Cristalino Lodge - Mato Grosso State

Day 1 - Meet on arrival at Alta Floresta city airport, Mato Grosso state. Transfer by car to the banks of Teles Pires River (1hr drive). Here we will start our boat ride to the Cristalino Lodge (45 minutes). Target birds on the way to the lodge will be Muscovy Duck, Red-throated Piping-Guan, Razor-billed Curassow, Capped Heron, Green Ibis, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Sunbittern, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Paradise Jacamar, Swallow-winged Puffbird, Drab Water Tyrant and White-banded Swallow. On arrival, there will be a brief introduction to the lodge before you are ta ken to your room. Dinner and checklist.

Day 2 and 7 - Please note, there is no detailed daily itinerary at Cristalino, as birding activities will vary depending on the weather conditions. In addition, the Lodge management varies the activities of other groups of visitors, to ensure there is plenty of space for everyone in the observation areas.

The trails at terra firme at Cristalino Lodge are well maintained and wide enough for the group have excellent views of most birds. We will visit a variety of different trails to ensure access to the various types of forest habitat, such as the vine-laden bamboo thickets with Rufous-capped Nunlet, Striated and Manu Antbird, Chestnut-throated Spinetail, Tapajós Scythebill and Dusky-tailed Flatbill. Others stunning possibilities on these trails are Gray and Great Tinamou, Cryptic and Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Scaled Ground-Cuckoo, Collared Puffbird, Great and Blue-cheeked Jacamar, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Saturnine Antshrike, Banded Antbird, Alta Floresta Antpitta, Cinnamon-crested and White-crested Spadebill, Royal Flycatcher, Spot-backed and Dot-backed Antbird, Snow-capped and Red-headed Manakin and Musician Wren. With luck, we will find a swarm of army ants feeding on the forest floor, which may attract such species as White-backed Fire-eye, Black-spotted Bare-eye and the endemic Bareeyed Antbird and Dark-winged Trumpeters.

We will also visit a stunted forest area with rocky outcrops which will provide opportunities for Tapajós Hermit, Fiery-tailed Awlbill, Spotted and Eastern Striolated-Puffbird, Broad-billed Motmot, Great Jacamar, Chestnut ]Woodpecker, Natterer's Slaty-Antshrike, Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant, Purple-throated Cotinga, Masked and Bay-headed Tanager, Rose-breasted Chat and Rufous-bellied Euphonia.

A major feature of Cristalino is the two canopy towers, which allow guests to observe the treetops from 50m (150 ft) above the ground. This is a fantastic way to see many species as Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Whitebrowed Hawk, Ruddy Pigeon, Black-bellied Cuckoo, Amazonian Pygmy-Owl, Red-fan and White-bellied and Kawall's Parrot, Crimson-bellied Parakeet, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet, Black-eared Fairy, Blackbellied Thorntail, Black-tailed and Amazonian Trogon, White-necked and Brown-banded Puffbird, Blackgirdled Barbet, Gould's Toucanet, Curl-crested and Red-necked Aracari, Red-necked and Ringed Woodpecker, Slender-billed Xenops, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Pygmy and Sclater's Antwren, Yellowbrowed Tody-Flycatcher, Dusky-chested Flycatcher, Spangled and Pompadour Cotinga, Dwarf TyrantManakin, White-browed Purpletuft, Masked Tityra, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Dusky-capped Greenlet, Tooth-billed Wren, Red-billed Pied and Paradise Tanager, Short-billed and Purple Honeycreeper, Yellowshouldered Grosbeak and Golden-bellied Euphonia. There is always a chance up here for one of the rare kings of the jungle, the Harpy and Crested Eagles, but even if neither makes an appearance you will be overwhelmed by the six species of monkey and the spectacular sunrises and sunsets over an unbroken emerald canopy, stretching out before you as far as the eye can see.

We will also take a number of boat trips on the Cristalino and Teles Pires rivers. These invariably produce a great variety of birds such as Red-throated Piping-Guan, Razor-billed Curassow, Hoatzin, Agami and Zigzag Heron, Green Ibis, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Sunbittern, Bat Falcon, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Madeira Parakeet, Crimson Topaz, White-necked Jacobin, Ladder-tailed Nightjar, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Paradise Jacamar, Swallow-winged Puffbird, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Long-billed Woodcreeper, Glossy Antshrike, Amazonian Streaked-Antwren, Silvered and Band-tailed Antbird, Amazonian Tyrannulet, Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, Sulphury Flycatcher, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Redcapped Cardinal and Yellow-bellied Dacnis. It is quite possible to see a variety of mammals such as tapir, capybara, and two species of otters during these boat rides.

Opportunities are good for night birding and we will look for Austral Screech-Owl, Crested and Blackbanded Owl, Great and Long-tailed Potoo, Short-tailed Nighthawk, Ocellated Poorwill and Blackish Nightjar.

Day 8 - This will be our last day, but we should have time to try to find any birds around the lodge that we have not seen during the trip. Around 10:00am we will leave for Alta Floresta. After lunch we will travel to the airport where our tour ends.