Amazon & Harpy Eagle

After brief, optional birding at dawn in forest near the lodge, a delectable buffet breakfast followed by a spectacular, 4-hour-long wildlife-watching boat ride on the stunning Juruena River.

Charles Munn says this river's completely-intact riverbank forests, abundant river islands covered with tall forest, rock formations jutting out of the water, and gentle rapids combine to make the Juruena by far the most beautiful of the more than 100 rivers he has seen in the Amazon.

Boat trips on the Juruena often produce Amazonian Umbrellabirds, Hoatzins, Razor-billed Curassows, comical White-nosed Bearded Saki Monkeys, and even 600-pound Brazilian Tapirs, which are the largest land animals in South America.

After buffet lunch at the lodge, and a short nap, marvel at the flagship exclusive of SouthWild Amazon: open-topped safari truck wildlife outing on some of the 40 km of private rainforest roads inside SouthWild Amazon Lodge's 26,000-acre (10,300-hectare) property.

You will certainly visit one of our four canopy towers located in the primary rainforest to observe the majestic Harpy Eagles.

Optional early evening visit to the Tapir Palm Grove, which is a five-minute drive from the lodge.

Outstanding buffet dinner, and off to visit the Sandman in your air-conditioned bedroom.

Early, hearty breakfast followed by a drive on our private forest roads and a short walk to reach two of the day's most wildlife-filled fruiting trees. Our research team constantly monitors fruiting activity along scores of kilometers of forest trails so we know which trees are best.

The wildlife at the fruiting trees includes some of seven toucan species, vibrant cotingas and tanagers, and monkeys that include the velvety Gray Woolly Monkey and the strange, misnamed White-nosed Bearded Saki, which in fact has a hot pink nose.

A satisfying lunch at the lodge, a short rest, and then an afternoon wildlife boat ride on the unparalleled Juruena River.

For anyone who wishes more chances to view Tapirs, you can wait for a Tapir at the Palm Grove.

Dinner and overnight at SouthWild Amazon Lodge.

After a filling breakfast, this morning you visit one or two of the four canopy towers located strategically in tall, mature, wildlife-rich forest.

SouthWild Amazon has more canopy access in wildlife-rich, unhunted tropical rainforest than any other site in the world.

Lunch at the lodge

A short rest.

Then, visit one or two of the remaining canopy towers.

So very many species of birds, monkeys, blooming epiphytes, and butterflies can only be seen well from up in the canopy, so our towers are a special treat.

In reality, you could spend ALL day in a single one of our towers and it would be well worth it, so having four towers to choose from is truly an embarrassment of riches. And unlike the steep, steep one or two towers at many other lodges, our tower stairs are low-rise and wide, making them easy on the legs.

Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

On this last morning, a hearty breakfast followed by an hour-long, farewell boat ride among the scenic forest islands in the Juruena, where we might see Giant Otters, Tapirs, or more large macaws and Amazonian Umbrellabirds.

The boat ride ends on the east bank of the river, where we board our closed, air-conditioned vehicle to drive 3.5 hours back to Alta Floresta.

Once in the city, we treat you a final celebratory lunch at Cambalacho Restaurant and then help you check in at the airport for your 2 pm flight back to Cuiabá.