Bolivia Guide
The Amazon
Parque Nacional Madidi
Covering nearly 19,000 square kilometres, Parque Nacional Madidi is home to some of the more diverse plant and animal life in South America. In altitude it ranges from less than 300m to over 5500m above sea level, encompassing a variety of Andean and Amazonian ecosystems which ranges from dense tropical rainforests and seasonally flooded savannas to pristine cloudforest and glacial mountain peaks. Virtually undisturbed by permanent human settlement, the park is home to an astonishing variety of wildlife: more than 700 species of animal have been recorded, along with 620 species of bird, although the total may be more like 1000 – more than in the whole of North America; there are also more than 5000 species of flowering plant. Madidi was recognized as a national park in 1995 and, together with the neighbouring Pilon Lajas reserve and Parque Nacional Tambopata-Candamo across the border in Peru, forms a corridor of biodiversity that is generally considered to be one of the 25 most critical conservation areas in the world.
The real wonder of the park is its spectacular scenery and the bewildering complexity of the rainforest ecosystem, and you should treat viewing wildlife as a bonus rather than the main purpose of a visit to the park. Having said that, on a standard three- or four-day trip you should see a fair amount of wildlife, including several species of monkey, capybaras, cayman and a kaleidoscopic variety of birds, including brightly coloured toucans, macaws and parrots. If you're lucky you may also see larger animals like the mighty jaguar or the lumbering tapir. Be warned, though, that many species are rare, nocturnal and shy, and the areas of the park most easily accessible by river were logged and hunted until a few years ago.