Bolivia, South America's highest landlocked country (see
map from Expedia) has some of the most pristine, wild and rugged national parks, with a tremendous variety of wildlife species in their natural environments, on the continent.
In western Bolivia:
The Andes and the altiplano are the scene for
Sajama,
over the border from Chile's Lauca National Park, (see this interactive
map from Expedia).
Sajama volcano, at 21,391 feet (6,522 m), is Bolivia's highest mountain and is one of several
in Sajama park. Visitors enjoy the varied wildlife of vicuñas, llamas, vizcachas and flamingos plus
the geysers and hot springs after hiking the area, known as the "Lost Garden of the Incas."
South America : Bolivia Sajama - Lauca
Apolobamba Comprehensive Management Natural Area, now known as Ulla Ulla National Park,
located northwest of La Paz on the Peruvian border, was created to protect the
endangered vicuñas, and is home to
Kallawayas: The Nomadic Medicine Men of Bolivia.
Also on the southwest border with Chile, the Eduardo Avaroa Andean fauna reserve
is high, dry and cold, and the location of lakes colored by mineral sediments. The
best known are
Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde for the pink flamingos.
Close to La Paz, Cotapata National Park, Parque Nacional y área de manejo integrado Cotapata,
(photos) has
terrain varied from Andean peaks to upper rainforest. The Tunquini area is
one of Bolivia's favored birding sites. (See
Bolivia – Additional sites, including a bird list for Tunquini
In central Bolivia:
The altiplano and Andes give way to the
Amazon Basin, Yungas, Savannahs. Here the
Andes bend in what's known as the "Elbow of the Andes."
Amboró National Park, Parque Nacional y área natural de manejo integrado Amboró,
Carrasco Ichillo and Isiboro Secure (see
map)
between Cochabamba to the west and Santa Cruz to the east, are marked by steep
mountains, deep valleys, fast rivers and both the mountainous cloud forest and the
Amazonian tropical valleys.
Toro Toro National Park, Parque Nacional Toro Toro, located close to
Potosí, is a dinosaur lover's delight. There are dinosaur footprints and
fossils, the unexplored caves of Umajalanta and cave paintings here.
Carrasco National Park
is a 1.5 million-acre rainforest park in the Andes foothills rich in varied flora and fauna.
Madidi National Park Parque Nacional y área de manejo integrado Madidi,
spanning 4.5 million acres from the Andes to the western Amazon
basin was created in 1995, and is surrounded by other parks: Manuripi Heat, the Apolobamba
Comprehensive Management Natural Area and the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Preserve.
"National Geographic has rated 1,895,750-he Madidi National Park with its 988 listed
species as one of the world’s most extensive biodiversity reserves."
Madidi National Park. Read
Madidi Diary from National Geographic. Located near
Rurrenabaque, the park has Mollo and Inca archaeological sites, and is home to several
indigenous groups. plus the Chalalán lagoon and Ecolodge.
