My Trip to the Hyacinth Valley
Piaui, Northeastern Brazil
Tom Walls

In July 2001 I went with a photographer and a birding guide to the dry scrublands of southern Piaui, a state in northeastern Brazil. Our destination was the Hyacinth Valley, the location of three camps from which travelers can spot the rare Hyacinth Macaw as well as countless other species of birds and wildlife.

The three camps are staffed by former trappers, who now protect the Hyacinth Macaw instead of capturing them and selling them on the black market. Staff earn income from tourism revenues as well as being supported by conservation organizations.

Our small group flew from Salvador to Barreiras, which is in western Bahia. From there, we were picked up by the camp staff to make the long, bumpy ride to the first camp. With a local driver and other camp staff we covered the best sites in Hyacinth Valley. There is absolutely no infrastructure for tourism here, with the exception of the three camps. 

The first camp we visited was the Hyacinth Valley Camp. We stayed in several basic but clean bungalows - we each had one to ourselves. From this camp we took a short truck ride to the Hyacinth macaw blind to see the flock of 30 to 40 Hyacinths feed on palm nuts. The macaws were not disturbed by our presence as we were hidden within the blind.

Leaving Hyacinth Valley Camp, we drove in the Toyota 4x4 through dry brush  - much of which was on fire, a natural occurence at that time of year. There were a surprising number of hawks circling the fires, presumably to descend upon  rodents and reptiles escaping the fires. We chased road-runner like Red-legged seriemas and saw a number of Burrowing owls standing over their holes right near the road.

At the Hyacinth Cliffs Camp, we took a short hike down the hill to an old abandoned farmhouse to wait for the Maned wolf. This endangered creature is pretty rare, and Paolo, the "Wolf Man" was able to coax a few individuals to the farmhouse with chicken and vegetables. It's  a thoroughly unique experience waiting for hours in silence with the full moon shining through the cracks of the ruined house. I felt like I was in a movie waiting for Lon Chaney with a silver bullet! We enjoyed several sightings of the wolves, who were undaunted by the flash of our cameras. I took some good IR footage of them on my Sony DV camera. 

The third camp is located on the property of a very nice man named Mauro and his family. The highlights at this place are the troop of Brown capuchins that descend from nearby rocks to pound nuts with stones. Mauro has built a special hut made out of long sticks and palm fronds to watch these wily monkeys. I have heard of tool-using behavior by capuchins in captivity, but this is the first observable, repeated incidence of it occuring in the wild, to my knowledge. I have spoken with various primatologists and they know of no similar behavior patterns among lower primates in the wild.

I also got to give Mauro's adorable kids an impromptu English lesson.  Within minutes they had a pretty good command of greetings and numbers in English; they already knew some that they picked up from previous visitors.

There are also several nesting sites of the Red-and-green macaw in the surrounding cliffs. On a number of challenging hikes (some short, some long) we got to see and photograph these beauties circling in pairs overhead. Their sharp screeches echoed throughout the canyons between the cliffs.  Coupled with the breathtaking scenery of the red cliffs, this experience was something that I'll remember for the rest of my life!

I am a travel agent, by the way. If you are interested, I would be glad to arrange travel for you to this unique and remote area. You can fly into Barreiras from Brasilia or Salvador on Varig airlines or Nordeste, which is owned by Varig. I'm very knowledgeable about Brazil, so if you want to visit the Pantanal or Rio or Salvador, I can put together a custom itinerary for you.

Pictures (all rights reserved):
1. The Great Potoo (no, not the Great Kazoo), a peculiar wide-eyed nocturnal bird that camouflages itself as a branch during the day
2. The expansive view afforded by a hike into the Serra Vermelha (red cliffs)
3. The elusive Maned wolf having a chicken dinner
4. Brown Capuchin monkeys breaking nuts with stones (from 75 feet away)
5. Teaching English, Lesson 2
6. The Adventure Team on top of a rocky ledge watching Red-and-green macaws circle overhead

Coming soon:

Adventures in the Pantanal
Colorful Salvador
The Beauty of the Atlantic Rainforest (Mata Atlantica) and the Itubera Waterfall
Fun in Rio de Janeiro

Please email me at tom@tropicalnaturetravel.com or call me toll free at 866-MACAW SA or (954) 925-2377. Or, have a look at my company's website at www.tropicalnaturetravel.com for more great ecotourism-oriented trips to Peru and Ecuador.