The Cerrado is South America's second largest ecosystem - a savannah which neighbours the Amazon to the north; the Pantanal wetlands to the west; and Atlantic Rainforest to the east.

The Cerrado covers a total area of 1.9 million square kilometres, existing primarily in Brazil, with relatively small areas bridging into Paraguay and Bolivia. As well as being huge, it is the world's most diverse savannah containing around 10,000 species of plant and 200 species of mammal. Whilst many of these can be found in the Amazon and Pantanal,  it is the best ecosystem in which to see Maned Wolves, with their disproportionately long legs.

Cerrado savannah is often characterised by an abundance of ground-level plant species occasionally disturbed by a lone tree rarely taller than 3 metres. These make great conditions for lizard and snake species, including the South American Ground Lizard, which grows up to 50 cm long and is considered one of the most significant predators here. However, tree cover is correlated with altitude – in the most extreme cases where the elevation of Cerrado is highest, there can be up to 50% canopy cover with trees reaching around 9 metres in height. These semi-closed forests provide homes for many breeding birds, like the Crowned Solitary Eagle, Hyacinth Macaws and Toco Toucans.

Where waterways cur through the savannah, vegetation can thrive creating what's known as gallery forests. Larger mammals, such as the Brazilian Tapir, Jaguar and Ocelot, can exist in these habitats which are more stable and resistant to fires in the hotter seasons. Up to eight monkey species also live here, of which the most common is the leaf-eating Black Howler Monkey.

In addition to wildlife, the varied vegetation makes the Cerrado scenically very beautiful. Climatically, rain usually falls between November and March, whilst it remains predominantly dry during the Southern Hemisphere winter from April to September.