A handsome Bolivian composite in the genus Mutisia. Photo: Greg Corman
Bolivia is off most tourists’ maps but it is a real gem for anyone interested in nature, architecture and history. It has remarkably diverse landscapes, traveling is safe, and the people are terrific. The Bolivia Birds and Plants tour is for travelers who are interested in birds and plants but want to experience Bolivian culture as well. The itinerary includes the mountainous central highlands, the Chaco desert and the historic cities of Potosi and Sucre and ends with a few days at Refugio los Volcanes. The Refugio is surrounded by jungle and tall sandstone cliffs in a remote valley where birds, monkeys and amazing plants abound—it is a place you won’t want to leave and you will certainly never forget!
Day 1: The tour starts this morning on arrival at the Santa Cruz Airport where we’ll be met by our drivers. Have your binoculars ready for possible sightings of Long-winged Harrier, Chopi Blackbird, Red-legged Seriema and Greater Rhea in the grasslands that surround the airport. We’ll head to the hotel for breakfast and recuperation, then in the afternoon we’ll venture a bit north of the city for a couple of hours of birdwatching. We’ll return to the city for dinner at a restaurant famous for delicious Bolivian specialties. Night in Santa Cruz.
Days 2-3: The Chaco is our next locale for exploration. This desert includes a variety of habitats from treed foothills to spiny, scrubby plains and rich wetlands, all near our base town, Camiri. Some of the bird highlights we expect are White Woodpecker, Guira Cuckoo, Spot-backed Puffbird, Purple-throated Euphonia, Red-crested Cardinal and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Great cacti here include the snake-like Harrisia pomaniensis, spherical Gymnocalycium and tree form Stetsonia and Quiabentia. Spectacular deciduous trees included the swollen, spiky and contorted Ceiba insignis, coppery Cochlospermum tetraporum, Pseudobombax, Parkinsonia praecox and Prosopis alba. Butterflies abound in the Chaco and will provide additional visual delight to our visit. Nights in Camiri.
Day 4: We’ll depart Camiri early to bird the teaming ponds of Las Lagunillas. Southern Screamer, Orinoco Goose and Ruddy Duck are just a few of the species we’ll see there. We’ll make a stop in town for photographs of this delightful and historical site before working our way to Monteagudo, a town in the northernmost fringes of humid Tucumano-Boliviano forest. This is a seldom-visited area of north-south-oriented ridges dominated by alder and Podocarpus trees. Golden-winged Cacique, Red-faced Guan, Slaty Elaenia and Tucuman Parrot are just some of the birds we could see here and nowhere else. We’ll see epiphytic and terrestrial cacti and bromeliads, stinging Cnidoscolus and Pogonopus, a beautiful shrub with bright pink bracts. Night in Monteagudo.
Day 5-6: From Monteagudo, we’ll bird and botanize as we head for Bolivia’s second capital city, Sucre, and climb from 3000 feet to 9000 feet elevation in the process. On the way, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for soaring birds such as the likely Andean Condor and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle and maybe even the rare Black-and-chestnut Eagle. Sucre was founded in the early 1500s and, because of its architectural heritage, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll explore some significant buildings and sites on day 6. Nights in Sucre.
Day 7-8: Near Sucre but another 4 thousand feet higher (!), is the city of Potosi. Its mines once supplied tremendous quantities of silver, and Potosi was the highest, the richest and the largest city in the world. Its fortunes have changed, however, and its wealth is now only in its history and colonial architecture. We’ll explore the city and some of its highlights – but slowly at this elevation. Near town we’ll look for Oreocereus, Tephrocactus and other remarkable cacti that tolerate the brutal conditions of the Altiplano. We’ll also keep binoculars handy for possible sightings of Plain-mantled Tit-spintail, Puna Ground-tyrant, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch and Black Siskin. Nights in Potosi.
Days 9: Day 9: We’ll wander back to Sucre by a different route and continue our search for high elevation birds and plants. Back in town, we’ll have a nice dinner and prepare for an early morning departure for Comarapa. Night in Sucre.
Day 10: The twisting road from Sucre to Comarapa traverses some spectacular country but the highlight of the drive will be an unremarkable rocky overlook on the Rio Misque where there is a colony of Red-fronted Macaws hidden below. It’s amazing to watch them from overhead as they whirl like winged rainbows around the river valley. We should also see “Cliff” Monk Parakeets and Cliff Flycatcher on this leg of our journey. Parodia cacti might be in bloom near the Macaw lookout, and as we descend from there, we’ll enter the forests of spectacular columnar cacti in the genera Neoraimondia and Harrisia. Night in Comarapa.
Days 11: We’ll start the morning near Comarapa to look for Bolivian Earthcreeper, Spot-backed Puffbird, Glittering-bellied Emerald and other residents of this spiky, spiny habitat. Then we’ll head east towards Refugio Los Volcanes. As we head east we’ll pass in and out of a few small valleys, the region known as the Valle Zone, where roadside stops could yield Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch, Ultramarine Grosbeak or Sooty-fronted Spinetail. Gradually things appear more lush as we enter a region with a not-insignificant influence from the Amazonian region. Night in Refugio Los Volcanes.
Day 12-14: Refugio Los Volcanes is an awesome and enchanting valley of gigantic sandstone domes. It is an amazing place to relax and explore with no hint of civilization anywhere. A tall overstory of trees including Erythrina and Cecropia creates perfect conditions for epiphytic cacti and bromeliads and species you’ll recognize as houseplants. Huge blue Morpho butterflies flash through the dark understory and birds like Mitred and Yellow-chevroned parakeets are a nearly constant presence overhead. In the morning the valley echoes with the song of Short-tailed Antthrush and choruses of Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail. Channel-billed Toucan is common here and at least three species of large woodpeckers can be found. Mixed flocks with the likes of Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner and Black-capped Antwren are not uncommon. Since we will have the habitat right at our doorstep, we’ll take night walks in search of owls (such as Rufescent Screech-Owl and Band-bellied Owl) and set up night lighting to attract beetles, moths and other nocturnal critters that would otherwise go unseen. There will be time to take afternoon siestas, relax in a hammock, wade the creek, hike the trails, or even take a dip in the swimming hole. Nights at Refugio Los Volcanes.
Day 15: The hearty souls of the group might want to hike out of the Refugio in the morning and the rest can ride out in trucks. We’ll then wend our way back to Santa Cruz and have plenty of time for souvenir shopping at a local artisans’ cooperative and for stocking up on coca tea (it’s legal) and Singani, a powerful Bolivian liquor. We’ll end the day with dinner and drinks before retiring to pack our bags.
Day 16: The hotel shuttle will ferry us to the airport in the morning where we may have one last crack at the birds near the airport where our tour ends.
Updated: 22 August 2007
Prices
- 2008 price about $3,480
- Single Occupancy Supplement $220
Notes
This tour is limited to 13 participants with two leaders. Both leaders will accompany the tour irrespective of group size.