DATE: NOVEMBER 18-30, 2025 | WHERE: STATE OF SÃO PAULO IN THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC FOREST | 12 NIGHTS/ 13 DAYS
WHAT TO EXPECT?
A 13-day, 12-night tour of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, one of the most biodiverse and least known tropical forests on the planet, and the champion in terms of the number of species of anuran amphibians, with more than 400 species occurring in the biome.
One of the highlights of our tour are the frogs of the genus Brachycephalus, exclusive to the Atlantic Rainforest. They are very special animals that live on mountain tops and many species are only found on one mountain, which means they suffer from micro-endemism and that’s why new species are described to science every year. So far 42 species have been described and one of them, Brachycephalus pulex (described in 2011), has overtaken Paedophryne amauensis, a frog found in Papua New Guinea, as the smallest vertebrate on the planet. In addition, they have very interesting evolutionary characteristics, they are real miniature frogs and have beautiful colors, ranging from golden yellow to orange, including the translation of their name from Portuguese to English is “Gold-drop frog”. During our tour we were guaranteed to meet at least three species of Brachycephalus: Brachycephalus pitanga, Brachycephalus crispus, Brachycephalus Rotenbergae and, with a bit of luck, Brachycephalus nodortega and Brachycepahlus ephippium.
In addition to the Saddleback toads, the tour included an encounter with the Brazilian torrent frog (Hylodes asper), a genus unique to the Atlantic Rainforest, which has developed a sign language because it lives in running streams, which are very noisy environments, and the Maldonada redbelly toad (Melanophryniscus moreirae). We also encountered other species during the expedition, such as Blacksmith tree frog (Hypsiboas faber), other species of Hylodes, Aplatodiscus, White-edged tree frog (Hypsiboas albomarginatus), Cycloramphus, Megaelosia, Ischnocnema, Euparkerella, Holoaden, Dendrophyniscus, Rhinella, Vitreorana,Fritziana, Bokermannohyla, Dendropsophus, Scinax, Sphaenorhynchus, Physalaemus, Proceratophrys and various other species depending on luck.
We will also see two species of endangered primates during our tour, the Black Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) and the Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides), the largest primate in the Americas.
The observation of the Black Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) takes place on a private farm with total security and a specialized guide, who is also a biologist and researcher. There are a few groups here that are accustomed to human presence, which allows for very close contact with the species, even witnessing their behavior in the wild. We guarantee encounters with the animals at this stage of the expedition.
Observation of the Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides) takes place in Carlos Botelho State Park, the reserve with the largest number of the species, with an estimated population of 900 primates. Our guides monitor the monkey families days before our tour, which guarantees that we will meet these beautiful animals. We were able to follow the awakening of the Muriquis families in the forest and witness the behavior of these peaceful primates in the wild, undoubtedly a unique and exciting experience.
The team is made up of nature Photographer and Wildlife Filmmaker Rafael Guadeluppe, founder of the video production company Latin Wild Films and author of the documentary about the Atlantic Forest “The Pulse of the Atlantic Forest”, and Mexican naturalist and Wildlife Filmmaker Juan René Villanueva Maldonado, do canal Historia Natvrae.
VIDEOS PRODUCED BY RAFAEL GUADELUPPE (ONE OF THE TOUR ORGANIZERS) IN THE REGION
ITINERARY
Day 01 – We set off from the city of São Paulo at 07:00 am towards Fazenda Montanhas do Japi, where we will observe the Brachycepahlus ephippium toad and probably the Proceratophrys boiei toad and the Bothrops jararaca snake. The journey from São Paulo to the farm takes about an hour. There we’ll go in search of the animals in the morning, have lunch on site and set off for the town of Buri, where we’ll go on a night safari to observe amphibians.
Day 02 – We sleep in the city of Buri and in the morning we go to see the Black Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) at Garibaldi Farm. We spend the whole morning with the primates and after lunch we leave for Carlos Botelho State Park. The journey from Buri to the park takes approximately 1.5 hours. After the reception at our pousada, we set off for the park, where we will go on trails with the main focus on herpetofauna.
Day 03 to 05 – On our first day in the park, we woke up around 4:00 pm to observe the Southern Muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides), and we stayed with the Muriquis until 11:00 am. In the afternoon we rested and during the night we went on a night safari with the main focus on amphibians, snakes, insects and arachnids. On the second day we will explore the lower part of the park and do more night trails. The park has great altitudinal variation and therefore many species of anuran amphibians, with 65 catalogued species and most are endemic. One of the highlights of this section of the expedition is the frog Macrogenioglottus alipioi, Ceratophrys aurita, Cycloramphus acangatan and Proceratophrys boiei.
WHATS INCLUDED?
Transportation throughout the expedition from the city of São Paulo
Accommodation in inns and hotels throughout the expedition
Full board meals (except alcoholic beverages)
Local guides
Park tickets
Guide Rafael Guadeluppe Photographer and Wildlife Filmmaker and Juan René Villanueva Maldonado Mexican naturalist and Wildlife Filmmaker
NOT INCLUDED?
Travel Insurance
FOR ALL LEVELS:
You don’t need to be a photographer to join this tour, nature should be appreciated by everyone.
CHECK HERE GENERAL TIPS AND INSTRUCTIONS. WHAT TO BRING, BEST TIME TO GO, WEATHER AND ETC.
VALUES:
US$ 2,400.00 PER PERSON
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
GROUP OF MAXIMUM 8 PEOPLE
PAYMENT METHOD:
30% – ON RESERVATION CONFIRMATION = US$ 720.00
50% – 30 DAYS PRIOR YOUR TOUR START = US$ 1,680.00
OR
100% PAYMENT ON BOOKING WITH 10% DISCOUNT = US$ 2,160.00