holiday

Bolivia - Lowlands

Tour Code: BOL02

A 10-day tour through the lowlands, Andean foothills and cloudforest of Bolivia, in search of the region's spectacular birdlife. This tour can be combined with Bolivia - Highlands.

10 days from
£2,695 (Inc flights)
Land only price from
£2,095
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

This tour takes you into the heart of rural Bolivia and offers a comprehensive exploration of the area’s special bird life. We’ll spend two days exploring Amboró National Park, which is home to 830 bird species including a dazzling array of flycatchers, tanagers, hummingbirds and antbirds, not to mention a luxuriant tropical flora. Other areas we’ll visit include Los Volcanes, where a number of localised species hard to see elsewhere in Bolivia occur, such as Gray-checked Parakeet, Bolivian Recurvebill, Bolivian Tapaculo and Yungas Manakin. In the Andean foothills and the semi-deciduous woodlands and shrub-desert near Tambo we’ll be hoping to find a wide range of species including the rare Tataupa Tinamou, Red-tailed Comet and Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant.

  • Search for the rare endemic Red-fronted Macaw near Tambo
  • King Vulture, Sunbittern & Band-bellied Owl in Los Volcanes
  • Andean Condor & Buff-necked Ibis around Samaipata
  • Endemics such as Bolivian Earthcreeper & Rufous-faced Antpitta
  • Visit Amboro National Park, Samaipata, Tambo, Comarapa & cloudforests of Siberia
  • Villagers in colourful traditional dress & ancient languages in remote areas
  • Led by expert local naturalist guides
  • Combine with our 'Bolivia – Highlands' tour for an extended Bolivian birding adventure

Grading

Dedicated birding tour with plenty of time spent on foot, often on steep, muddy trails.

About the region

Amboro National Park is a large wilderness area of 1.5 million acres that straddles the eastern foothills of the Andes in the Bolivian Department of Santa Cruz. The cloudforests of Amboro are home to luxuriant tropical flora including tree-ferns and fuchsias, as well as an impressive bird life, with a host of hummingbirds among its many attractions.

This tour takes you into the heart of rural Bolivia. As well as Amboro, we’ll explore hot, dry habitats near Comarapa and arid inter-Andean valleys lying within a rain shadow formed by the surrounding mountains, with little towns nestling between such as Tambo.

The cloudforests of Siberia, which lie just a couple of hours west of Tambo, are the southernmost limit of humid-temperate cloudforest in South America.

The tour ‘in a nutshell’

This 10-day bird watching tour visits Amboro National Park, Samaipata, Tambo and Comarapa, where we will search for the rare endemic Red-fronted Macaw, followed by a visit to the cloudforests of Siberia.

What birds might I see?

We’ll spend two days exploring Amboro National Park’s mosaic of ecosystems which shelter a rich diversity of plants and animals, including no less than 830 bird species! We’ll be looking for a variety of parakeets, tanagers and antwrens, as well as King Vulture, Sunbittern, Spectacled Owl and Two-banded Warblers.

A number of localised species, hard to see elsewhere in Bolivia, occur around Samaipata, and we will try to find species such as Huayco Tinamou, Andean Condor, Black-faced Ibis and Dusky-legged Guan among many others.

In the Andean foothills and the semi-deciduous woodlands and shrub-desert near Tambo we hope to find a wide range of species including the rare Tataupa Tinamou, the endemic Bolivian Earthcreeper, the endemic Rufous-faced Antpitta, as well as Andean Tyrant, White-tipped Plantcutter and Blue-capped Puffleg … and, of course, the Red-fronted Macaw!

Anything else?

We visit the Pre-Incan remains of El Fuerte.

Villagers in colourful traditional dress and ancient languages provide a potent link to the past and additional cultural interest.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Santa Cruz
Day 2
Santa Cruz
Day 3/5
Monte Blanco, Tambo
Day 6/7
Refugio Los Volcanes, Amboro NP
Day 8
Santa Cruz
Day 9
Depart Santa Cruz
Day 10
Arrive UK
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation: All accommodation is included in the price . A mixture of small hotels and lodges.
  • Food: All meals (+ mineral water) are included, except for dinners in Santa Cruz on days two and eight.
Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2020

Departures Availability Cost
Sun 25th Oct - Tue 3rd Nov 6 £2,695
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£2,095
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£250
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Jose Padilla
Jose Anotonio

Tour Leader: Jose Padilla

Jose Antonio Padilla was born in Lima, Peru, three decades ago. After school he got a Licensed Degree in Nature Tourism at the Centro de Formacion en Turismo – Cenfotur, Lima. He first began working in ecotourism when he was 21 years old in the Tambopata National Reserve in south-eastern Peru in the pristine region of Madre de Dios. Since then, he has worked as a naturalist and bird guide for more than 9 years. In 2003 he took the invitation to go to Glasgow, Scotland, where he lived for over a year, studying English and working in the hospitality business. Jose Antonio then returned to Peru, and has spent most of this time travelling around Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil and guiding birding trips in the Southeastern Peruvian rainforest, specifically in Manu national Park, a paradise for birders, learning from some of the most renowned ornithologists that have visited the area in the last few years (Barry Walker, Steve Hilty, Lelis Navarrete, Tomas Valqui, Jose Ignacio – Pepe – Rojas, Renzo Zepilli, etc). He also has an intimate knowledge of the rainforest and of course of the flora and fauna that live in these complex ecosystems. He has led tours in the Tambopata – National Reserve and the Bahuaja Sonene National Park as well; both protected areas situated in the Peruvian rainforest. Portuguese was added to his fluent English and Spanish; the languages Jose Antonio speaks and writes. Nowadays Jose Antonio lives in Cusco, spending his time leading bird tours between Manu Biosphere reserve, Cusco and other interesting and remote high Andean and Central Peruvian and Bolivian localities.

2021

Departures Availability Cost
Sun 24th Oct - Tue 2nd Nov SPACES £2,695
Book Tour Show Details
Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£2,095
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£250
Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!