Best Tourist attractions in Santa Cruz Bolivia - Lomas de Arena Natural Desert

LOMAS DE ARENA SANDBOARDING/ NATURE TOUR IN SANTA CRUZ BOLIVIA
                 

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Just 20km outside the city of Santa Cruz Bolivia is the spectacular and rarely visited Lomas de Arena Protected Area, this 14,000 hectare reserve is home to over 187 species of birds, abundant wildlife and provides nature lovers some of the most spectacular views in all of Bolivia. There are many attractions in the park , the Dunes provide excellent Sand boarding for adventure lovers, if you are a bird watcher then this is one of the best places in Bolivia to see a huge variety of species, At certain times of the year there are spectacular colored lagoons which host thousands of birds and are great to swim in after a days trekking and sand boarding.

Getting here is not easy and is recommened by a local Tour Company , the roads entering the Park are in very poor condition and a strong 4WD is recommended. Some people do catch public transport to the front gate and then walk 7km each way to the Dunes however this is not recommended especially for women as attacks on lone travellers have occasionally happened.

One of many Iconic Sloths which have been seen here !! 

Wildlife which has been recorded in the Reserve include Capybara - the worlds largest Rodent, Ocelots, Jaguarundi Cats, Marmosets, Spectacled Caimans Armadillos, Tayra, Agoutis and much more !! 3 Toed Sloths are common here however only the most trained guides usually see them, Pumas or Mountain Lions have also been recorded here too.

Sand boarding in Santa Cruz Bolivia

Touca Toucans , 187 species of birds have been recorded here.

Spectacular views of the Jungle, look out for Monkeys, Sloths and more.

Where Jungle meets desert !! 

The desert of Lomas de Arena

Exploring the 14,000 hectare protected area 

Excellent Wildlife viewing in Lomas de Arena

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