The Amazon
of Bolivia.

Guided walks through primary Amazon jungle, canoe navigation on the Tuichi river, birdwatching from platforms, encounters with three monkey species, medicinal plant learning. Stay at Chalalan Ecolodge — community-owned and operated by the Quechua-Tacana people since 1997. UNESCO recognised it as a model for sustainable ecotourism.

Flooded savannah 3 hours downriver from Rurrenabaque. Open water channels make wildlife spotting easy and frequent. This is where you swim with pink dolphins, see anacondas in the grass, spot caimans at night by torchlight, and watch capybara herds grazing on the riverbank.

TAM Bolivia and Amaszonas operate daily 25-minute flights from El Alto International (LPB). Typical price: $60–100 USD one way. The flight crosses the Yungas and the descent into the Beni is spectacular. Book 3–5 days ahead in peak season, 1–2 weeks for July–August.

16–20 hours. Depart from La Paz terminal at 6–7pm, arrive early morning. Price: $15–25 USD. The road passes through the Yungas. Sleeper buses available. Not recommended if you're on a tight schedule or if the route is cut by rain (October–March: landslide risk).

Direct 55-minute flights from Santa Cruz Viru Viru (VVI) to Trinidad. BoA and TAM operate the route. From Trinidad you access the Beni Reserve, Mamoré river circuits, and the Moxos pre-Columbian earthwork civilisation (prehistoric lomas mounds).

Both are exceptional but different. The pampas (Pampas del Yacuma, 3 hours by river from Rurrenabaque) offers the highest wildlife density: pink river dolphins, anacondas, caimans, capybaras and birds are near-certain sightings. The jungle (Madidi National Park, Chalalan Lodge) offers deeper immersion into primary rainforest, richer birdlife, primates, and cultural encounters with the Quechua-Tacana community. Serious wildlife watchers should do both: 2 nights pampas, 3 nights jungle.

Two options: a 25-minute TAM or Amaszonas flight from El Alto International Airport (La Paz) — typically $60–100 USD one way — or a 16–20 hour night bus. The flight is strongly recommended. Book 3–5 days in advance from La Paz. Fog cancellations are common in the morning; take the earliest available flight.

Yellow fever vaccination is strongly recommended before entering the Amazon basin (Beni, Pando departments). Some countries require proof on entry if you have recently visited Bolivia. Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines are generally recommended for all Bolivia travel. Malaria prophylaxis is recommended for the Amazon lowlands — consult your travel medicine doctor 6–8 weeks before travel. Use DEET 30%+ repellent for dengue (no vaccine available).

In the pampas: pink river dolphins (near-certain), anacondas, black and spectacled caimans, capybaras, giant river otters, river turtles, jabiru storks and kingfishers. In Madidi jungle: three monkey species (howler, spider, capuchin), tapirs, peccaries, 1,000+ bird species, night species on guided night treks. Jaguar sightings are rare but tracks are common on guided walks.

Madidi National Park (18,958 km²) is considered one of the most biodiverse protected areas on earth. It contains over 1,000 bird species (more than the entire USA and Canada combined), 200+ mammal species, 300+ fish species, and 12,000+ plant species. It spans 5 altitudinal zones — Andean cloud forest at 5,700m down to Amazonian lowlands at 180m — which accounts for its extraordinary biodiversity range. A 2010 study identified more individual bird species in Madidi than in any other single protected area on the planet.

The bufeo colorado (Inia boliviensis) is Bolivia's endemic freshwater pink river dolphin — a separate species from the Brazilian/Peruvian boto, recognised as its own species since 2006. Found exclusively in the Beni, Mamoré and Iténez river systems. Adults reach up to 2.5m and 180kg. They are pink due to blood vessels close to the skin surface. Considered sacred in Aymara cosmology. Near-daily sightings on Rurrenabaque pampas tours.