CLOSE UP JAGUAR SIGHTING IN KAA IYA NATIONAL PARK

AMAZING JAGUAR SIGHTING IN THE KAA IYA NATIONAL PARK

July 2018, we returned to Kaa iya National Park with a repeat client, the aim to observe the majestic Jaguar in its natural environment. 

The first few days proved challenging, we saw little tracks or wildlife in general, with the highlights being Crab eating foxes, Brocket Deer and an endless amount of birds. During a night drive we also came close to a pair of Tapirs however they didnt come into sight.

We continued to search for signs of Jaguars untill we stumbled upon some fresh tracks, just a few hours old they were in a clear direction and with this imformation we proceeded the next day with renewed confidence. 

We timed our safari drive to perfection and on the 3rd day in the afternoon we caught a speck of a large animal on the road. From experience we knew what to do in this situation and calmly turned off the car engine and waited for the Jaguar to come to us -  thankfully this Jaguar was a large male and it didnt even notice our presence so we were able to observe this Jaguar for over 45 minutes. 

SEE BELOW THE IMAGES OF OUR AMAZING SIGHTING

During the Kaa Iya National Park tour we also observed Grey Brocket Deer, Skunk, Agoutis, Crab Eating Foxes, 3 banded Armadillos and over 70 species of birds.

For more information our our tours to Kaa Iya National Park or our wildlife watching tours to other Bolivian National Parks Contact us today

WILDLIFE WATCHING IN SAN CARLOS RESERVE BENI BOLIVIA

Our newest Bolivian Jaguar Conservation Eco Tourism project

Jaguar with cubs recorded during our wildlife watching tours to San Carlos Reserve.

Located deep in the Beni Department is the spectacular San Carlos Wildlife Reserve. This property is ideally located between pristine savannahs, motacu palm islands and tropical forests, all of which are teeming with wildlife. The different ecosystems, no hunting policy and the remoteness of this property has provided a refuge for a huge variety of animals and as such could be the very best location in all of Bolivia to observe wildlife.

San Carlos Wildlife Reserve offers world class birdwatching.

In the wet season access to the Reserve is via a combination of 4WD and boat trips, this journey is incredible, Capybaras are seen from the road and the birdlife is astounding, occasionally the Green Anaconda can be seen as well.  The boat trip is equally exciting, here black caimans , Macaws and Pink Dolphins are frequently seen and keep your eyes open as Jaguars are often seen hunting or sleeping on the river banks. 

Looking for Pink Dolphins, Black Caimans and even Jaguars 

Activities during the tour include horseriding, boat trips, hiking, fishing, setting up and checking camera traps, birding and 4WD safaris of the reserve.

A Lesser Anteater, seen during a night excursion. PHOTO CREDIT JEREMIE GOULEVITCH

The aim of the conservation project

The aim of this project is to help compensate the landowners who are losing up to 30 cows per year, from Jagaur predation. This has a significant affect on the income of many and in turn Jaguars and other predators like Puma are shot on sight. This conservation project through eco tourism aims to cover these losses and in turn no Jaguars or other animals will be killed. 

 The San Carlos Wildife Reserve Conservation project will also provided employment and additional income, from local guides, cooks, drivers and more, we aim to show locals that native wildlife can really boost the economy and that its more benifical to preserve for the future.

Giant Anteater seen during a horseriding expedition in San Carlos Wildlife Reserve

Night spotlighting for Armadillos  , just another part of the adventure.

If you wish to learn more about this amazing new wildife eco tourism project then visit our webpage of www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com  

Though responsible Eco Tourism we will make a difference and help teach locals that wildlife especially the Jaguar is worth much more alive than dead.

*** ALL PHOTOS HAVE BEEN TAKEN DURING TOURS TO THE SAN CARLOS WILDLIFE RESERVE

EXTREMELY RARE JAGUAR AND CUBS SIGHTING IN BOLIVIA

RARE JAGUAR AND CUBS SIGHTING IN SAN CARLOS WILDLIFE RESERVE, BENI BOLIVIA.

A spectacular close up sighting of a Jaguar with her cub, this was taken during our recent wildlife watching conservation tour to San Carlos Reserve.

We just returned with VERY HAPPY tourists who got to see the extremely rare sighting of not 1 but 3 Jaguars, this incredible sighting of a female Jaguar and her cubs was taken during our San Carlos wildlife reserve tours, one of the most pristine areas in Bolivia. This close up sighting was at 0757am alone a stretch of a remote river system , one which has very healthy populations of Jaguars.

Tracks of the Jaguar Cubs.

In addition to the Jaguar sighting we also recorded , 9 Banded Armadillos, Howler Monkeys, Capybara, Black Caiman, Coatis, Night Monkeys, Squirrel Monkey, Capichun monkeys, Brocket Deer, 3 Toed Sloth, Toucans, Green and Red Macaws and more .. 

To find our information about this new and exciting wildlife watching destionation then visit us at www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com

AMAZING NEW WILDLIFE WATCHING EXPERIENCE IN BOLIVIA

SAN MIGUELITO/PANTANAL ULTIMATE WILDLIFE WATCHING PACKAGE

Our latest Bolivian Wildlife watching package takes you to explore some of Bolivia`s most wild and pristine areas, including combing visits to the spectacular San Miguelito Jaguar Conservation Reserve, Valley de Tucacava  and the incredible yet rarely visited  Bolivian Pantanal. The aim is to explore these pristine ecosystems and photograph a huge variety of species, with luck even catch a glimpse of the king of the Jungle the majestic and elusive Jaguar.

 During this incredible 6 day/5 night journey we will be exploring these different ecosytems by a range of different methods, from hiking, night 4WD spotlighting Safari and canoe trips. 

The beautiful Yellow Anaconda is frequently seen during these tours

Wildlife watching potential during this package is extremley high ,we will be searching for a huge variety of species which include the Jaguar, Ocelot, Anaconda, Giant Otters, Marsh Deer, Macaws, Capybara, Caimans, many monkey and marmoset species and a huge assortment of birds as well.

Spectacular Jaguar sighting during a river trip of San Miguelito Jaguar Reserve

Just an example of some of the wildlife watching on offer here.

For birdwatchers this trip is a paradise, we combining visiting dry Chaco forests, Chiquitania and Pantanal Wetlands which presents a huge assortment of birds, some iconic species include the Toca Toucan , Red and Green Macaws, Trogons, Red legged Seriemas and the emblem of the Pantanal the impressive Jabribu

World class bird watching

Activities during the trip include setting up and checking camera traps, 4WD spotlighting, hiking, piranah fishing and boat trips in pristine rivers

Explore pristine river systems with not another tourist in sight

Try your luck at Piranah fishing

Lastly but not least is the scenery, this trip provides landscape lovers incredible photographic opportunities with some of the most memorable scenery in all of Bolivia.

The incredible Lookout of the Valley of Tucavaca

Some of the viewpoints in San Migelito Jaguar Conservation Reserve

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE BOLIVIAN  WILDLIFE WATCHING PACKAGE  THEN VISIT US AT WWW.NICKSADVENTURESBOLIVIA.COM

NEW WILDIFE WATCHING EXPEDITION IN THE HEART OF BENI BOLIVIA

Spectacular scenery and amazing encounter with a Jaguar , Pink Dolphins and a monster Black Caiman.

On the 17th of Feb, we departed to explore a new area for potential tourism , this project aims to follow in the footsteps of our successful pilot Jaguar conservation project San Miguelito Jaguar Reserve where through tourism we aim to compensate Ranchers who encourage tourism and in turn stops the killing of Jaguars and other wildlife on the properties. With the help and support of the director of Conservation Loros Bolivia( Jose Antiono Diaz )and the friendly and very professional property owner Fenelon we departed Trinidad on this conservation based adventure.

Amazing Queen Victoria WaterLillys along the drive to the Ranch

To reach the Ranch is an adventure in itself, it involves a 5 hour drive with stunning scenery, along the way we observed many Macaws, Capybara and even a dead Anaconda, the owner told us once he had seen a 5 metre Anaconda on the road as well as several Pumas.

Sad remains of a Green Anaconda, killed by a Car on the dirt road towards the Ranch.

After a few hours we finally entered the town of San Ramon, here we crossed a plontoon as there are no bridges to cross the river as yet, we had lunch in the towns Plaza before setting the boat up for the 4 hour long river trip ahead.

To reach the ranch , we nagivated through many different rivers, sadly the first part of the trip was soured by the sight of 4 recently killed endangered Black Caiman which were just shot and left floating in the river. We pushed deeper into the Jungle and the large rivers made way for smaller pristine waterways, here Pink Dolphins, Macaws, Hoatzins and Capybara were frequent and the best sighting we had was of a giant 4 metre plus Black Caiman which was seen close to the Ranch itself. The owner was also suprised at the size of this ancient beast and said later that it was one of the biggest he had ever seen.

By evening we arrived to the Ranch, had a delicious freshly cooked meal and partook in an evening night spotlighting boat trip, here we saw a Cooks Tree Boa, many Spectacled and Black Caiman and some small marsupials. We tried calling for the Jaguar, however they remained elusive.

Horse riding through the pristine Beni Savannahs in search of Maned Wolves and Giant Anteaters.

Day two involved a very early start, here we took horses though the savannahs and we kept an eye out for the resident Giant Anteater or Maned Wolves, sadly they remained elusive. Our mission was to explore a forested island which the owner and rancheros said was teeming with wildlife. They were correct and almost immedietly we saw huge groups of curious squirrel and Capichun Monkeys and literally the whole forest was alive. 

In addition to the Monkeys, the forest was alive with bird life with macaws, trogons, Sun bitterns , Hoatizns and more being seen. Other animals we saw included a Tayra hunting monkeys, Coatis, tracks of Tapirs and huge troops of white lipped Peccaries which are the main food item of the Jaguar.

A family of Capybara basking in the sun,

 The evening boat trip provided the most action , we departed towards a different river, one where the Rancheros had seen a Jaguar just a few days before.

Not the Jaguar we saw, but was of similar size, sadly all of our group was too slow to take any footage of the Jaguar, something we will have to change for our next trip.

As we navigated deeper down the seculded river i noticed in the distance something swimming across the river, however all of us incuding the owner assumed it was a Capybara, as we inched closer we saw that the animal swimming was indeed the very animal we were looking for , the magnificent Jaguar. All of us were memorised at the sight of this giant feline bounding out of the water literally metres from the boat and it was something i know i will never personally forget!

With the mission completed we returned to the Ranch to enjoy what was an amazing day in the Beni Jungle.

The last day we visited another savannah and forested island, hoping for a sighting of the Pampas Deer or Giant Anteater, however as there had been heavy rain the night before and the weather had turned bad the animals were playing hide and seek. 

Jaguar recorded on our camera trap in the San Carlos Ranch

We said good bye to the local workers and made the long way back to Trinidad with everlasting 

memories and the seed for a new and exciting Jaguar conservation based tourist destination in the heart of the second biggest Wetland in the world.
 The aim is to showcase to the world the incredible Department of Beni and work with Cattle Ranchers to develop sustainable tourism and help preserve the incredible biodiversity this largely unknow region has. If we prove that tourism can compensate Ranchers from Jaguar predation then we hope that this will convince many other ranchers to put down their guns, stop killing big cats and be supportive to Eco Tourism in Bolivia.

If you are interested in learning more about this Jaguar/Wildife Conservation Project in the heart of the Beni Wetlands then CONTACT US TODAY for more information.