Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world. It holds over 50% of the Amazon Rainforest, which itself accounts for approximately 10% of all species in the world, and for this reason it is believed to be the most biodiverse country on the planet! At around 55,000, it has the most known number of plant species, with many more being found, around 3,000 fresh water fish species and over 680 mammals with birds standing at 1,900! The current consensus is that there are six distinct biomes across Brazil: Amazon Rainforest, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado (vast tropical Savanah), Caatinga (dry, thorny, desert forest) Pampa (vast grasslands) and the Pantanal (the world's largest tropical wetland).
Featured Tours to Brazil
Our Brazil Specialist Recommends
"Our 'Brazil – Just Jaguars!' holiday is a spectacular way to spend 12 days in Brazil. Jaguars are the obvious highlight but there are many others, including Hyacinth Macaws, Toco Toucans and Giant Otters. We visit a hide for Ocelot and Tapir, go out spotlighting for Giant Anteater and explore the Pantanal by foot, boat and safari vehicle. So it is of course far more than 'Just Jaguars'! Each of our holiday offerings is carefully crafted, each one a superb experience and jam packed with wildlife encounters that will live long in the memory."
Tom Mabbett - Tour Leader
Some highlights of a Brazil wildlife tour with Naturetrek
The emblematic Jaguar (our holidays to the Pantanal have a 100% success rate).
Giant Otter, Tapir, Ocelot, Giant Anteater, Southern Tamandua, Crab-eating Fox, Crab-eating Racoon, Marsh and Brocket Deer and South American Coati’s all regularly seen.
Brown Capuchin Monkeys, Black Howler Monkeys & Black-tailed Marmoset.
Endangered Giant Otters, which often approach to within a few metres of observers and have never been missed.
A fantastic variety of bird life from Jabiru Storks, a range of herons, all five kingfisher species, trogons to hummingbirds, Toco Toucans to Hyacinth Macaws – the birdlife is spectacular.
Iguazu Falls, one of the world's most impressive waterfalls.
Herds of Capybara, the world’s largest rodent and Caimans (New World crocodilians) in staggering numbers.
The legendary Harpy Eagle in the Southern Amazon.
What's special about Brazil's wildlife?
With Brazil's vast area comprising a number of different ecosystems, including the Amazon, new species are regularly found and scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species found here is about 4 million! The relative lack of human disturbance in the Brazilian Pantanal and the open nature of the habitat mean that wildlife is often easier to observe than elsewhere in South America. For mammal watching it is really unrivalled in all of South America. Travelling the famous Transpantaneira Road, which we do on all visits to the Pantanal, is a simply spectacular experience with wildlife at all angles and often very close by and easy to observe!
