Brazilian Amazon Primates Expedition

PRIVATE TOURS AVAILABLE YEAR-ROUND | WHERE: STATE OF ACRE – BRAZIL | 14 DAYS / 13 NIGHTS

NOTICE: This is a 14-day tour and includes 3 destinations: Rio Branco, Feijó, and Cruzeiro do Sul. You can, for example, take a tour of only one of these destinations in 4 or 5 days.

WHAT TO EXPECT?

This is a 14-day, 13-night itinerary in the state of Acre, in one of the most biodiverse places in the Amazon and one that has the largest number of primate species on the planet, with more than 30 confirmed species, including two species of the iconic Uakaris and two species of Emperor Tamarin. The main focus of the tour is primate watching, but of course we’ll be looking for other animals too, such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, other mammals and anything else that crosses our path, because we’re interested in all animals.
This will be our fourth tour of the region and on previous tours we’ve seen between 14 and 20 species of primate, all of which we’ve been able to photograph. On our first tour of the region we managed to see 14 species of primate and on our second expedition we saw 16 species of primate. And, of course, we saw many other species of mammals, birds, snakes, amphibians and many more species of invertebrates.

We started our tour in the city of Rio Branco, capital of the state of Acre, where we stayed at the Hotel Diff. This first stretch is quieter, as we’ll be looking for primates in forest fragments within the city, which makes it very easy to find them.

Below is a list of the species we will see in Rio Branco, according to difficulty.

EASY LEVEL – WE GUARANTEE YOU WILL ENCOUNTER THE SPECIES BELOW

• Black-chinned Emperor Tamarin – Tamarinus imperator;
• Weddell’s Saddle-back Tamarin – Leontocebus weddelli;
• Toppin’s Titi – Plecturocebus toppini;
• Black-capped Squirrel Monkey – Saimiri boliviensis;

MEDIUM LEVEL – GOOD CHANCES OF ENCOUNTERING THE SPECIES, BUT NOT GUARANTEED

• Southern Pygmy Marmoset – Cebuella niveiventris;
• Goeldi’s Monkey – Callimico goeldii;
• Gray’s Bald-faced Saki – Pithecia irrorata;
• Red-bellied Tamarin – Tamarinus labiatus;

DIFFICULT LEVEL – SPECIES THAT ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO FIND, BUT WITH POSSIBILITIES

• Black-headed Night Monkey – Aotus nigriceps;

After three days in Rio Branco, we left for the city of Feijó, located on the banks of the Envira River, with an estimated population of 35,000, half of whom are indigenous. This makes visiting the place very interesting, as there are many villages near the city and, during our tour, we will hike through the preserved forest within indigenous land, with a local guide belonging to the Shanunawa ethnic group.

Below is a list of the species we will see in Feijó, according to difficulty.

EASY LEVEL – WE GUARANTEE YOU WILL ENCOUNTER THE SPECIES BELOW

• Bearded Emperor Tamarin – Tamarinus subgrisescens;
• White Saddle-back Tamarin – Leontocebus melanoleucus;

MEDIUM LEVEL – GOOD CHANCES OF ENCOUNTERING THE SPECIES, BUT NOT GUARANTEED

• Black-headed Night Monkey – Aotus nigriceps;
• Coppery Titi – Plecturocebus cupreus;

DIFFICULT LEVEL – SPECIES THAT ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO FIND, BUT WITH POSSIBILITIES

• Kanamari Bald Uakari – Cacajao amuna;

After three days in the city of Feijó, we set off for Serra do Divisor National Park, one of the places with the greatest diversity of primates on the planet and also the greatest diversity of anuran amphibians in the Brazilian Amazon. The park also has waterfalls, viewpoints, and many trails in the forest.

One of the main targets of this leg of the expedition is the Uakari – Cacajao ucayalii, but we hope to have many encounters and surprises with other species of primates, snakes, amphibians, and everything else that crosses our path. The park has approximately 14 species of primates (some research suggests that this number may reach 19 species), making it a champion of biodiversity in Brazil and the world.

The logistics of this stage of the trip are not simple, so come prepared. After arriving in Cruzeiro do Sul, we will head directly to Pousada Mãe Dias, in Mâncio Lima, where we will sleep to prepare for the great adventure of the next day, which is our visit to the Serra do Divisor National Park. To reach our base in the park, we will travel up the Moa River for 8 hours by motorboat. Our base in the park is fully equipped with internet, solar power, a freezer, and single or double rooms.

Below is a list of the species we will see in the park, according to difficulty.

EASY LEVEL – WE GUARANTEE YOU WILL ENCOUNTER THE SPECIES BELOW

• Southern Pygmy Marmoset – Cebuella niveiventris;
• Spix’s Mustached Tamarin – Tamarinus mystax;
• Spix’s Saddle-back Tamarin – Leontocebus fuscicollis;
• Humboldt’s Squirrel Monkey – Saimiri cassiquiarensis;
• Coppery Titi – Plecturocebus cupreus;

MEDIUM LEVEL – GOOD CHANCES OF ENCOUNTERING THE SPECIES, BUT NOT GUARANTEED

• Burnished Saki – Pithecia inusta;
• Ucayali Bald Uakari – Cacajao ucayalii;
• Black-caped Capuchin – Sapajus apella;
• Black Spider Monkey – Ateles chamek;
• Poeppig’s Woolly Monkey – Lagothrix lagothricha poeppigii;
• Spix’s White-fronted Capuchin – Cebus unicolor;

DIFFICULT LEVEL – SPECIES THAT ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO FIND, BUT WITH POSSIBILITIES

• Ma’s Night Monkey – Aotus nancymaae;

The expedition is organized by 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”.

This is an expedition for those who love nature, are willing to hike through the forest and give up some comforts in order to have the privilege of seeing rare and iconic animals in the wild. Many people ask if you need to be a photographer or biologist to participate in our expeditions, and the answer is a resounding no.

HOTELS

The first destination on the tour is the city of RIO BRANCO and we will be staying at the DIFF HOTEL

Our second destination is the town of FEIJÓ and we will be staying at the POUSADA DO AÇAÍ

Our third destination is the city of CRUZEIRO DO SUL and we will be staying at the SWAMY HOTEL

Our fourth destination is the SERRA DO DIVISOR NATIONAL PARK and we will be staying at POUSADA DO MIRO

Our last destination is MÂNCIO LIMA and we will be staying at POUSADA MÃE DITA

ROUTE MAP