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
