On this wonderful blue and green marble we all live on, Brazil is a stand-out country. Per square mile, there are more birds, mammals, reptiles, plant life, wild flowers, sea life and crazily strange mammals than most other countries combined. One stand out creature is the fruit eating, long-legged maned wolf. If you want to see this amazing animal in the wild, the Brazilian Cerrado (Savanna) is the place to go. Specifically, Emas National Park is one of the best places for its diversity in other wildlife. The over 300,00 acres of grasslands, woodlands and gallery forests is known for its rich and diverse wildlife and host the world's largest concentration of termite mounds. The Park provide a surreal setting for large concentrations of Pampas Cat, Giant Anteater, Brazilian Tapir, Greater Rhea, Giant Armadillo, Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, and Blue-winged, Red-shouldered and Red-bellied Macaws. Here, maned wolves are frequently seen roaming the grasses in search of tinamou and other prey. Curiously, it also feeds on the lobeira fruit or commonly known as “fruit-of-wolf” or “wolf's apple”.
We offer such trips to Emas at a time when the maned wolf is relatively easy to see in the wild with no bating. The best time is usually late evening or early morning when it is drifting around preying on small mammals. The wolf can be seen all year around but we make it a point to visit between September and October because this is when thousands of termite mounds glow at night a magnificent yet mysterious green glow. Beetle larvae are hunting and their glow attracts the termites. Each mound may have a hundred or more larvae, and mounds sit side by side for miles. This is when the region experiences its first rain and those lucky enough to be there will be treated to an impressive natural phenomenon.
Our trips last six days and include room and board plus transportation and all the water you might need. We are proud to offer our fellow birders and adventures a part of Brazil that few people have visited.
Maned Wolf Safari: in the Heart of the Brazilian Savanna - October / November, 2024, 2025
