kaa-iya national park

I did a great tour with Nick's Adventures Bolivia in Kaa-Iya National Park. I've never seen so much wildlife in such a short amount of time. It's a hot and dry environment but it's worth spending a few days there. Lots of birds, turtles, amphibians, armadillos, foxes, monkeys, deer, several tapirs and to top it all of a jaguar! What an amazing experience, it was sitting right next to the road. We saw lots and lots of footprints of jaguars and pumas, there is so much potential for wildlife spotting in this national park, it's just amazing. It's great because not a lot of people go there and you are guaranteed to have a unique experience. And what makes the trip even better is Nick's knowledge and passion about Bolivia and it's wildlife. You can tell how much he loves what he is doing and he's great at spotting wildlife.I'll make sure to go back to Kaa-Iya, maybe next time I'm lucky enough to see a Puma.

From april to june I traveled through Bolivia, Peru and Chile. I`ve done a lot of traveling in my life and I`m passionate for wildlife. I`ve seen lions, leopards, cheetahs, tigers and a lot more. But I tell you: nothing compares with a jaguar! We were in 4 people going to Kaa-Iya and we were completely amazed in the third day with a jaguar less than 6 meters away from our vehicle! Nick is an awesome guide, he is totally passionate for the environment, the animals. He is very different than the other companies in Bolivia, he is there not just for the money, since he truly loves the environment and his job. Kaa- Iya is not the most beautiful of the national parks, but it is the one with higher chances of a jaguar sight! It is an endless road where you have too keep your eyes opened! We also saw 3 tapirs, deers, turtles, massive tarantulas (one was having a fight with a wasp), anteater`s skeleton, armadillos, foxes, 3 different kinds of monkey, zorros, massive jaguar prints, frogs, many different species of birds (including some big ones) and much more. It is a dry environment, so the animals concentrate near water`s sources. The lodging and food are simple, but fulfilling. The chats with Nick are the best, he is a great driver and very responsible! I would totally recommend it if you are going to Bolivia or if you wanna have a high chance of seeing a jaguar! Nick, I`m coming back!!

In May/June I travelled through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. In Ecuador and Peru I stayed in jungle lodges where we went on daily walks looking for wildlife. I absolutely loved it except for the large groups I was with that were really loud and created little chance to see much wildlife.Once I got to Bolivia I decided that I wanted to do more exploring and see more animals. A friend of mine got me in contact with an Australian guy who had his own tour company called Nick's Adventures Bolivia. Nick recommended I see Kaa Iya National park as there are over 1000 Jaguars in the park along with Pumas, Ocelots, Tarpir's and so on.We spent 3 days in the park, I think I was very unlucky not to see any big cats as there were fresh tracks everywhere. The guide was fantastic at spotting these tracks, I did manage to see 3 Tarpir's, 2 Tayra, Titi Monkeys, a Rainbow Boa Constricta, heaps of Grey Fox, Touca Toucan, A Yellow Coloured Macaw, Cara Cara, Roadside Hawk,Lineated Woodpecker, Brocket Deer and A Rattle Snake.Kaa Iya National Park was amazing, I can't wait to return and get a glimpse of a Jaguar. I also highly recommend Nick's Adventures Boliva. Nick was fantastic at spotting wildlife and helping me get some amazing photos that I'll treasure for a lifetime.

First I have to mention that this trip was recommended by the tour operator in Santa Cruz who was my guide as well in this NP. In the agency (Amboro Tours) I told him that I am interested in to see a jaguar in wild life. He suggested to visit NP Kaa Iya where you can find a big population of this cat, maybe 1.000 individuals in this big area.Finished my excursion to the Pantanal, I met my tour guide in San Jose de Chiquitos one day before the trip started and spent the night in Hotel Turubo, a nice place to stay. I can recommend this accomodation, they have clean and big rooms and a friendly staff. The guide awaited me next day at 7:00 am in front of the hotel. First we picked up the chief of the park rangers of the NP Kaa Iya, who interrupted his holiday to come along with us. The national parque ist the biggest one in Bolivia and the second biggest in south america.The road wasn´t easy, often very bumpy. The weather was hot and dry. During rainy season it would be more difficult to go along here. The vegetation is dominated by dry forest. It maybe took us 3 or 4 hours to reach our destination, the camp of the park rangers, called camp of Tucavaca. It´s about 100 km away from San Jose de Chiquitos. We had to pass some protection gates to get there. A friendly park ranger welcomed us and offered us some tasty fruity drinks. I could decide where I want to spend the night, inside the building of the park rangers in a big, clean room with private bathroom or outside in a tent. I prefered the first option. I had a small lunch, took a shower and slept for one hour to relax a little bit. In the early afternoon we went by car more inside the park. After a while we dropped out and walked on a tight trail about 20 minutes to a small pond. We saw some tortugas and on the trail footsteps and excrements of tapirs. We moved very slow, listening to every noise and watched out not to scare animals. To know that there could be a jaguar nearby was pure adventure for me. We reached the pond and waited there for 1 1/2 half hours and only moved if it was necessary, for example to chase the horrible mosquitos. Recently the park ranger saw some tapirs at this spot. But today we had no luck, no mammal appeared. I could watch some birds and listen to their fantastic noices. For example, if I am not wrong, I saw the Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), the Wattled Jacana (Jacana jacana) and the Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus). Especially the Oropendolas impressed me with their activity around the nests and their chants. Finally we walkedto an airstrip inside the park which is used very rare. A wide area where sometimes a jaguar appears. It would be easier to detect one here than in the spinney of the dry forest. We walked from the start to the end of the airstrip but didn´t see a bigger animal. The sundown was beautiful and it was dark, when we returned to the car. Back at the camp the guide served a delicious pasta, very good for receiving new energy. The next day began very early. We stood up at 4:30 am and left the camp at 5:00 am. We walked again on the same trail leading to the pond. We waited there again for more than two hours with the result that again no bigger animal did a favor for us. In the meantime the guide prepared breakfast and coffee. It was such an interesting spot for me, if only the mosquitos didn´t know about this place too. :-) Nice to see how interesting it was also for my two companions. The park ranger did many notices in his book, observing the surroundings. None of them was bored, it really seemed that they enjoined it to be there. We decided to take a walk on another trail through the the forest and finally returned to the car. We stopped at a place more wet than at other places in the park, which is famous for a big concentration of snakes and which is sometimes used by jaguars. Again without result. We drove back to the camp and started at noon to finish the tour. A few minutes before we reached the border of the park my guide suddenly was excited. On the left he saw a jaguar in a ditch. We drove a few meters back and then I saw him. What an amazing animal. He stared at us for only a few seconds and than he disappeared in the bushes, but he wasn´t in a hurry. Unfortunately I couldn´t take a picture of this fantastic animal, because I couldn´t reckon with this situation. And I didn´t expect what happened than. The guide dropped out of the car and gave me a sign to follow him down to the place where the jaguar was 1 minute ago. I have so much respect of this big animal that I didn´t know if this was a good idea. Maybe he don´t like humans. :-) We investigated the area, but the jaguar (fortunately?) didn´t appear again. I am sure, that this was the most impressive situation for me during my journey to bolivia. Finally we stopped in San Jose de Chiquitos, where the park ranger left us. With the guide I returned to Santa Cruz. He recommended me a nice hostel. At this point the tour ended.It was really a great trip for me, even if I wouldn´t have seen the jaguar. Of course, that was the clou. And I have to mention that it was a big privilege for me to be there with these two guys. On the one hand the park ranger, a well-balanced, respectful and serious guy and on the other hand my guide, who spared no efforts to offer me what I expected for this trip. I wanted to see a jaguar, but I knew, there was no guarantee. He did anything to make it possible. I thanked them to be my companions. At no time I had the feeling that they did only a job!with kind regardsChristian Schulz, Berlin, GermanyP.S.: Sorry, if there are some mistakes in the text or if there is something incomprehensible. English is not my native language. :-)

O Kaa-Iya National Park é um local para aventureiros, com boa fauna e flora. Fica distante de Santa Cruz, mas da cidade partem excursões organizadas por agências de turismo.Acho v''adio conhecer o parque.

Parque muito bem pensado, não havia ido ao parque em minhas últimas viagens pois acreditava ter o padrão geral Boliviano, porém uma ótima surpresa, limpo, bonito, pessoas bem vestidas e tudo muito bem conservado.

Excelente lugar para ver jaguares, tuve la suerte de ver 3, en 3 días, muy bien cuidado. Además de la impresionante avifauna, los reptiles... toda una experiencia