Orchids of Rio’s Atlantic Rainforest
High and Low Elevation Orchids in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Rainforest
The Orchid Conservation Alliance has not offered a land trip to Brazil since 2014. Such a trip is definitely overdue and this is it! After flying in to Rio de Janeiro, we will stay one night at the beach in Ipanema and visit Rio’s famous botanical garden before heading out of town to REGUA (www.regua.org.br) , a 30,000+acre nature preserve and forest restoration project less than 100 miles from Rio. We will use REGUA as our low altitude base for most of the trip, taking day trips to its different habitat zones as well as the Atlantic coast where Cattleya intermedia thrives in the sand dunes. We will also spend three nights at the home of Paulo Pancotto and Luciana Meu Amo (map) at about 2000’ asl to see further examples of the higher altitude forest, where Cattleya (Sophronitis) coccinea is expected to be in full bloom.
Dates & Prices
Dates: Tour starts on Sept 5 and ends on Sept 16 in Rio de Janeiro
Price: $3625 per person with $500 single supplement.
Deposit: $1000 per person, due by June 1, 2024 (Refundable up to this date).
Final payment due: July 1, 2024.
Price includes: All accommodation, ground transportation, drivers, guides, meals, tips for local staff, and entry to Rio’s Botanical Garden.
Not included: Round trip airfare, travel insurance, alcohol, personal items, and souvenirs.
Conservation Donation: ~$1000. A donation based on the profit of the trip is a donation to the Orchid Conservation Alliance, a 501(c)3 organization. For USA residents the donation may be a deductible donation. A formal acknowledgement letter with the exact amount donated will be sent to each participant in January, 2025.
Peter Tobias, President Emeritus of the OCA, and Nicholas Locke, President of REGUA.
Group size: Minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 (plus the tour leaders)
Atlantic Rainforest
Bifrenaria harrisoniae
Bifrenaria tyrianthina
Bromeliad flower
Miltonia cuneata
Giant moth
Unidentified Terrestrial Orchid Species (Spiranthinae?)
View from the Ridge at Araça
Dryadella edwallii
Cattleya intermedia
Cattleya intermedia
Cattleya coccinea
Cattleya coccinea
Cattleya coccinea
Peter Tobias pointing out Zygopetalum along the trail.
Eurystyles sp.
Eurystyles cogniauxii
Pleurothallis cf trifida
We find this very cute Pumpkin toadlet along the trail
Scuticaria hadwenii
Specklinia sp
Stelis sp
Zygopetalum cf intermedium
Encyclia bragancae
Zygopetalum
Pabstia jugosa
The tour leaders will be Peter Tobias, President Emeritus of the OCA, and Nicholas Locke, President of REGUA. We will also engage local guides for different aspects of the trip.
Peter Tobias
Nicholas Locke
Participants should plan on arriving on or before September 5 and leaving Sept 16 (or later should you make other plans. Flights from the USA to Rio de Janeiro fly out of New York (Delta, Latam), Miami (Avianca, GOL, Latam, Delta) and Atlanta (Delta, Latam). As of January 10, 2024, U.S. passport holders will need a visa to enter Brazil. E-visas are available for some travelers, but you should visit the Brazilian government authorized website https://brazil.vfsevisa.com/ for up to date application information.