Brazil: Amazonia on the Rio Roosevelt

Amazonia is the greatest tropical wilderness on Earth, and few places reveal its complexity as vividly as the Rio Roosevelt. This remote region of southern Amazonian Brazil lies within a remarkable zone of endemism shaped by some of the continent’s great rivers, including the Madeira, Tapajós, Aripuanã, and Ji-Paraná. For birders, the result is extraordinary: a landscape where river barriers have helped produce distinctive, range-restricted, and in some cases only recently described birds.

This tour is designed for travelers who want a true Amazonian experience without sacrificing comfort. After arriving in Porto Velho, we travel by private charter flight over an immense green expanse of rainforest to Pousada Rio Roosevelt, a comfortable wilderness lodge set beside the river made famous by Theodore Roosevelt’s 1914 expedition along the River of Doubt. From this base, we explore terra firme forest, sandy-soil campinas, forest streams, river channels, and the forest canopy itself.

VENT has a special connection to this destination. Andrew Whittaker helped pioneer birding at Pousada Rio Roosevelt, opened forest trails, advised on the canopy tower location, and brought the lodge its first birding groups. Since then, the region has become known as one of the most important and exciting birding areas in the Brazilian Amazon.

Tour highlights may include recently described and range-restricted species such as Rio Madeira Stipplethroat, Aripuanã Antwren, Manicore Warbling-Antbird, Alta Floresta Antpitta, Chico’s Tyrannulet, Inambari Gnatcatcher, and Inambari Woodcreeper. The broader cast is equally impressive: macaws, parrots, puffbirds, jacamars, toucans, antbirds, manakins, cotingas, forest-falcons, trumpeters, and perhaps Harpy Eagle or Crested Eagle.

Wildlife possibilities add another layer of excitement. The Rio Roosevelt region supports exceptional primate diversity, with possibilities including Prince Bernhard’s Titi Monkey, Gold-and-white Marmoset, Common Woolly Monkey, Black-headed Spider Monkey, and several sakis and marmosets. River outings may produce Giant Otter, Brazilian Tapir, or, with great luck, Jaguar, Puma, or Short-eared Dog.

After our stay on the Rio Roosevelt, we return to Porto Velho by charter flight and continue overland to Humaitá, where we explore the west bank of the Rio Madeira. Here, white-sand campinarana, native grasslands, marshes, and rainforest provide a very different birding experience, including targets such as Azure-naped Jay, Ocellated Crake, Long-tailed Ground-Dove, Predicted Antwren, Black-bellied Gnateater, and White-browed Purpletuft.

This is an Amazon tour for the serious birder and curious naturalist: remote, biologically rich, comfortable in the right ways, and guided by one of VENT’s foremost authorities on Amazonian birds.

Tour Highlights

• Explore a remote Amazonian wilderness along the Rio Roosevelt, one of Brazil’s most exciting birding regions.

• Stay at Pousada Rio Roosevelt, a comfortable lodge with private chalets, air-conditioning, hot water, and excellent meals.

• Bird terra firme forest, sandy-soil campinas, forest streams, river channels, and canopy-level habitat.

• Visit a productive canopy tower for eye-level views of parrots, toucans, cotingas, jacamars, and mixed canopy flocks.

• Search for recently described and range-restricted Amazonian birds, including Aripuanã Antwren, Rio Madeira Stipplethroat, Manicore Warbling-Antbird, Alta Floresta Antpitta, Chico’s Tyrannulet, Inambari Gnatcatcher, and others.

• Enjoy boat excursions along the Rio Roosevelt and narrow tributaries for Agami Heron, Sungrebe, kingfishers, nightbirds, Giant Otter, and primates.

• Cross the Rio Madeira to bird the west-bank avifauna of the Inambari center of endemism.

• Travel with Andrew Whittaker, who helped pioneer birding at Pousada Rio Roosevelt and has been involved in the discovery and description of several Amazonian species.

This tour explores several distinctive Amazonian habitats shaped by rivers, soils, and elevation.

Terra Firme Forest
Tall, unflooded rainforest surrounding Pousada Rio Roosevelt supports mixed-species flocks, antbirds, woodcreepers, antpittas, manakins, puffbirds, trogons, jacamars, and forest raptors.

Rio Roosevelt & Forested Tributaries
Boat excursions offer access to riverbanks, beaches, rapids, igarapés, and quiet channels. These waterways may hold Agami Heron, Zigzag Heron, Sungrebe, kingfishers, nightjars, Giant Otter, and primates moving through riverside forest.

Canopy Forest
The lodge’s canopy tower provides a rare opportunity to experience Amazonian birdlife at treetop level, with possibilities including Crimson Fruitcrow, cotingas, parrots, toucanets, jacamars, puffbirds, dacnises, honeycreepers, and tanagers.

White-Sand Campinas & Campinarana
Stunted forest on nutrient-poor sandy soils supports a specialized set of birds, including Chico’s Tyrannulet, Aripuanã Antwren, Buff-cheeked Tody-Flycatcher, Bronzy Jacamar, Flame-crowned Manakin, and other range-restricted species.

Humaitá Grasslands, Marshes & West-Bank Forests
The later portion of the tour explores campos, marshes, campinarana, and rainforest west of the Rio Madeira, adding species associated with the Inambari center of endemism, such as Azure-naped Jay, Inambari Woodcreeper, Inambari Gnatcatcher, Predicted Antwren, and Ocellated Crake.