Red Brocked Deers. At night, we will look for the Chaco Owl, another endemic of the region, and expect to have luck with some of the cats.

We will have an early walk in the trails of the Defensores del Chaco. Here we will have chances to see some of the 18 endemic birds of the Chaco, including the Brushland and Quebracho Crested-Tinamous, Black-legged Seriema, and Black-bodied Woodpecker. Chances of mammals are very good at Defensores, including Jaguar, Puma, Chacoan Peccary, Geoffroy´s Cat. Also, White lipped and Collared Pecaries, Plains Viscacha, Gray and Red Brocked Deers. At night, we will look for the Chaco Owl, another endemic of the region, and expect to have luck with some of the cats.

We´ll leave early to visit Médanos del Chaco National Park. At Medanos we will look for Stripe-capped Sparrow and Spot-winged Falconet. Return to Teniente Enciso during the afternoon.

Early birding at Tte. Enciso National Park, and then leaving for Neuland`s Reserve. At Neuland`s reserve we will walk its trails to look for mammals and have other opportunities for the endemic birds of the Chaco. Azara´s Night Monkey and Great Anteater are some of the possible mammals in this reserve.

We´ll enjoy the morning wildlife watching at Neuland, and in the afternoon we will return to Asunción.