Types of Tourism in Bolivia
ECOTOURISM
Bolivia has 66 of the world’s 112 ecosystems. About 20,000 species of plants grow on the territory of the country, about 1300 species of birds, 20 species of primates, 220 species of reptiles and about 100 species of amphibians live. In order to preserve such a diversity of the natural world, more than 30 protected areas have been created in Bolivia. Noel Camp Mercado National Park is located in the northeast of the country on the border with Brazil.
. This is the only natural place that has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The area of the park is 15 thousand square meters. km. Noel Kemp Mercado protects five types of ecosystems – jungle, dry forest, savannas and wet forests. About 4,000 species of plants grow here, 150 species of mammals and 620 species of birds live here. Check top-medical-schools.org for travel information in Bolivia.
In the northern part of the country, not far from the city of Rurrenabak, there is Madidi National Prak. It covers an area of 19 thousand square meters. km. The park is distinguished by its biodiversity – more than 1000 species of birds live here, including the Andean condor and the small soldier’s parrot macaw, jaguars, spectacled bears, maned wolf, vicuña, monkeys, giant otter.
Amboro National Park located northwest of the city of Santa Cruz. Its area is 63 thousand hectares. This includes three ecosystems – the foothills of the Andes, the Amazon basin and the eastern plains. Amboro is home to many birds, as well as capybaras, peccaries, tapirs, howler and capuchin monkeys, jaguars, ocelots and small margs.
Torotoro National Park is located in the center of Bolivia. This is a park with unique landscapes. Here you can see bizarre mountains and canyons. The main attraction of the region are the places where dinosaurs lived. Here you can see numerous fossilized remains of plants and animals, which are about 120 million years old, as well as traces of dinosaurs.
One of the best places for bird watching is the Carrasco National Park.. It is located in the eastern part of the Cochabamba region and covers an area of 6230 sq. km. The park is simply amazing with a variety of birds – there are about 800 species of them. It is also worth visiting the Sahama National Parks in the west of the country, which surrounds the highest peak of the country – the extinct Sahama volcano (6542 m), Isiboro-Secure, Huanchaka, Pilon-Lahas and other nature reserves and reserves. Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world, it is located at an altitude of 3812 m, its area is 8446 sq. km. The lake was formed in a tectonic basin. Its name is translated from the Indian dialect as “stone cougar”, and in fact its shape bears some resemblance to the contour of this animal. The Incas considered Lake Titicaca sacred. According to legend, it was near the islands of Isla del Sol and Isla del Luna that the ancestors of the Incas appeared. Nowadays, tourists go to the lake to get acquainted with the flora and fauna of this region, go fishing or just relax on the shores of the lake in a calm atmosphere.
A unique natural formation – the dried-up salt lake Salar de Uyuni – is located in the southern part of Bolivia on a high plateau at an altitude of 3600 m. Its total area is about 12 thousand square meters. km. In the center of the lake, the thickness of the salt cover reaches 10 m. During the dry season, the lake is a whole salt desert. Salt reserves here are about 10 billion tons. During the rainy season, the lake fills with a small layer of water, which does not interfere with traveling around the Salar de Uyuni by jeep.
This area is rich in natural attractions. Isla de Pescados has large colonies of viscacha (native chinchilla); at the foot of Mount Tunal you can see colonies of pink and red-brown flamingos; Lake Colorado is a paradise for ornithologists; rare James flamingos are studied here; in the valley of the geysers of Sol de Macan there are craters in which mud boils, and local geysers throw out a column of water from 80 to 100 m high. There are thermal springs on the shores of Lake Salar de Chaliviri. Also very interesting are hotels built entirely of salt.
HIKING
The variety of landscapes in Bolivia gives travelers the opportunity to go hiking. First of all, you should go to the numerous nature protection zones of the country, where hiking trails are laid. The main routes outside the National Parks originate from the city of La Paz. The most interesting of them pass along the ancient Inca trails, last several days and end in the northeast of the Andes in the Yungas. Of these directions, one can single out the Takeshi Trail, which leads directly to the Peruvian Machu Picchu, the Choro route and the Yunga Cruz route, which runs along the slopes of Mount Ilyimani. From La Paz, you can also go to the Zongo Valley, famous for its ice caves.
Various hiking trails are also offered in the town of Sorata. From here you will get to the Grotto de San Pedro , which is a cave with an underground lake, or along the Golden Route – to the gold deposits in Rio Tipuani.
In addition, there are great opportunities for rock climbing in the Andes. The most popular peaks among rock climbers with a height of more than 6000 m are located in Corlillera Real. These are the mountains of Ilyimani, Huayana Potosi, Kondoriri and Ankokhuma. Also of interest is climbing the volcanoes of Bolivia, most of which are located in the Western Cordillera – this is the highest point in the country – the extinct Sajama volcano (6542 m) – and the dormant Irruputunku volcano, which erupted for the last time in 1995.
Hiking can also be practiced in the Amazon Basin. The main routes start from the city of Rurrenabak. The local rainforests are full of animals and plants. If you are going to go here, then be sure to hire a guide, because not all tourists are ready to meet wildlife. Most people travel here by boat or canoe, because heavy rains cause road erosion and flooding of some areas. However, during the so-called dry season, there are opportunities for hiking in these places.
SKIING
30 km northeast of La Paz is the highest ski resort in the world – Chacaltaya . Here, tourists are offered more than 10 slopes located between the heights of 4700 and 5400 m, and 8 lifts. Lack of oxygen and elevation changes make this place one of the most extreme in the world, so skiing in Chacaltaya is only suitable for trained skiers. The ski season lasts from April to June. The infrastructure of the resort is not very well developed due to the difficult economic situation in Bolivia.
FISHING
Bolivia offers excellent opportunities for fishing, especially trout, in Lake Titicaca and in the rivers of the Amazon.
EXCURSIONS
Excursion program of Bolivia based on visiting natural attractions of the country. But still, there are many cities with architectural monuments of the colonial period and archaeological areas with the ruins of cities of ancient Indian civilizations.
