The world's most powerful bird of prey
HARPY EAGLES
GUARANTEE
Every birder, wildlife lover, and wildlife photographer on Earth wishes to see the elusive Harpy Eagle.
What you can
expect of this tour
About the Tour
Come meet the world’s largest, most powerful birds of prey – in person! The magnificent yet elusive Harpy Eagle perches at the top of every birder’s and nature lover’s wish list. Reserve your spot in the queue of enthusiasts eager to exercise SouthWild’s Harpy Guarantee to see these great predators of the air up close.
Until SouthWild stepped in with our expert field biologists’ special techniques of species location, Harpy Eagles were nearly impossible to see in their rainforest home. Even on ten-day excursions, visitors to their habitat had less than a 5% chance of spotting one and a vanishingly small chance of snapping a good photo.
Now, SouthWild guarantees that even on a one-day visit to one of our Harpy Towers, our guests will enjoy excellent viewing of the great raptor from 30 meters, at eye level.
Trip schedule
Day 1
You will land at Alta Floresta Airport (AFL) at 1:30pm and be met by your SouthWild Guide, who will escort you to your private vehicle. Then, you will do a 4-hour drive to the Ferry Boat Port on the East Bank of the stunning, 900-meter-wide Juruena River. After the scenic 50-minute Ferry ride down the river, you will drive a final 20 minutes, in the same vehicle as before, from the West Bank rustic port to the SouthWild Amazon Lodge in time for dinner.
Day 2, 3 & 4
Wake up early to enjoy a nutritious breakfast, then drive 47 minutes to a walk-up tower to view the Harpy Eagle family. In October, the youngster will be about 6.5 months old and will be the size of its massive parents. You will be viewing the Harpy at eye-level at a distance of only 22 meters. This is the closest viewing of wild Harpy Eagles ever offered in the history of the world!
After a morning with the Harpy, you drive 47 minutes back to the lodge for lunch. After some R&R, you will go on a 2-hour boat tour of the beautiful Juruena River to see a variety of interesting birds, including the bizarre, photogenic Hoatzin, as well as search for monkeys. During the boat rides, we often see White-Nosed Bearded Saki Monkeys or some of the six other species of diurnal monkeys.
Before dinner, you will be driven 5 minutes and ushered down a 10 meter walk to our Tapir viewing site in a palm grove. The Brazilian Tapir weighs 250 kilos, making it the largest land animal in South America. Currently, we have a 90% success rate per night on the Tapirs coming to our viewing site. If the Tapir doesn’t come in time, we will drive you back to the lodge to enjoy dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Overnight at SouthWild Amazon Lodge (B/L/D)
Day 5
Leave the lodge at 5:40am, drive for 10 minutes to the Ferry Boat to take a beautiful 6 am Ferry across to the East Bank of the Juruena River. Breakfast is provided on the Ferry. Once you’ve reached the East Bank, you will drive 4 hours back to Alta Floresta with a 30-60 minute break to view large macaws. Enjoy an included lunch at Cambalacho Buffet Restaurant near the Alta Floresta Airport, then check in for your flight to return home or continue your expedition in a different city (flight not included) (B/L)
Included:
• English-speaking naturalist guide as noted in the itinerary.
• Prices are based on double-occupancy rooms.
• Meals and excursions as noted.
• Private transportation.
• Mineral water to refill your own private, permanent, 1 liter or 1.5 liter (recommended) water bottles.
Photos ands Videos
Prices
Accommodation
Harpy Tented
Camp
2-4 Guests
$1,790
Single
Supplement
$ 290
Accommodation
Hotel
Bandeirantes
2-4 Guests
$1,790
Single
Supplement
$ 290
Here's your chance to take pictures of one of the most wonderful birds on earth!
Price includes:
- Private, English-speaking guide as noted in the itinerary.
- Accommodations as noted
- Meals and excursions as noted
Not included:
- International or domestic flights
- Meals that are not mentioned
- Extra expenses
- Tips
- Soft drinks, sealed bottles of water, beer, wines, mixed drinks.
- Laundry
- Insurance
About SouthWild
SouthWild is a Brazilian ecotourism company with administrative and financial branches in the United States, and operations in Chile.
The company operates in both the international and domestic markets as an ecotourism agency, ecotourism operator, owner of nature accommodations, exclusive commercial representative of third-party nature accommodations, and practices environmental conservation of habitat in 4,660 hectares of biological interest areas in the Pantanal, in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul.
Touristic services are carried out in South America, specifically in Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Peru, in that order of relevance in terms of sales volume.
Layra Martins
General Manager and co-owner
Charles Munn
CEO and co-owner
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You will fly into the São Paulo Airport (GRU), one of the largest airports in South America. More than 34 million travelers transited through it safely last year. Then, you connect to Alta Floresta Airport, where trusted SouthWild personnel will escort you to your private vehicle.
It is recommended that you vaccinate against Yellow Fever before coming to the Amazon. For your peace of mind, we are happy to report that none of our guests have ever contracted Yellow Fever while traveling with us.
As for the wildlife, there is nothing to worry about. We have professional biologists and naturalists to guide you safely throughout your journey.
Yes! Each year there are multiple active nests throughout the Amazon that we monitor closely, and at the start of the season we select the nest that will result in the best viewing experience for you and your group. Every year is a good year for the Harpy!
We partner with Brazil Nut Collector, who have to comb through the entire forest to pick the Brazil nuts, and pay them for Harpy Nest reports. Then, SouthWild monitors all the nests in our database for mating and signs of incubation. Once an active nest is suspected, we confirm with drones. When confirmed, the countdown begins. Read the full story on our instagram @SouthWildTravel on our highlight about the Harpy.
Are you looking for the best Harpy Eagle tour, the one that will take you into the treetops where you can meet the famous Harpy stare at eye-level? Would you value a tour that guarantees several days spent in proximity to the world’s largest raptor as it goes about its day at its nest, where it is raising an eaglet? Do you want to know for certain that you will bring home some of the best nature photographs you will ever take? Then, YES, SouthWild’s Harpy Eagle tour is the one for you!
