RFI: South America in December
Hi all,
I might be traveling to Rio de Janeiro around New Years, and wanted to combine it with a mammal watching trip beforehand for about a week or so around Christmas.
I wanted to crowdsource ideas / inspiration for potential destinations.
I know that this is the wet season in much of South America, so many of the classic destinations (e.g. Pantanal, Amazon) might be off limit ?
Any ideas for destinations with cool mammals that would be appropriate for that time of the year would be much appreciated (also – I’ve already seen Pumas in Torres del Paine, so not that 🙂
Thanks,
Yon
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6 Comments
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Jon Hall
I second the idea of Chile – Tepuheico, or around Santiago or you could hit Lauca for Andean Cat. Argentina is also good around BA and further north (eg El Palmar) or south (eg Peninsula Valdez) that time of year.
Brazil: Not sure how the weather is in the Alantic Rainforest in December but that’s also a great area for endemic primates and more. Or in Minais Gerais places like Canastra for Giant Anteater and Maned Wolf might (?) work in December. Superagui Island is a great place to visit too
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Jendanford
Head to the Atlantic forest to see Golden Lion Tamarins! https://micoleao.org.br/ does excellent work in preserving the species. They have an education center and trails in the reserve to see them.
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Markuseng
Hi Yon,
The Northeast of Brazil experiences less rain during that time of the year. E.g., the state of Bahia has several parks and places to see various monkeys, e.g. Golden-headed lion tamarin (L. chrysomelas), White-headed marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi), Golden-bellied capuchin (Sapajus xanthosternos) or Wied’s marmoset (Callithrix kuhlii). Also, northern maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus), a bunch of other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. All fairly close to nice / touristy (for a reason) places along the Atlantic, e.g. Arraial d‘Ajuda, Ilheus or Praia Forte.
There are several protected areas, e.g. Pau Brasil National Park, (adjacent) Una Biological Reserve or even Parque das Dunas in the state Capital Salvador itself. Unfortunately, they are not all well prepared for visitors, for some you might need to rent a 4WD. There are also several (green-washing) private reserves from big corporations that are generally better prepared for visitors, e.g., Reserva Natural Vale (South of Bahia in Espírito Santo), Reserva Ecologica Michelin or Estaçâo Veracel.I’ve been to many places there, but haven’t written any trip reports here (yet). There are at least of some places trip reports available though for further info. Alternatively, If you are interested I can connect you with some local guides that I hired last years.
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Miles Foster
Hi, Yon. Tepuhueico on Chiloe Island, Chile – Darwin’s fox, monito del monte, southern pudu, kodkod, southern river otter and great food – at least when we were there – plus palafitos and world heritage wooden churches – and December would be a good time to look for endemic dolphins and migratory whales.
Miles