Itinerary:

Day 1: Easy day in Asunción Botanical Gardens and optional city tour

Most flights into Asunción arrive in the morning so after something to eat and time to have a rest and a shower, we’ll start things off gently. We will bird the Botanical Gardens, former estate of the ruling López family who dominated Paraguay’s early history. There are a couple of small museums if you’re interested, plus a zoo and more than enough wild birds to keep us busy! Here we might expect Purple-throated Euphonia, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Thrush-like Wren, Campo and Green-barred Flicker, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Red-crested Cardinal, Sayaca Tanager and Pearly-vented Tody-tyrant amongst numerous other species. There is a small dry forest reserve here where there is a chance of seeing Brown Capuchin and skulkers such as Barred Antshrike. Other species we’ll be keeping an eye out for are White-barred Piculet, Greyish Saltator and if we are lucky Blue-crowned Trogon.

Alternatively if you prefer to hold the birding for the following morning we can offer a historical tour of Asunción, featuring all the sights of the city and explaining them in a historical context. Paraguay’s history is riddled with madcap dictators, intrigue and betrayal and makes for a fascinating background to the places themselves.

Overnight: Hotel Portal del Sol a 4-star hotel in the centre of Asunción.

Day 2: Asunción Bay, Arroyos and Esteros and the trip to Rancho Laguna Blanca

After a early breakfast we´ll head for a couple of hours to the internationally important RAMSAR site the Bahía de Asunción. A vital stop-over on the migration route for Nearctic waders which gather in their thousands (Sep-Nov) including significant numbers of near-threatened Buff-breasted Sandpipers. With the city providing a spectacular backdrop to the birding we´ll scan the flocks of water-birds for species like Spot-flanked Gallinule, White-winged Coot, Rosybill and other ducks, while Large-billed and Yellow-billed Tern, Black Skimmer, Osprey and Snail Kite fly by. Grey Monjita, Spectacled Tyrant, Warbling Doradito, South American Painted-Snipe, Pale-breasted Spinetail and Giant Wood-Rail are amongst the more secretive inhabitants of the reed-beds here. Nacunda Nighthawk roosts in numbers around here and this is a location that turns up more than its fair share of surprises. When the ticks begin to dry-up we’ll head east with a brief stop at Arroyos and Esteros – a great spot for Long-tailed Reedfinch, Crested Doradito and the gorgeous threatened Strange-tailed Tyrant, as well as storks, Yellow-rumped Marshbird and other wetland species. Once we’ve ticked them we’ll head on to Rancho Laguna Blanca where we will spend the night.

Overnight: Ranch House Laguna Blanca – comfortable, rustic ranch house set on the shores of remote, mystical Laguna Blanca with a private white-sand beach. One double and one triple-room both with private bathroom. Electricity is by generator and no hot water (though you won’t need it!!)

Hotel Cristal in Santa Rosa del Aguaray for groups of more than 4 – 3 star hotel

Days 3-4: Rancho Laguna Blanca

Set on the shores of an isolated crystal-clear lake and with a white sand beach for your enjoyment, Laguna Blanca is a great place to relax. It is also home to some pristine cerrado and is one of the most important birding sites in the country, with 14 species of international conservation concern found in its 2500ha. Near-threatened Greater Rhea and White-banded Tanager are relatively easy here, whilst Black-throated Saltator, White-rumped Tanager, Rusty-backed Antwren and White-rumped Monjita are restricted range species in Paraguay which can be found without too much effort and Red-legged Seriema are numerous. Threatened cerrado specialities such as Cock-tailed Tyrant, Sharp-tailed Grass-Tyrant and Black-masked Finch will be on our hit-list, whilst the charismatic cerrado endemic Curl-crested Jay is one of three corvid species we can expect to see here. However two species will be top of our hit-list, the diminutive Lesser Nothura (this is the only known site for the species outside of Brazil) and the endangered White-winged Nightjar – known to occur regularly at only 3 sites on earth, two of which we will be visiting! Night birding here is spectacular, in addition to the “candicans” as it is known locally, Rufous, Scissor-tailed, and Little Nightjar are possibilities as is the bizarre Common Potoo. Maned Wolf is here too but can be difficult to see, but it doesn’t mean we won’t try to find it! There’s some Atlantic forest at Laguna Blanca, and though it is in a sorry state it still holds Helmeted Woodpecker. We’ll spend a bit of time searching for this species and looking through other patches of Atlantic forest in the area to see what we can turn up – the rare Russet-winged Spadebill occurs in some places as do more frequently encountered Atlantic Forest species such as Yellow Tyrannulet, Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, Grey-bellied Spinetail, Eastern Sirystes, Greenish Schiffornis, Black-capped Antwren, Surucua and Black-throated Trogon etc .

Overnight: Ranch House Laguna Blanca – or Hotel Cristal in Santa Rosa del Aguaray

Days 5-7: Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve

When ask to draw up a list of the 100 sites on earth that should be saved even if all else was lost, WWF came up with this magnificent Atlantic Forest and cerrado reserve amongst their number. The area consists of a block of pristine Atlantic Forest and an area of fantastic cerrado. We have 3 days to explore this reserve, spending time in both the forest and the cerrado. Cerrado birds that we will be especially searching for here are Helmeted Manakin and Rufous-winged Antshrike – neither occurs at Laguna Blanca. Lesser Seedfinch, Planalto Hermit, Streamer-tailed Tyrant, Toco Toucan and Burnished-Buff Tanager are other species that we will look for. It is the forest though where we will concentrate our efforts. Over 450 species have been recorded at the reserve, a phenomenal total for the 70,000ha site, and while we wont see all of them we will be looking especially for the Atlantic Forest endemics such as Bare-throated Bellbird (Paraguay’s National Bird), the reptilian, highly-endangered Black-fronted Piping-Guan, Black-capped Screech-Owl, Scale-throated Hermit, Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, Buff-bellied Puffbird, Rufous-capped Motmot, Saffron Toucanet, Red-breasted Toucan, Rufous-capped Spinetail, Spot-backed Antshrike and Helmeted Woodpecker, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Blackish-blue Seedeater, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Ochre-breasted Foliage-gleaner and many more. Non-endemic species of interest include Scaled Pigeon, Sharpbill and Bare-faced Curassow and we will explore the reserve thoroughly to pick up as many species as we can. Mammal wise Jaguar is present (though hard to see), as are Tapir and various Peccary species. More likely are Azara’s Agouti, Paca and small cats which are sometimes seen on forest tracks. Night birding brings the possibility of Rusty-barred and Black-banded Owl as well as another shot at White-winged Nightjar in the unlikely event that we missed it at Laguna Blanca.

Overnight: Jejui-Mi research station set in a small clearing surrounded by forest. This is an advanced facility with accommodation in brick cabins with covered balconies and hot water, electricity and use of a kitchen. There are two double-rooms and two comfortable six-bedroom dormitories with ceiling fans. Two spacious shared bathrooms.

Days 8-9: Reserva Itabó de Itaipu Binacional

With the construction of the Itaipu Dam the dam company was instructed to set-up a series of reserves to protect valuable patches of Atlantic Forest in the Alto Paraná region of Paraguay. One of these reserves was Itabó, most famous for its population of the threatened Vinaceous Amazon, a species that has declined alarmingly in the rest of its range. This is an Atlantic Forest site where we will be looking for Atlantic Forest endemics such as Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail, Spot-billed Toucanet and Buff-bellied Puffbird as well as the aforementioned Amazon. Long-tailed Tyrant, Wing-barred Piprites, White-eyed Parakeet, Plush-crested Jay and Robust Woodpecker are amongst the huge list of potential species. Bush Dog is also present here and though it can be elusive, we´ll be looking for it on night drives.

Overnight: We’ll be lodging in the accommodation at the Itabó Reserve itself a stones-throw from the forest. This is an advanced facility with accommodation in brick cabins with covered balcony, ceiling fans, hot water, electricity and use of a kitchen. Lodging is in twin, triple or double rooms each with en suite bathroom.

Days 10-12: Parque Nacional San Rafael

San Rafael is a reserve in danger, which is sad because it protects the second largest unfragmented block of Atlantic Forest in Paraguay. With over 400 species recorded at this magnificent reserve the possibilities are endless. We’ll spend some time birding the Atlantic Forest here looking for Brown Tinamou, Spot-flanked Wood-Quail, Black-throated Trogon, Tufted and Large-tailed Antshrike, the near-threatened Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher and the rare Russet-winged Spadebill and Blackish-blue Seedeater. Saffron Toucanet, Reddish-bellied Parakeet and Scaly-headed Parrot often come to feed on the fruit trees in the garden of the accommodation, whilst species that are easily missed like Grey-bellied Spinetail, Buff-browed Foliage-Gleaner, Drab-breasted Bamboo-Tyrant, Rufous-breasted Leaftosser and Southern Bristle-Tyrant will be sought out. We’ll also pay a visit to Estancia Kanguery, an important bird area protecting an area of natural grassland where we will hope to find Giant Snipe, Grass Wren, Lesser Grassfinch, Cock-tailed Tyrant and at certain times of year threatened migratory seedeaters such as Marsh, Chestnut and Capped. Night walks should find Capybara and other mammals such as Crab-eating Fox, White-eared Opossum, Azara’s Agouti and Crab-eating Raccoon, while Puma and Jaguar are also here though predictably more elusive. Nightbirds are equally exciting – Ocellated Poorwill, Rusty-barred, Black-banded and Tawny-browed Owl are all possibilities here.

Overnight: Pro Cosara has rustic wooden cabins with fans, balcony and shared modern tiled bathrooms all with hot water and with the forest on our doorstep. We eat with the Hostettler family who pride themselves on their home-grown organic meals, huge country breakfasts and hospitality.

Day 13: Mesopotamian Grasslands of southern Paraguay

A region rarely visited by birders, these pristine, seasonally-flooded grasslands are found only in Paraguay and northern Argentina where they are rapidly disappearing due to drainage. During our time here we’ll be exploring the area in vehicles, stopping at spots with good birding opportunities. We will visit the Yabebyry Reserve and the private Estancia Kuruñai; both declared Important Bird Areas by Birdlife International. Top target in this area is the threatened Saffron-cowled Blackbird, arguably the most beautiful member of its family, and also Ochre-breasted Pipit, a rare bird extremely difficult to find outside of Paraguay. Other possibilities in this area include Greater Rhea, the near-threatened Sickle-winged Nightjar, Pinnated Bittern and Cinereous Harrier amongst a host of other grassland and wetland species such as Yellow-winged Blackbird and Grassland Yellowfinch. There is a healthy population of Giant Anteater and Tamandua in this area too!

Overnight: Hotel Nacional de Turismo in Ayolas. 3 star hotel in the town.

Day 14: Mesopotamian Grasslands of southern Paraguay

As above but in the afternoon of we will return to Asunción which will mark the end of the tour for those not choosing to do the Chaco extension.

Overnight: Hotel Portal del Sol in Asunción 4 star hotel in the city centre.