Bolivian Pantanal Tour, Anaconda Sighting with Nicks Adventures Bolivia.

TOUR TO THE BOLIVIAN PANTANAL

 UTUQUIS NATIONAL PARK, BOLIVIAN PANTANAL WETLANDS

Situated on the border of Brazil/ Paraguay is the spectacular Bolivian Pantanal or Utuquis National Park. This park makes up part of the world’s largest Wetland system and is home to a staggering amount of wildlife, the park itself covers over 1,005,950 hectares and due to its remoteness remains in near pristine condition.

Wildlife in this area is incredible and the potential for tourism is great, to date 59 species of mammals have been recorded, these include healthy populations of the Jaguar, Puma, Ocelots, Maned Wolves, Capybara, Giant Otters, Giant Anteaters, Brocket Deer, Howler Monkeys, Marsh Deer, Peccaries and much more, This park is one of the best areas in the world to observe and photograph the Marsh Deer, which often is found feeding close to the road and along with the Capybara which is the world’s largest rodent they are the easiest of the mammals inside the Park to see.

While the Jaguar is relatively abundant it’s sadly often shot on sight by Cattle Ranchers, its scat and tracks can be seen with some frequency and the lucky few can get a glimpse of this 100kg plus feline often sleeping by river banks or stalking its favourite prey items the Capybara and Spectacled Caiman by the road inside the Park at night. 

 Reptiles in this region include literally millions spectacled Caimans which are one of the great sights of the Pantanal, they can be seen basking in groups of hundreds along the banks close to the road and on riverbeds, the unique and rarely seen Caiman Lizard is also a huge highlight for nature lovers, it resembles more of a caiman than a lizard and its endemic to the Pantanal.

 Of all the animals in the park the Yellow Anaconda is one of the most iconic, growing up to 4 metres this strikingly beautiful snake is often found here basking on the road or at night by the marshes while it stalks its prey, this is one of the very best places in the world to observe and marvel at this incredible snake.

If you are a nature lover or birder than this park presents spectacular birding which will rival anywhere else in the world, flocks of literally thousands of birds frequent the Pantanal and congregate around the lagoons feeding on the newly arrived fish, June through to October is the best time to visit the Pantanal to see this, Iconic bird species include the Jabiru, White Browned Blackbird, Cocoi Heron, Touca Toucan and the endemic parakeet of the region called the Nanday Parakeet.

 THREATS TO THE PARK

Like most National Parks and protected areas in Bolivia adequate facilities and staff are limited which makes it impossible to properly protect the park, the major threats to the park include uncontrolled fires which many times are lit on purpose by the Cattle Ranchers who are based inside and outside the park , in the dry season thousands of hectares of forests and grassland are burnt and many animals perish as a result,  most Jaguars, Pumas and other predators are also sadly shot on sight by the famers as well as they are a perceived threat to their cattle. Perhaps the biggest threat of the park is the new mine of Mutun which is just 50 km from the Park, this mine is one of the largest of its kind in the world and the main issue is the transportation of the minerals from the mine to though the park and onwards to Brazil, as we speak a major highway is being developed inside the Otuquis National Park which will see a major increase  of traffic  from the Mine inside the park and will severely threaten the wildlife and Park , road kills, increased pollution and more access to poachers will likely decimate the area.

TOURISM INSIDE THE BOLIVIAN PANTANAL

While the Bolivian side of the Pantanal lacks infrastructure, its potential for tourism is unlimited, not only is the Bolivian side more pristine than the Brazilian side , it’s also not over populated with tourists which makes wildlife viewing easier and more enjoyable.  There are limited options to sleep and most people who visit sleep in tents or lodges on other parts of the Pantanal, to date only a few Tour Operators operate in this region and the most reliable is Nicks Adventures Bolivia who specialises in quality wildlife tours, they offer multi day tour packages to the Bolivian Pantanal which are aimed towards nature lovers who wish to film and photograph the keys species in the area, they offer 4WD trips through the Pantanal, fishing, and boating trips to remote river systems in the Bolivian Pantanal and beyond. Their WEBSITE is www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com

Please see below for more photos of this amazing travel destination in Bolivia

Kaa Iya National Park Tour - 11th-14th November 2015

During our November 11th-14th Kaa Iya Jagaur and Big Mammal Tour we were lucky enough to encounter this very large and spectacular Male Jaguar which we tracked for over an hour before we watched him walk right in front of us before he entered the Forest. We are also lucky enough to see 2 Tapirs, an Albino Ferderlance, Ocelot  plus many other animals including a Puma as well.

The incredible moment the Jaguar came out and presented itself to our tour group

Jagaur Tracks, the reason we had the Jagaur sighting , Tracking Jaguars is a very important skill if you wish to see them.

Andean Bear captured on camera in Amboro National Park Bolivia

Two years ago , we first ventured into the spectacular Amboro National Park , this expedition was based on finding out which animal species where here and also the potential for low impact Eco Tourism , as we trekked deeper inside the Park we were greeted with large animal tracks which were larger than the human hands, the claws were a dead give away that it was not a Puma or Jaguar but was of the elusive Andean Bear, these tracks were everywhere and seemed to be just hours old.

Elated with this discovery we placed camera traps along the trails where the bear tracks where and left the area, 2 years later and after multiple unsuccessful visits to the park we had nothing to show for , that is until yesterday.

2 months ago we decided to set up a camera trap in an area rarely visited by tourists and as we retrieved our camera we were surprised to see not only Ocelots,Pumas, Margays,Tayra and Brocket Deer in the photos but a large and spectacular Andean Bear.

This photo of the beautiful Andean Bear has been 2 years of hard work , and we are delighted that this amazing animal is surviving in one of the most beautiful National Parks in Bolivia.


Note : we do not give an exact reference to which part of the National Park this image was taken, sadly Andean Bears are hunted for their body parts for Asian Medicines and also shot on sight by ranchers and local hunters.

For more information about our tours and conservation work contact us at: www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com

10 REASON WHY TO TRAVEL TO SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA

TRAVELING TO BOLIVIA? – then here`s why Santa Cruz Bolivia is not to be missed!!

Time and time again we hear about travelers doing the same old gringo trail through Bolivia, so we have devised a list of reasons why Santa Cruz Bolivia should be an integral part of every travelers itinerary while exploring this amazing country. 

Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

1 IT'S A STAGING POINT FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ADVENTURES: If you are visiting the City of Santa Cruz then you are just a few hours away from some of the world`s best attractions, some of these places include the Amazon and Cloud Forests of the Amboro National Park, The world’s most pristine Chaco Forests of Kaa Iya National Park which is one the best place to see Jaguars, The Andean Town of Samaipata which is the base for a huge array of trips , Jesuit Missions , Sand-boarding in Lomas de Arena , Sports fishing monster Golden Dorado  in the spectacular River Grande and much much more …

2 CLIMATE:Unlike La Paz where you have day upon day of miserable weather and altitude problems, Santa Cruz is blessed with warm tropical weather year round which makes visiting this city a pleasure.

3 PEOPLE: known as Cambas, the people from Santa Cruz are some of the most welcoming in South America, You have more chance of being invited by locals here to a family BBQ than anywhere in the country. If you worried about the language barrier don`t worry, a large percentage of locals here have learnt English as a 2<sup>nd</sup> language which makes a big difference while trying to communicate. For male travellers this might be of particular interest as Santa Cruz is home to the majority of Bolivia`s Miss World contestants too.

4 FOOD: Santa Cruz is Cattle Country which means for steak lovers this is paradise, The Beef here easily rivals Argentina and Brazil and currently is half the price as well. This city is becoming a truly international City and local as well as international restaurants are everywhere.  You can find anything here from tasty street food to 5 star international standard cuisine.

Cotoca town

5 SLOTHS: The iconic Sloth is found just minutes from the City centre and they can be seen crawling freely in the Jardin Botanico, Zoo and Urban Neighbourhoods. Their never ending smiling faces and slow awkward movements light up the day for anyone who sees them. There is even a tour designed specifically for tourists to see them in the wild.

Sloths

6 CARNAVAL: Ranked in the top 5 Carnivals in the world the Carnival of Santa Cruz is not to be missed and a must on any party revelers bucket list.

7 LOMAS DE ARENA: Just 25 km from the City Centre is a truly spectacular Natural Desert which covers just under 14000 hectares, this beautiful desert is surrounded by tropical forests and colorful lagoons which supports a huge variety of native wildlife. The dunes are excellent for Sand Boarding which is one of the most popular tours in Bolivia.

Lomas de Arena

8 NIGHTLIFE: There is something about the tropical weather that seems to make people go crazy and the nightlife in Santa Cruz is infamous for its wild nights, whether you prefer live rock music, pulsing fancy nightclubs of the rich and famous or singing the night away at a local karaoke bar then Santa Cruz is the place for you.

9 BIOCENTRO GUEMBE: This world class Eco Resort is something that has to be seen to be believed, covering over 24 hectares this beautifully presented resort has over 15 huge swimming pools, artificial waterfalls, lagoons, world’s largest butterfly house , giant walk through Aviary of rescued birds, Natural forests teeming with native wildlife and much more.

10 WILDLIFE: There are not many places in the world where you can drive 5 minutes from the city centre and see Monkeys , Sloths and Toucans or drive  just a few hours from the capital and have the chance to observe Jaguars, Spectacled Bears, Macaws, Mountain Lions, Tapirs and much more roaming freely in their natural environments. Santa Cruz is a nature lovers paradise 

Kaa Iya National Park