National parks

The two huge and unique protected natural areas traditionally accessed from Rurrenabaque are Parque Nacional Madidi on the west shore of the Río Beni and Reserva de la Biosfera Pilón Lajas on the east side. A smaller, but nonetheless large, reserve situated along the Río Maniqui about 150 km southeast of Rurre is the Estación Biológica del Beni. Details of each are given below.

Madidi and Pilón Lajas border each other, while Madidi abuts to the southwest on the Area Protegida Apolobamba (page) and to the northwest on Peru's Tambopata National Reserve. Along with various other large Bolivian and Peruvian national parks, they form the ambitious Corredor de Conservacíon Vilcabamba-Amboró(Vilcabamba, Peru, to Parque Nacional Amboró, Bolivia, page), which aspires to be the largest and most varied conservation corridor in South America.

Wildlife

The diversity of life in these parks, both on the pampas and i n the jungle, is truly impressive but creatures don't sit around waiting for you to see them. Patience is a real virtue when it comes to sighting wildlife. Even on the best tour, your experiences will be unpredictable; the only guarantee is that the surprises will be genuine, and all the more unforgettable.

In addition to caiman, fish, monkeys and turtles - all of which are easily spotted - the observant visitor can see a plethora of unique bird and insect life. There are vast numbers of armadillos, deer, sloths, squirrels, peccary, and tapirs that roam the area, as well as river otters, dolphins and anacondas.

Some jungle creatures are nocturnal and are not likely to be sighted on day trips, such as the increasingly rare jaguar and many varieties of deer. However, there are also numerous animals that keep normal office hours, such as the giant anteater, capybara, jochi, peccary and tapir. Overhead are macaws, parrots and toucans, while flying squirrels and monkeys flit from tree to tree. Among this dazzling array of fauna must be included the innumerable insects - over 200 species of butterfly alone - and rodents, as well as fish of every description, from the enormous Amazon sturgeon to the tiny needlefish.

Parque Nacional Madidi

Parque Nacional Madidi is quite possibly the most bio-diverse of all protected areas on the planet. It is the variety of habitats, from the freezing Andean peaks of the Cordillera Apolobamba in the southwest (reaching nearly 6000 m), through cloud, elfin and dry forest to steaming tropical jungle and pampas (neo-tropical savannah) in the north and east, that account for the array of flora and fauna within the park's boundaries. In 1,895,750 ha, an area roughly the size of Wales or El Salvador, are an estimated 4750 species of plant, 900 bird species, 10 species of primate, five species of cat (with healthy populations of jaguar and puma), giant anteaters and many reptiles.

The park has three major river systems. The Ríos Beni, Madidi and Heath provide potential arteries for river transport, but only the Río Beni and its tributary the Río Tuichi are visited by most tours from Rurrenabaque.

On the Río Beniat the edge of the National Park, San Miguel del Balais a small indigenous Tacana community (some 32 families) located only 40 minutes upriver from Rurrenabaque by motorized canoe. In 2005, the community opened a tourist lodge built with the help of international NGOs. It offers accommodation, meals, a natural pool fed by a beautiful waterfall, and various tours . San Miguel can easily be visited on a day-trip but a longer stay is recommended.

About six hours up river from Rurre along the Río Tuichiis San José de Uchupiamonas, a Quechua-Tacana community that operates the highly regarded Chalalán Ecolodge , also built with international aid. Further upriver on the Río Tuichi lie significant areas of Grade IV whitewater. Rafting or kayaking from the mountains to the jungle here would be an epic river adventure.

Harder to access is Madidi's namesake, the Río Madidiin the park's centre, which is reported to have families of giant otters. Access is also via the Río Tuichi above San José. Then it would be a tough hike across the dividing range of hills that separate the Tuichi and Madidi river basins. The third leg of the journey would involve a descent of the Madidi by raft or canoe and a return to Rurrenabaque via Ixiamas. This wild and remote route is not part of the usual jungle tours and would require organizing a private expedition.

Some 300 km northwest of Rurrenabaque, the Río Heathis the most distant of the park's major rivers. It lies in a frontier zone not only between Peru and Bolivia but also between the pampas and the rainforest. The pampas near the Rio Heath supports unique and varied wildlife, including the highly endangered maned wolf (imagine a wolf on stilts) and the toco toucan, largest of the toucans. Access to the Heath River is difficult and the best way to reach it is via Puerto Maldonadoin Peru, from where several hours up the Río Madre del Dios, the Heath joins it on the border.

Madidi is also, in principle, accessible from the southwest. Routes from Apoloand Pelechuco(page) would provide a potentially spectacular decent from high mountain passes into lush tropical forest. This is yet another Madidi expedition fit only for self- sufficient explorers.

Reserva de la Biósfera Pilón Lajas

East of the Río Beni and southeast of Rurrenabaque lies the Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Indigenous Territory, its 401,176 ha home to the Tsimane and Mosetene peoples. Together with Madidi, it constitutes approximately 60,000 sq km, one of the largest systems of contiguous protected land in the neotropics. The reserve was set up under the auspices of UNESCO and has one of the continent's most intact Amazonian rainforest ecosystems, as well as an incredible array of tropical forest animal life.

Widespread illegal logging represents a major threat to Pilón Lajas and its inhabitants. There has been a great deal of encroachment along the western border of the reserve, from the road between Yucumo and Rurrenabaque. In an effort to combat the problem, NGOs have been working with the people of La Unión, Playa Ancha, Nuevos Horizontes and El Cebú to develop sustainable forestry, fish farming, cattle ranching and artesanía.

Mapajois a highly regarded community tourism project located inside Pilón Lajas near the village of Asunción del Quiquibey, on the Río Quiquibey about three hours upstream from Rurrenabaque. Visits combine natural and cultural attractions .

Estación Biológica del Beni 

Advance arrangements required in order to visit.

The Estación Biológica del Beni (also called Reserva Biológica del Beni) is a 135,000-ha reserve situated along the Río Maniqui, about 150 km east of Rurrenabaque. It is home to the Chimane people, as well as more than 500 species of bird and 200 different mammals. There are thought to be more than 1500 species of plant life and 900 of fauna in all. It also contains Laguna Normandia, which has large numbers of the endangered black caiman.

In 2008 the reserve was being run by SERNAP but was involved in administrative disputes and its future is uncertain. The headquarters are located in San Borja, a small, relatively wealthy cattle-raising centre with hotels and restaurants clustered near the plaza. An older access point at Porvenir has been abandoned. With advance notice rangers can arrange visits but there are no lodges or other facilities inside the reserve; you must bring your own camping gear and supplies. Confirm all details in advance.