The vast empty lowlands of thePantanal extend southwards from theplateau of the Mato Grosso in Brazilto the borders with Paraguay and Bolivia.This area, roughly the size of France, issparsely populated and contains manyhuge cattle ranches which provide themain source of employment in a regionlargely devoid of industry. In the north, lowdry woodland, damp grasslands andgallery forest along the banks of ameandering river system create a mixedvariety of habitats. Further south thewoodland is relieved by broad expansesof swamp and marsh which arerecognised as one of the most importantwetland areas in the Neotropics.The relative lack of human disturbanceand the open nature of the habitat meanthat wildlife is often easier to observe thanelsewhere in South America. Herds ofCapybara, the world's largest rodent,browse the swamps within the watchfulgaze of many large Caimans. These NewWorld crocodiles reach an impressive sizehere, but are fortunately mainly fish-eaters. Anacondas also occur in theswamps but are less often seen. Theedge of the wetland is home to the rareMarsh Deer and in the adjoiningwoodlands it is possible to encounterherds of Red Brocket Deer. The tallerwoodlands are frequented by agile Brown Capuchin Monkeys and echo tothe weird calls of the more lethargic Black Howlers. Along the quieter stretches of the large rivers a watchshould be kept for Giant River Otters.These endangered animals are often very confiding and will approach to within a few metres of observers, anendearing characteristic that has all toooften led to their destruction.As we journey south, we will check theswamps for Brazilian Tapirs which oftenspend the hotter parts of the dayimmersed in the water. Many of theanimals here are nocturnal of course andspotlighting at night could produce suchspecies as Racoon, Crab-eating Fox, GiantAnteater, Ocelot and a range of nightjars.That supreme South American predator,the Jaguar, is by no means rare here and,although always hard to see, the Pantanalis probably the most likely area of thecontinent to chance upon one. As might be expected the Pantanal boastsa rich and varied avifauna, from the giantJabiru Stork to tiny hummingbirds such asthe Glittering-bellied Emerald and White-tailed Goldenthroat. Herons, storks, ibisesand Limpkins throng the marshy areaswhere raptors such as Great Black, Black-collared and Savanna Hawks and SnailKites are common. The gallery forests andscrub hold a bewildering array of tropicalbirds. Antbirds, woodcreepers, toucans,tyrant flycatchers and colourful parrots arewell represented but pride of place mustgo to the huge Hyacinth Macaw, theworld's largest parrot. Under threatthroughout most of its range, thischarismatic bird is still relatively easy tofind in favoured parts of the Pantanal and will certainly represent one of theholiday highlights.To ensure that we have the maximumopportunity to enjoy the wildlife of thePantanal, we spend three nights at Pixaimnear the beginning of the unpavedTranspantaneira road and later move to the Upper Pantanal for a further two nightsat Porto Jofre. Boat excursions andnocturnal spotlighting will greatly increaseour chances of seeing the more retiringinhabitants. A final three days in Chapadados Guimaraes National Park introducesyet more variety of habitats includingcerrado forest and open grasslands.At the end of our stay in the Pantanal weretrace our steps to Cuiaba and thence byinternal flights to Iguazú for a stay of fivenights. The spectacular waterfalls on theborder between Argentina and Brazil areset amidst an ocean of tropical forestwhich is protected as a national park. Over2,000 plant species have been recordedhere, and the stunning birdlife offers ahuge range of possibilities, includingrepresentatives from such typical SouthAmerican families as toucans andwoodcreepers. We will visit both sides ofthe border during our stay and follow trailsinto the forest to look for birds andmammals. There will also be plenty of timeto simply admire the spectacle of the fallswhich can be viewed from various vantagepoints. Iguazú is ranked among theworld's greatest waterfalls and attractslarge numbers of visitors to the area. Few,however, venture along the forest trails, and we can be assured of many superbwildlife encounters. The length of stay at each location on thistour, and the combination of habitats,make this a most unusual South Americanholiday and will provide a rare opportunityto absorb the atmosphere of each placevisited and become familiar with a uniqueselection of birds and mammals.Brazilian Pantanal & Iguazú Falls A 17-day birdwatching and wildlife holiday in Brazil visiting the Pantanal wetlands and the Iguazú Falls.Monday 6th August - Wednesday 22nd August Cost: £4,795Outline itineraryDay 1Depart London.Day 2Arrive São Paulo andtransfer to Cuiaba.Day 3/5Rio Pixaim, Pantanal.Day 6/7Porto Jofre, Pantanal.Day 8/10Chapada dosGuimaraes NationalPark.Day 11/15Iguazú Falls.Day 16Depart Iguazú.Day 17Arrive London.AccommodationSimple but comfortable hotels,most with private facilities.FoodAll included in the price.GradingA. Gentle walks only.FocusBirds and mammals.LeaderMario Mosquiera.Single room supplement£595.Web quick search: BRA03202Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryURUGUAYPARAGUAYBOLIVIAARGENTINAPERUCOLOMBIAVENEZUELACUIABAMATOGROSSOIGUAZÚFALLSSÃOPAULOATLANTICOCEANBRAZILPANTANALIguazú FallsHyacinth Macaws

The topography of Chile is one of themost extraordinary of any country inthe world, a ribbon of land stretchingover 4,000 kilometres from the aridAtacama Desert in the north to the sub-Antarctic islands of the south. Nowheremore than 180 kilometres wide, thecountry is separated from neighbouringArgentina by the high mountains of theAndes which create some of the mostspectacular mountain scenery in SouthAmerica. Thanks to this unusualgeography, and a comprehensivedomestic airline network, it is possible tovisit a wide range of habitats within theconstraints of a 17-day holiday and thisexciting tour effortlessly exchangesAndean snow-line for the seabird filledwaters of the Pacific, before travellingsouth to explore the wild coastline andbeech forests bordering the Straits ofMagellan at the very tip of the continent.As we move from one stunning vista toanother, the quality of the birdwatchingmatches the magnificence of thelandscape and the holiday bird list is likelyto include such sought-after species asAndean Condor, Inca Tern, Andean Avocet,Magellanic Plover and the peculiarDiademed Sandpiper-plover.Our tour begins in the Chilean capital,Santiago, but we soon leave the sprawlingcity behind and fly to Arica, a coastal townin the north of the country. Boobies andcormorants occur here in large numbersforming one component of a fine selectionof seabirds and shorebirds, that furtherincludes the local Band-tailed Gull and thebeautiful Inca Tern. Temporarily forsakingthe coast we then travel into themountains to spend a few days exploringthe very scenic Lauca National Park, whichnestles amid the snow-capped volcanoesof the altiplanoat an elevation of between 3,000 and 6,000 metres. The leisurely drivefrom Arica will take us through asuccession of vegetation zones, thelandscape initially sparsely vegetatedapart from scattered cacti but becomingprogressively more verdant as we increasein altitude. Andean Condor, Peruvian Thick-knee, Torrent Duck and GiantHummingbird are just a few of thespectacular birds likely to be encounteredduring this picturesque ascent. In scenesthat seem to epitomise the high Andes, weshould also find domestic herds of Alpacaand Llama on the mountain slopestogether with smaller parties of wildVicuna, Guanaco and Viscacha. LakeChungara, inside the park, is one of thehighest lakes in the world and full of suchinteresting birds as Giant Coot,flamingoes, Andean Gull, Andean Avocetand many other high-altitude waterbirds.We will visit the lake and the nearbymountain village of Parinacota beforebeginning our descent to the coast,stopping along the way for any interestingroadside birds.The nutrient-rich coastal waters of centralChile rank as one of the most outstandingareas for seabirds in South America andwe will undertake a short pelagic outingfrom our next destination, the port ofQuinteros. The variety of seabirds isalways unpredictable but with the likelyappearance of albatrosses, shearwaters,petrels and skuas we are assured aninteresting voyage. Before returning toSantiago we will explore the oakwoodlands of La Campana National Parkwhere six of the nine endemic birds ofChile may be found.A flight to the southern town of Osorno will be followed by a drive through a wild landscape of blue lakesand towering volcanoes to spend twonights near the Puyehue National Park.This is an area much beloved of skiers butfor us the attraction will be the southernbeech forests surrounding our hotel,where a number of Andean specialitiessuch as Chucao Tapaculo and Black-throated Huet-huet await our discovery.Flying south over glaciers and mountains we finally arrive at PuntaArenas, the last major habitation in Chile,on the shores of the Magellan Straits. This wild and beautiful region enjoys acapricious climate, exposed as it is toweather fronts blowing in from Antarctica,but calm sunny days are not as rare as thelatitude suggests and we will hope forplenty of these during our visit! In thesesouthern climes we have a whole newrange of birds to see including suchhighlights as Magellanic Penguin, Southern Giant Petrel, Magellanic Plover,Kelp Goose and Flightless Steamer-duck.An excursion across the Straits ofMagellan to Porvenir in Tierra del Fuegowill be an unforgettable experience,enhanced by a wealth of bird sightings,superb scenery and the appearance ofmarine mammals such as Commerson'sDolphin and Southern Sea Lion. Anovernight stay in Porvenir will furtherincrease our chances of seeing the diverse mix of seabirds, wildfowl, wadersand specialised land birds characteristic of this unique southern extremity of the continent. We fly back to Santiago after savouring the ornithological delights of the south butone last experience awaits as we pay abrief visit to the high mountain slopes ofthe Cordillera de los Andes near thecapital. Here this immensely varied tourconcludes amid a typically magnificentlandscape frequented by DiademedSandpiper-plover, seedsnipe and manyother high-altitude birds.ChileA 17-day birdwatching tour visiting coastal and montane habitats from the arid north to the sub-Antarctic south of this beautiful country.Saturday 5th November - Monday 21st November 2011 Cost: £4,595 Saturday 3rd November - Monday 19th November 2012 Cost: £4,595Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationLAUCA NATIONAL PARKARICAPUTREQUINTEROSPUYEHUEPUERTONATIONAL PARKMONTTPUNTAARENASTIERRADEL FUEGOPORVENIROSORNOLA CAMPANA NATIONAL PARKANDESSANTIAGOARGENTINAPACIFICOCEANPERUOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Santiago.Day 2Santiago.Day 3Arica.Day 4Putre.Day 5 Lauca National Park.Day 6/7 Quinteros.Day 8Santiago.Day 9/10Puyehue National Park.Day 11Punta Arenas.Day 12Porvenir.Day 13Punta Arenas.Day 14/15Santiago.Day 16Depart Santiago.Day 17Arrive London.AccommodationComfortable tourist hotels, mostwith private facilities.FoodAll included in the price.GradingB. Birdwatching walks only but atsome locations altitude may causewalks to feel more strenuous thannormal.FocusBirds.LeaderMario Mosquiera.Single room supplement£595.Web quick search: CHL01203Diademed Sandpiper-ploverGuanacos