The continuing saga of my recent trip to Brazil …
Leaving the not quite visited Serra da Canastra National Park in flames behind us it’s another six hour road trip to the Santuário do Caraça. This is a beautiful 17th century seminary set in a stunning mountain setting. The sanctuary covers a little over 11,000 hectares and is home to the Maned Wolf and Masked Titi monkey as well as birds of the Atlantic forest. It’s about two hours drive here from Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais and Brazil’s sixth largest city, getting on for 2.4 million people, weekends and holidays are best avoided.
The accommodation is simple but comfortable, meals are provided in the refectories, alcohol can be purchased. The church is fully functional and a place of pilgrimage.
Walking paths quickly get you to lush forest or up to heathy scrub. If you are a birdwatcher preparing for a visit don’t miss this post.
Another regular guest is the Maned Wolf, or lobo-guará because of its reddish fur. After dinner a tray of food is set out for it in front of the church doors, a priest calls “Guará” and in it comes … within an hour or three if you’re lucky. They are solitary beasts not pack animals, they come one at a time and they are quite unconcerned about the tourists and their flash photography but maintain a sharp lookout for other wolves. The food tray has fruit and meat on it. Interestingly the fruit was the first to go on the evenings I was there.
The birding was fabulous, the list included Velvety Black-Tyrant, Cliff Flycatcher, Blackish Rail, Serra Antwren, Biscutate Swift, Swallow-tailed Cotinga, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Hyacinth Visor-bearer and Large-tailed Antshrike. Dusky-legged Guan and the Rufous Gnatcatcher posed for their photos.
Guianan Squirrel and Masked Titi Monkey presented themselves for inclusion on the mammal list.
It’s hard to predict the highlight of a trip. This Brazil trip provided many and lived up to expectation in every respect. Caraça, though, was really special. I could go there for many reasons, I don’t believe in god but I do believe he commissioned some wonderful works, the setting is magnificent and the other creatures on hand to share it with … splendid.
bobmcgee 