Description

We are beyond excited to launch our new butterfly tour to the Iguazu Falls and the Atlantic Forests of Brazil and Argentina…

This unique and exciting itinerary will visit the beautiful Atlantic forests and grasslands of south-east Brazil, together with a few days at an excellent rainforest lodge in the Misiones area of Argentina, and 2 full days to enjoy the glory of Iguazu Falls – one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth, and a must-do destination for any traveller.

This part of the world has about 1000 butterfly species. Although this doesn’t compare with the much greater diversity found in the Amazon and Andes, the butterflies here are very special – a high proportion of them are endemic, and the fauna contains many unusual and truly marvellous species.

Our maximum group size on this tour is 6 pax, plus 2 guides. This helps to minimise trampling damage at fragile sites and makes it considerably easier for guests to photograph and enjoy the butterflies without blocking each other’s view. It also makes travel easier as we are all in a single vehicle, it reduces check-in delays at hotels, and it means no one feels left out, either in the field or when socialising in the evenings. Singles and couples are equally welcome.

In the field, we don’t herd people together, pointing out and identifying every butterfly. Instead, you are free to ramble and explore the habitats at your own pace. However, either the Greenwings guide or our local guide will always be within sight, or at least within earshot, as we wander back and forth through the habitats periodically meeting the guests and pointing out any special butterflies that they may have missed. Identifications and species lists take place in the evenings, from your cameras and laptops. Please note that the use of butterfly nets is strictly prohibited.

Our tour begins with an early morning arrival at Rio de Janeiro international airport. The city is one of the most beautiful in the world, so guests may wish to arrive a day or two early to take in all the sights. From Rio we have a drive of about 3 hours to Itatiaia National Park, where we have 3 nights at an excellent lodge within the park, with access to the forest trails almost from the door of our chalets. We’ll also drive to higher elevations where we’ll see a different range of cloud forest species.

After a final morning at Itatiaia, we’ll have a drive of about 4 hours to our next destination in Serra da Bocaina National Park. The habitats here are very different – a lovely mosaic of open grasslands, forest and small streams where we expect to see beautiful white Morphos, fabulous Owl butterflies, stunning Sarbia firetips and much more!

We are based here for another 3 nights, at a simple but truly delightful lodge, where there are extensive wide trails through the forests, flowery grassland glades and a wide stream. We’ll also undertake walks along nearby traffic-free dirt roads where we’ll see a wide range of hairstreaks, metalmarks, satyrs and nymphalids. Additionally, we’ll have a short drive to a nearby open grassland area, noted for firetips.

Next, we return to Rio, a journey of about 4 hours, and then fly to Foz d’Iguazu, just half an hour away from the incredibly impressive Iguazu Falls, one of the greatest wonders of the natural world. We’ll have 2 full days here, visiting both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of the falls, exploring the quieter parts of Iguazu National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) for butterflies, and giving us many opportunities to wonder at the stunning scenery.

Finally, we drive for a couple of hours to a superbly located lodge in the rainforests of north-east Argentina. Here there is a mixture of dry trails and wetter areas where access is along boardwalks. This site should allow us to see many dazzling metalarks, including Melanis Pixies, the unique tailed Barbicornis basilis, and a variety of Nymphalids such as the shimmering blue Myscelia, various Adelphas, and plenty of swallowtails, sulphurs, satyrs and skippers.

After 3 full days there, including a visit to a nearby national park, we return to Foz d’Iguazu, from where we depart for our homebound flights.