JAGUAR CONSERVATION EXPEDITION TRIP 

Last week we explored the incredible San Carlos Wildlife Reserve in the Beni Department of Bolivia. The aim to find as many species as possible while helping Jaguar conservation. Our two travellers from Italy and Romania were lovely and on route to the reserve were greeted with perhaps the best Pink Dolphin show i have ever wittnessed. 

While the weather was not favorable we did have many excellent sightings of wildlife, huge groups of Pink Dolphins, Large black Caiman, Armadillos, Monkeys , Macaws and more. Sadly no Jaguar sighting but we did call and have a respond at night.

Very large Jaguar track , from the day before.

Overall it was a successful trip and these kind of projects help to show locals that their wildlife is worth more alive than dead

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR WILDLIFE WATCHING TRIPS OR TOUR PACKAGES IN BOLIVIA CONTACT US TODAY 

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REMOTE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED IN BOLIVIA

JUNGLE EXPEDITION IN THE WET SEASON TO SAN CARLOS WILDLIFE RESERVE

Our latest trip to San Carlos Wildlife Reserve was a real adventure, this year has been one of the wettest in years so huge parts of the Beni Department are flooded, which made road and river conditions harsher than normal. That being said the trip was spectacular and we saw a lot of wildlife which ranged from huge Black Caiman,Pink Dolphins, Marsh Deer, 4 species of Monkeys, Capybara , Macaws and a Giant Anteater which we saw swimming across the river. We also had a Jaguar call and respond and it came less than 200 metres from our lodging.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip

4 meter plus Black Caiman which took interest in our boat

 

Capybara Galore

Pink Dolphins in San Carlos Reserve

Jaguar which we later heard calling close to our lodge

Queen Victoria Amazonian Waterlillys

Stunning birdlife with several species of Macaws.

Breathtaking Sunsets on Rio San Carlos


We entered San Carlos Reserve with a combination of Boat and 4WD, travel time was greatly increased but hope by the start of the tour season the conditions will be perfect

This is just a few of the highlights of this amazing new touristic destination. For more information about our Jungle and wildlife conservation tours contact us at www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com

INTERESTING WILDLIFE OF BOLIVIA

INTERESTING ANIMALS OF BOLIVIA

PART 1 

Bolivia with its huge varieties of different ecosystems could be the worlds most underated wildlife watching destinations. Here is a list of some of the interesting animals Bolivia has to offer.

BLUE THROATED MACAW

First of our list is the endemic and critically endangered Blue throated Macaw. This rarely seen Macaw only lives in a few isolated areas in the Beni department. They are so rare that they number between 200-350 in the wild.  Nicks Adventures Bolivia offers day tours from Trinidad through to multiple day packages to the spectacular Blue throated Macaw Nature Reserve.

JAGUAR  - PANTERA ONCA

The largest cat in the America's, the Jagaur is the king of the Amazon, Chaco, Pantanal and many other ecosystems. It kills with a crushing bite to the base of the skull and its prey includes anything from Caimans and Anaconda though to 250kg Tapirs. Suprisingly unlike its other relatives the Tiger, Lion or Leopard its rarely implicated in attacks on humans and it prefers to stay away from humans. Sadly it is frequently killed by Ranchers and now is poached for its teeth for Chinese medicine.
Best places to observe Jaguars is during our San Carlos Reserve , the Bolivian Chaco and Madidi National Park trips.

LOWLAND TAPIR

One of my personal favourite giants of South America. The Lowland Tapir is Latin Americas largest land mammal. This unique species looks like a pig, but is closely related to horses and rhinos. It communicates via whistles and has one of the longest gestation periods of any animal. The Tapir is very shy and can be observed at salt licks or swimming in rivers during hot days. Sadly it is threatened thoughout its range due to overhunting for meat and loss of habitat. Our tours to Madidi National Park, San Carlos Wildlife Reserve and Kaa Iya National Park offer excellent chances to observe these species.

ANACONDA 

The stuff of legends, the infamous Anaconda is one of the most iconic and infamous animals of South America. This species is called the Yellow Anaconda and only grows to a maximum of 4 metres. It feeds on Capyabara, birds and whatever smaller mammals it can capture. Its larger cousin the Green Anaconda is the worlds heaviest snake and can grow to 9.8 metres. This species is often killed on sight due to lack of education, movies such as Anaconda are partly to blame for the unfair reputation these amazing snakes have. Nicks Adventures Bolivia offers tours to the Bolivian and Brazilian Pantanal to look for Jaguars and Anacondas.

 TARANTULA 

Another of South America's infamous species. The Tarantula often has an unfair reputation, it is commonly seen along roads at night and unlike the hysteria from movies it generally tries to avoid humans.

PUMA

South America's 2nd largest feline, the Puma is sleek, shy and rarely seen. In some areas where it competes with the Jaguar it can actually grow to the same size or larger. Unlike its North American cousin which is responsible for many attacks on humans, the South American Puma prefers to avoid humas. The Puma is the most adapatable of all cats and can survive in Amazon Rainforest, Pampas, Pantanal, deserts, Mountains , dry chaco forests and more.

For more information about the incredible wildlife of Bolivia contact us at www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com

** All pics were taken during tours with Nicks Adventures Bolivia

Bolivian Fly Fishing Golden Dorado Expedition

This amazing footage was taken during an expedition to a remote fishing concession managed by Bolivia's leading fly fishing outfitter Angling Frontiers, the aim was to explore this area, look for wildlife and learn more about this sustainable catch and release Golden Dorado fly fishing operation.

Stopping illegal fishing in the rivers

18KG Surubi, released to live another day.

 This area is so remote than many the local indigenous population did not  even speak spanish. The fly fishing in this area was simply outstanding and combined with the pristine riversystems and forests it makes an unbelievable once in a lifetime trip.

Remote indigenous communities of Bolivia

For every tourist who visits a substantial indigenous fee is paid to the communities, in return the locals protect the river system and closely watch for any illegal fishing , logging or hunting in the area.

My first cast and first Golden Dorado on lure- was released to live another day.

Overall this was an amazing experience and a eye opener to how strictly managed fishing can actually save rivers and jungle systems. 

For more information about visiting this incredible area contact us at www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com

RECORD 5 JAGUARS SEEN DURING OUR KAA IYA NATIONAL PARK JAGUAR SAFARI

AMAZING 5 JAGUARS SEEN DURING OUR BOLIVIAN WILDLIFE WATCHING TOUR 

On the 19th of July we departed for our 5 day wildlife watching tour deep into the Bolivian Chaco, our tourist was an experienced traveller /photographer with over 20 years of expeditions to some of the worlds most wild and remote destinations. His previous trips to the Paraguay Chaco had been successful with a Jaguar and Puma sighting so we had our hard work cut out for us , if we wanted to impress.

The start of our trip was eventful, we saw a pair of rarely seen Huaron, a small weasel type species which was my 2nd only sighting of these mammals. We stopped into the Mission town of San Jose de Chiquitos where we had a buffet lunch before entering the vast forests of the Bolivian Chaco. 

Our first night drive yeilded almost immediate results with a close up sighting of Ocelots and Crab Eating Foxes, they were not in the mood for pictures so we returned to camp ate a freshly prepared meal and got some sleep before a LONG AND EVENTFULL DAY AHEAD.

One of many Ocelot Sightings of the trip.

Day two started with a 4am rise, it was freezing so after a quick coffee and breakfast we departed , focusing our search on a proven area where we have had excellent Jaguar sightings in the past. We had a quiet morning that produced another quick Ocelot sighting and an amazing sighting of an American Own Eating a Woodrail. Something you dont see everyday.

American Horned Owl with a freshly killed Woodrail.

This spectacular Jaguar was the first of our 5 Jaguar sighting. Photo credit Ronan le degac

 As we drove deeper into the vast Chaco we had the spectacular sighing of a huge female Jaguar which was trying to warm up in the suns morning rays ! This was my first ever sighting of this indivual Jaguar and we spent he next hour watching it metres from our 4WD basking in the sun. This was one of the most relaxed Jaguars we had ever seen.

Mating pair of Jaguars, close up sighting

Photo credit : Ronan le degac

 Overjoyed at this incredible sighting we didnt know how much better our day would get, we turned around and headed back for lunch only to be greeted with the incredible sighting of not 1 but two different Jaguars. The female was so small that we initally thought it was a female with its cub , but on close inspection it was male and female.

The male jaguar was very wary of our 4WD and didnt want to be seen , however the young female Jaguar was rolling around on the road just metres in front of our 4WD.

From past experiences we knew that when there is a female Jaguar on heat other Male Jaguars would soon be prowling the area, so after a short rest we ventured out looking for these majestic big cats. After less than 15 minutes and just a few kilometres from our camp we were rewarded with another amazing Jaguar sighting, a young male hot on the scent of the female. This Jaguar didnt like the attention and only stayed around for a few pictures before entering the thick Chaco shrub.

The last Jagaur sighting didnt provide us with any decent photos, but it was an amazing sighting none the less, this huge Male Jagaur was literally sprinting on its way to challenge the other male Jaguar for mating rights, it came again very close to our 4WD before dissapearing into the Jungle. 

Overjoyed with 5 Jaguars in one day we returned to the camp for cold beers , wine and celebration. 

The last few days were quiet in comparison, we had a rushed sighting of a Tapir, many 3 banded Armadillos, a huge troop of White lipped Peccaries, snakes, Monkeys and others. The most impressive sighting was that of two Solitary Peccaries which up until 1973 were declared extinct. This was an extremely rare sighting of this endangered and endemic Peccary.

The incredible sighting of the rarely seen Chaco or Solitary Peccary.

One of our favourites, the interesting 3 banded Armadillo.

With cameras full and memories of a lifetime , we departed the Bolivian Chaco and made our way back to Santa Cruz.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR BOLIVIAN WILDLIFE WATCHING EXPEDITIONS CONTACT US TODAY