Uakari Expedition

DATES: OCTOBER 13 to 26, 2025 – FEBRUARY 02 to 15, 2026 – MARCH 09 to 22, 2026 | WHERE: STATE OF ACRE – BRAZIL | 14 DAYS / 13 NIGHTS

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 there were 14 species, on the second 16 and on the third 20. And of course there were many more species of birds, amphibians, snakes and other animals.

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 in Rio Branco:

• Southern Pygmy Marmoset – Cebuella niveiventris;
• Goeldi’s Monkey – Callimico goeldii;
• Gray’s Bald-faced Saki – Pithecia irrorata;
• Black-chinned Emperor Tamarin – Tamarinus imperator;
• Red-bellied Tamarin – Tamarinus labiatus;
• Weddell’s Saddle-back Tamarin – Leontocebus weddelli;
• Black-capped Squirrel Monkey – Saimiri boliviensis;
• Black-caped Capuchin – Sapajus apella;
• Black-headed Night Monkey – Aotus nigriceps;
• Doubtful Titi – Plecturocebus dubius;
• Toppin’s Titi – Plecturocebus toppini;
• Purus Red Howler – Alouatta puruensis;
• Black Spider Monkey – Ateles chamek;
• Gray Woolly Monkey – Lagothrix lagothricha cana;
• Spix’s White-fronted Capuchin – Cebus unicolor;

After two days in Rio Branco, we set off for the town of Feijó, a smaller town that hardly receives any tourists, so our accommodation options are very limited. We’ll be staying at the Pousada do Açaí. The town lies on the banks of the Envira River and has an estimated population of 35,000 people, half of whom are indigenous. This makes visiting the place very interesting, as there are many villages close to the city and during our tour we will dedicate a day to visiting one of them. The highlight of this part of the expedition is a new species of Uakari recently described to science, with the scientific name of Cacajao Amuna. This species lives between the Envira and Tarauacá rivers and we will spend two days searching for it by speedboat. Of course, we hope to see other species during the search for Amuna. Bear in mind that this is not an easy species to spot, but we will do our best to find it.

Below is a list of Feijó species:

• Southern Pygmy Marmoset – Cebuella niveiventris;
• Vanzolini’s Bald-faced Saki – Pithecia vanzolinii;
• Gray’s Bald-faced Saki – Pithecia irrorata;
• Bearded Emperor Tamarin – Tamarinus subgrisescens;
• White Saddle-back Tamarin – Leontocebus melanoleucus;
• Kanamari Bald Uakari – Cacajao amuna;
• Black-capped Squirrel Monkey – Saimiri boliviensis;
• Black-caped Capuchin – Sapajus apella;
• Black-headed Night Monkey – Aotus nigriceps;
• Coppery Titi – Plecturocebus cupreus;
• Juruá Red Howler – Alouatta juara;
• Purus Red Howler – Alouatta puruensis;
• Black Spider Monkey – Ateles chamek;
• Gray Woolly Monkey – Lagothrix lagothricha cana;
• Spix’s White-fronted Capuchin – Cebus unicolor;
• Novaes’s Bald Uakari – Cacajao novaesi;

After three days in the city of Feijó, we set off for the Serra do Divisor National Park, a reserve 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 forest trails.

As the name suggests, one of the main targets of our expedition is the Uakari – Cacajao ucayalii, but we hope to have many encounters and surprises with other species of primates, snakes, anuran amphibians and whatever else crosses our path. The park has approximately 125 species of anuran amphibians and approximately 14 species of primates (some surveys suggest that this number may be as high as 19 species), making it a biodiversity champion in Brazil and worldwide.

The logistics of this leg of the trip are not simple, so come prepared. After arriving in Cruzeiro do Sul, we’ll go straight to the Pousada Mãe Dias in Mâncio Lima, where we’ll sleep to prepare for the main adventure the next day, which is our visit to the Serra do Divisor National Park. To get to our base in the park, we travel up the Moa River for 8 hours by speedboat. Our base in the park is fully equipped with internet, solar energy, a freezer, toilets and shared rooms. From our base we visit the Igarapé Ramon where we can spend the night or just the day. This region is wilder, so the possibility of seeing animals is much greater. Depending on the group’s wishes, we can spend the day there or sleep overnight, in which case we sleep in hammocks or tents and we provide the equipment for the participants.

Below is a list of the primates that have been confirmed in the park:

• Southern Pygmy Marmoset – Cebuella niveiventris;
• Goeldi’s Monkey – Callimico goeldii;
• Spix’s Mustached Tamarin – Tamarinus mystax;
• Spix’s Saddle-back Tamarin – Leontocebus fuscicollis;
• Burnished Saki – Pithecia inusta;
• Ucayali Bald Uakari – Cacajao ucayalii;
• White Saddle-back Tamarin – Leontocebus melanoleucus;
• Humboldt’s Squirrel Monkey – Saimiri cassiquiarensis;
• Black-caped Capuchin – Sapajus apella;
• Ma’s Night Monkey – Aotus nancymaae;
• Coppery Titi – Plecturocebus cupreus;
• Juruá Red Howler – Alouatta juara;
• Black Spider Monkey – Ateles chamek;
• Poeppig’s Woolly Monkey – Lagothrix lagothricha poeppigii;
• Spix’s White-fronted Capuchin – Cebus unicolor;
• Bearded Emperor Tamarin – Tamarinus subgrisescens;

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”.

In short, it’s an expedition for those who like nature trails, are willing and also have an interest in observing wildlife. A lot of people ask if you need to be a photographer or biologist to take part in our expeditions, and the answer is a resounding no. You just need to like the bush and come prepared, as the flight is a bit tiring and we’ll also be camping for a night or two in the middle of the forest. In any case, we have an experienced team ready to offer participants the best possible experience.

We can’t guarantee that we’ll see any species, but we can guarantee that we’ll be in the right places with the best team to find as many species as possible. The date is ideal, so we hope to encounter a large number of species during our expedition.

ROUTE MAP