Three itineraries. One park.
- Day 1: Rurrenabaque → boat up Beni + Tuichi (3–4h) → jungle camp
- Days 2–3: Guided walks · dawn chorus · night walk
- Day 4: Return boat → Rurrenabaque → La Paz flight
Minimum viable. Enough for primates, birds and nocturnal wildlife. For Chalalan: 3 nights minimum at the lodge.
- Days 1–2: Gallery forest camp (Beni river) — riverine birds and caimans
- Days 3–5: Deep primary forest — primates, tapirs, dawn chorus
- Day 6: Return to Rurrenabaque
The ideal itinerary. Covers two distinct habitat zones and maximises sighting variety.
- Days 1–3: Pampas del Yacuma (lowland wildlife)
- Days 4–5: Transit + Madidi entry camp
- Days 6–10: Deep jungle — specialist birding itinerary
The itinerary for serious birders or wildlife photographers. Combines two completely distinct ecosystems.
Six essential experiences.
Dawn Bird Chorus
The dawn chorus in primary jungle is one of the most overwhelming natural experiences on earth. At 5am, with the first light barely filtering through the canopy, every bird in the forest activates simultaneously. An experienced guide can identify 100+ species by call alone in a single morning walk. Bring your binoculars pre-focused.
Primate Watching
Madidi has four primate species: howler monkeys (you hear them before seeing them — a prehistoric bellow at 5am), capuchins (intelligent, tool-using, common in mid-canopy), squirrel monkeys (tiny, fast, in family groups of 30–50), and spider monkeys (the largest, in the high canopy). Any 3-night visit in Madidi produces all four.
Night Walk
The jungle at night is a completely different ecosystem. With headlamps and your guide's spotlight: giant tarantulas on tree trunks, kinkajous in the canopy, caimans' eyes reflecting in a stream, tree frogs on leaves in luminescent colours, sleeping toucans (eyes closed on a branch, beak tucked under wing), and occasionally a tapir crossing the trail.
Canoe on Laguna Chalalan
Laguna Chalalan is a glassy oxbow lake at the heart of primary forest — accessible only by canoe. At dawn, the lake reflects the jungle canopy in absolute silence, broken only by bird calls and the surfacing of giant otters. The giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is critically endangered and this population is one of the most accessible in the world.
Quechua-Tacana Community
San José de Uchupiamonas is the Quechua-Tacana community that owns and operates Chalalan. A visit includes meeting community members who work as guides, cooks, boatmen and conservationists — roles that replaced subsistence hunting after the lodge was established. The community has maintained Madidi's forest in their territory without a single documented deforestation incident since 1998.
Specialist Birding
Bolivia ranks in the global top 5 for bird diversity with 1,400+ species. Madidi alone has 1,000+. The park encompasses cloud forest, montane forest, Andean foothills, gallery forest and Amazonian lowland — each with entirely different avifauna. Three macaw species visible simultaneously are a rarity only Madidi delivers. The Harpy Eagle is regularly sighted by specialist guides.
200+ mammals. 6 to know.
Madidi's wildlife is so dense the question isn't whether you'll see something — it's how much. These are the six species every visitor should know before entering.
Three lodges. Three communities.
Chalalan Ecolodge
Owned and operated by the Quechua-Tacana community of San José de Uchupiamonas since 1998. On Laguna Chalalan — an oxbow lake surrounded by primary forest. 98% primate sighting rate. Comfortable bungalows with solar power. Every stay funds the community conservation trust directly.
Mapajo Ecolodge
Run by the Mosetén indigenous community on the Quiquibey River, at the ecotone between foothills and Amazonian lowland. Excellent for cloud forest bird species not found at lower Madidi lodges. A different Madidi habitat entirely — the transition zone is one of the richest.
San Miguel del Bala
The most accessible community camp in Madidi, 1.5h up the Beni River from Rurrenabaque. Ideal for shorter trips (2 nights) or as a first stop before continuing deeper. The surrounding gallery forest is rich in riverine birds and caimans.
Getting there and what to bring.
How to get to Madidi
- Step 1: Fly La Paz to Rurrenabaque Airport (RBQ) — 25 min, ~$60–100 USD, TAM or Amaszonas
- Step 2: Your operator meets you in Rurrenabaque for an evening briefing
- Step 3: Early morning: motorised boat 2h down the Beni River to the Tuichi confluence
- Step 4: 1–2h more up the Tuichi to your camp or Chalalan
- Always book your return flight with a 1-day buffer before any international connection
- RBQ flights cancel for tropical weather — always confirm the night before
What to bring
- Rubber boots (essential — your operator usually has them but confirm)
- DEET 30%+ repellent — apply constantly, day and night
- Light long-sleeved clothing — not cotton (gets wet, doesn't dry)
- Binoculars — minimum 8x42 for jungle birding
- Light poncho or rain jacket
- Headlamp with spare batteries
- Yellow fever vaccine — essential. Ask your doctor about malaria prophylaxis.
When to visit Madidi.
Connected routes and ecosystems.
— Gallery
Bolivia in focus
Real photography from our routes. No stock images. Hover to explore.
Questions about Madidi.
The most common questions about visiting Madidi National Park.
Plan your trip with us →The most biodiverse park.
Enter with us.
45 minutes. We design your Madidi itinerary with the best community operators, accommodation and a realistic budget.
$90 · €85 · Bs. 623