Madidi National Park
Parque Nacional Madidi
Madidi National Park (Parque Nacional Madidi) is located in the northern part of Bolivia in the Bolivian Amazon. The park can be reached from
Rurrenabaque by crossing the Beni River with a small ferry boat over to San Buenaventura. This national park was established in 1995 and has one of the most diverse plant and animal life in South America.
Parque Nacional Madidi is part of one of the largest protected areas in the world, covering nearly 19,000 square kilometers. The park's terrain ranges from the glacier-covered peaks of the high Andes Mountains to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon Basin, and is one of the planet's most biologically diverse regions.
Madidi National Park is home to a variety of wildlife, with around 1,000 bird species, representing 11% of the worlds 9,000 bird species and around 6000 plant species. Mammals include ten species of monkeys, including the spider monkey and the titi monkey, which is a newer species discovered in Madidi. The parks contains jaguars, puma, giant anteaters, anacondas, caiman crocodiles, numerous fish species and many of the other typical animals that can be found in the Amazon rainforest.
The park's administration office is in San Buenaventura, on the opposite bank of Rio Beni from Rurrenabaque. The easiest way to visit Madidi is by taking a tour with an agency from Rurrenabaque. Most tours take you down the river where you can spot wildlife and through a network of trails.
Another option of experiencing Parque Nacional Madidi is going to one of the eco-lodges that are located in the park. There are some eco-lodges that are found in and around the Madidi National Park region. Most of the eco-lodges are independently run by an indigenous community and makes an excellent place for exploring the rainforest and spotting wildlife, while staying in comfortable cabins with private bathrooms. These lodges also have networks of trails with excellent guides that can help you spot numerous wildlife, insects and plants.
The oldest and best known is Chalalan Ecolodge which sits on the Tuichi river, and can be accessed from Rurrenabaque by a 4-5 hour boat ride up the Beni River and then to the Tuichi River. Other ecolodges are the San Miguel del Bala Eco-Lodge on the banks of the Beni River, 30 minutes by boat from Rurrenabaque and the newer Entno Eco Lodge - Mashaquipe on the Tuichi River close to the outlet into the Beni River.
