This expedition is led by George Vlad, an award-winning field recordist whose work has featured in Planet Earth, Dune and The Lion King. The Gran Chaco is South America's second-largest biome after the Amazon, yet it remains one of the continent's least-known wild places. It is a vast expanse of thorn forest, palm savanna and hidden waterholes that very few sound recordists have ever worked in. Over 18 days, we will try to capture its rare mammals, specialist birds and wide-open soundscapes.

September is an excellent time to record here. The weather is mild before the intense summer heat arrives, migratory birds are starting to return, and resident birds are beginning to call to claim their territories. Wildlife is drawn to the remaining water, and the forest is waking up. These are ideal conditions for field recording.

Key facts

Fee - around £4500 per person (+VAT if you are in the UK)
Group size - 3 attendees plus expedition leader
Dates - September 2027 - 18 days on location - exact dates TBD
Airports - In at Resistencia, out at Asuncion
Itinerary - El Impenetrable NP, Bajo Chaco Defensores del Chaco NP, Canada El Carmen
Base - camps and lodges where available, camping otherwise
Proficiency level - fieldcraft and sound recording knowledge required
Equipment - bring your own, some kit available to borrow
Fitness level - physical activity in high heat and humidity
Fee includes lodging on a single basis, permits, food, snacks, coffee, transportation, access
Fee does not include flights, visas, personal expenses, alcohol, tips
£1500 non-refundable deposit required to confirm attendance, balance due two weeks before the trip

Field work

We will set up drop rigs at remote waterholes where animals come to drink through the night. We will also place recorders deep in the forests of Argentina's El Impenetrable National Park. The targets include the Chacoan peccary, a species known to science only from fossils until 1971, along with howler monkey choruses at dawn, night monkeys, owls and the yelping duets of seriemas. We will leave recorders running overnight in the hope of catching elusive species like jaguar and maned wolf.

Key species

South America’s Big Five: jaguars, pumas, tapirs, giant anteaters and giant armadillos.
Chacoan peccary, black-and-gold howler monkey, Azara’s night monkey, maned wolf, chaco owl, chaco chachalaca.
Many other mammals and birds, lots of frogs and insects.

Expedition leader

I am George Vlad and I have more than 16 years of experience as a field recordist and sound designer. I’ve worked on many high profile projects including Dune Part II, Mufasa the Lion King, Google Sound Matters etc. More info about me at https://mindful-audio.com/george-vlad-credits. I’ve not been to the Chaco but I spent months exploring other countries in South America including Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Peru.

Disclaimer

September is supposed to be nice and mild in the Chaco, but the weather can be unpredictable. Our aim is to explore these landscapes as much as the weather permits, and we may have to switch our itinerary around based on access and local knowledge.

A note on recording wildlife and nature. The outdoors isn’t a zoo and wild animals are unpredictable. There is never a guarantee of seeing/hearing certain species. Maximising time in the field and immersing ourselves in the landscape merely gives us the best chances of encounters. The rest is up to nature and wildlife.

Feedback from previous Mindful Audio expeditions

Houstin Lichtenwalner wrote a nice blog post about his experience joining me on expedition in Romania: https://fieldlog.net/blog/2026/05/fieldcraft-is-the-definition-of-a-craft/

Questions/How to book

Email me through the contact form and I will get back to you. See you out there!

Wildlife sound recording expedition to Paraguay and ArgentinaSeptember 2027