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The Amazon Basin is one of Bolivia’s largest and most mesmerizing regions. The rainforest is raucous with wildlife, and spending a few days roaming the sweaty jungle is an experience you’re unlikely to forget. But it’s not only the forests that are enchanting: it’s also the richness of the indigenous cultures, traditions and languages that exist throughout the region.
Mossy hills peak around the town of Rurrenabaque, most people’s first point of entry into the region and the main base camp for visits to the fascinating Parque Nacional Madidi. This is home to a growing ethno-ecotourism industry established to help local communities. The village of San Ignacio de Moxos is famous for its wild July fiesta; Trinidad, the region’s cosmopolitan hub, is encased by buzzing wetlands and is the transit point toward Santa Cruz. North of here the frontier towns of Riberalta and Guayaramerín are in remote regions few travelers dare to tread.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Amazon Basin.
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The wonderfully remote and globally important Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is home to a broad spectrum of Amazonian flora and fauna and has a wide range of dwindling habitats, from open cerrado (savanna) to dense rainforest. The park lies in the northernmost reaches of Santa Cruz department, between the banks of the Ríos Verde, Guaporé (Río Iténez on Bolivian maps) and Paraguá.
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Thanks to the efforts of the conservation NGO Armonía, the endangered blue-throated macaw or barba azul has become something of a regional celebrity in the Bolivian Amazon. Endemic to the unique Beni savannas, a fast-disappearing habitat found nowhere else on earth, a quarter of the world’s minute population of this spectacular psittacid calls this 11,000-hectare private reserve its home.
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The Santuario Chuchini (Jaguar's Lair) is one of the few easily accessible Paitití sites. This wildlife sanctuary and camp sits on an 8-hectare loma (artificial mound) of the ancient civilization. From the camp, you can take short walks in the rainforest to lagoons with caimans, other larger animals and profuse birdlife.
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Tumichucuá is a small community about 25km south of town (B$30 by moto-taxi) toward ‘El Triángulo’ (the road junction to Cobija). There is a lake for swimming and a forested island with walking trails, plus cabins. Nobody is sure how far from Riberalta it is, as according to local legend the lake moves at night, sometimes coming to rest closer to the town, sometimes further away.
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This lush jungle reserve 22km north of Riberalta (B$30 by moto-taxi) is a great spot for bird-watching, wildlife watching (particularly caimans and anaconda) and fishing for giant paiche (a species of bonytongue). The communities of San José and Warnes run the park, and locals can be hired as guides (Spanish only). There is also an upmarket ecolodge here dedicated to traditional plant-based wellness treatments.
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Created in 1988, this 622,600ha park has some of Bolivia’s most easily explored cloud forest. It skirts a large portion of the road between Cochabamba and Villa Tunari, and also includes a big lowland area of the Chapare region. The rainforest hides a vast variety of mammal species, together with a rainbow of birds, crawling reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects.
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This savanna lake, a 2km walk from El Porvenir, is the reserve’s most popular destination. The sight of one of the world’s largest populations of crawling, rare black caimans – there are at least 400 of them – is truly astounding. Fortunately, caimans have little interest in humans, so it’s generally safe to observe them (but watch out for the snakes on the hike in!).
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North of town at the large Laguna Isirere, you can go fishing and swimming, observe the profuse birdlife and watch the gorgeous sunset. It’s accessible on a 30-minute (2km) walk or moto-taxi (B$5) from town.
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A stone’s throw from the road and a 40-minute walk from El Porvenir is Totaizal. This friendly and well-organized village of 300 people is the closest to the reserve and it's where Sernap arranges guides and horses. People living in the settlement of Cero Ocho, a four-hour (15km) walk from Totaizal, trudge into the village to sell bananas and other goods. You can visit the village directly, but it's best to make prior arrangements for guides through Sernap in San Borja.