I want to visit the Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco NP and Maididi

RE: the Gran Chaco, I can't think of anyone who runs tours in the area -- there probably aren't -- although I do have two suggestions:

1) You could take the road south from Santa Cruz to Camiri by bus and then hitch eastwards into the park. You're going to be on your own and there are few, if any, services there. You would probably be able to stay at a private residence if you ask.

2) The other option would be to fly into Yacuiba (TAM Bolivia) and hire a taxi (2.5 hrs., 400 bolivianos) to travel east into the Chaco to a village called Crevaux. But this is NOT the Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco. To be honest, the only thing I saw along the way were snakes and a couple of predatory birds, maybe the small animal or two. Remember that the Chaco is a desert and apart from reptiles and a few odd-shaped trees and brush, not much lives there. But with you majoring in ecology and biodiversity, you would be looking for things I wouldn't think of looking for.

Crevaux lies alongside the Rio Pilcomayo, mostly dry but still fishable. The most interesting thing you'll find in this part of the Chaco are the people, a hardy and friendly type who survive the 45C+ temps and who scrounge a living from fish and pricey imports from Yacuiba.

There is a small and quite decent motel in Crevaux run by an elderly and genial woman and has aircon and even a small pool. Cost is 80 Bolivianos/nt. It's located on the west side of the main plaza, which is actually a football (soccer) field.

Finally, you can enter the Chaco by traveling east from Villamontes. Villa is about an hour (30 Bolivianos) by micro north of Yacuiba. I've not taken the route eastwards fromVilla and cannot describe it other than to say that the road ends in no town at all. Perhaps this would be your best option?

RE: Madidi... I am quite certain you can locate a private guide into the park from Rurrenabaque, although I don't have any names, sorry. You could probably do a search of this forum for more info on this. Any private guide will be expensive.

There is an abundance of commercial guides who lead groups into the park, just do a Google search. But I do believe these tours are somewhat topical with respect to a thorough examination of the park. And beware that some of these guides can be sketchy according to reports I've read on the Internet.

About Madidi - legally, you can only go with an agency that has a license to send tourists into the park. But you can get a guide through the agency and arrange it through them, without the tour group after you.

About Kaa-Iya National Park - I know there are some agencies going there, because I've looked at it myself some time ago, though I don't have anything in my hands right now. The most reliable route down there is via Santa Cruz - Bajo Izoso - Camiri. Here is a website with a few contacts to tour operators in Santa Cruz - even though they don't state tours to Kaa Iya, they might still be able to assist you on your mission. http://www.boliviacontact.com/OperadoresdeTurismo_SantaCruzs.html

About Madidi NP I refer to the threads Jungle Tours from Rurrenabaque, 12-Nov-2009, and Madidi Ecolodges, 30-Sep-2009.

Trekking in Madidi (with overnight stay in the jungle/rainforest instead of in a lodge) for more than 2 days is not a standard tour, but the tour operators San Miguel del Bala, Mashaquipe and Chalalán will be able to arrange a special trekking tour for your alone or for a little group you gather. (Note that not all tour operators and guides in Rurrenabaque have permission to work in Madidi, as mentioned in #2 above).

Your Spanish languages skills are important. The best guides probably do not speak English.
(Also when sending mails to a tour operator in Bolivia: If you are able to write in Spanish, you may receive a quicker reply).

You write about finding an independent guide. Some guides work freelance, that is to say they work for varying operators. I recommend using a tour operator or a guide hired through a tour operator. (The rules of the Madidi NP may make this requisite). In addition, trekking in Madidi is not just walking, you need a boat.
And I recommend using one of the above-mentioned community-run operators. They have good guides, giving you a unique and authentic experience, and you will support the local inhabitants who want to preserve the nature and maintain their way of living.
Also if possible use a local tour operator instead of a tour agency, as the tour agency receives a commission (normally 15 %) from the tour operator.

(Cf. the thread Bolivia Pampas vs Jungle tour, 03-Sep-2009: Normally when booking a tour the price is the same either you book through a tour agency or direct with the tour operator. An advantage of using a tour agency is that you can buy a package including air tickets or other transport. When you book and pay direct with the tour operator, the operator does not have to pay commission to an agency. So it is a way to support the local business).

If you have the time (and money) the optimum would be to start with a standard jungle/rainforest tour based on an eco-lodge. When you have got to know a guide or more guides, and you know more about the area, you can arrange an extension for your trek. February and March is not the peak season, and individual arrangements at short notice are probably possible.

By the way, be aware of the difficulties of flying to and from Rurre = Rurrenabaque. Delays and cancellations may be frequent, as told in many threads here at TT. Have a flexible itinerary.
Rurrenabaque and the surrounding rainforest and pampas are wonderful and worth the trouble. Also in the rainy season - and what is a rainforest without rain!

Amboro Tours in Sta Cruz in theory have tours to Kaa Iya, whether they ever actually go in practice is another matter, v few people ask for it and for just 1 person it would be expensive. Feb March is rainy season and can means a lot of rough roads in remote rural Sta Cruz dept may be impassable (same is true for much of the lowlands).

For Madidi worth contacting Chalalan or one of the other reliable operators who are licensed to go to Madidi (as mentioned above there are a lot of cowboy operators and "guides" that arent worth the title in Rurre, esp for the pampas which is less regulated). That time of year is their lowest season so they could probably be more flexible and may well have some guides available who will welcome the extra work! Again make allowances for rainy season re logisitics

South America photography

A full list of tour operators (both jungle/rainforest and pampas) in the Rurre area can be seen at Operadores de Turismo, which is a page at the official tourist website of "Gobierno Municipal de Rurrenabaque": rurrenabaque.com.bo.

Of in all 30 operators four have the "Certificación de Turismo Sostenible" (Sustainable Tourism Certification).

About 12 of the operators are marked with PNM, which stands for Parque Nacional Madidi.
But obvious the list is not updated and not prepared thoroughly. My guess is that the page was made 2 - 3 years ago.
For San Miguel del Bala the "PNM" is missing. This operator has had the Madidi permission since the eco-lodge was built some years ago.

The English version of rurrenabaque.com.bo apparently do not work (yet), but you can use Google Language Tools or Babel Fish Translation from Yahoo.

The site tells: "Este sitio web ha sido elaborado por la Dirección Municipal de Turismo, con apoyo de la Dirección Municipal de Desarrollo Económico Productivo y del Servicio Alemán de Cooperación Social-Técnica DED."
(This website has been prepared by .. with support from ..)
DED is Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) (German Development Service).
The site has probably been made during a project, and follow-up is not always easy.

Thank you very much for the help guys - this really is very useful!

Cheers,
Kotare