Safari in Amboro

wonderful scenery along testing trails

At 4425 square kilometres (1709 square miles), Amboró National Park is a substantial conservation area, set in the centre of Bolivia.

The reserve is one of a series of conservation areas that sit along this eastern face of the Andes, running north almost uninterrupted for 700 km (435 miles) to the border with Peru. It sits on the elbow of the Andes Mountains, where the range turns to head directly south down the spine of the continent.

The reserve contains an unusually wide range of altitudes, starting around 3350m (10950’) and falling all the way to 300m (980’), including lots of steep-sided mountains. precipitous cliffs and deep ravines. Rainfall across the reserve also varies enormously in the range 1400-4000mm (55-160”) per year.

The flora in the reserve is incredibly diverse, with over 3000 plant species so far recorded. The ecosystems here include rainforests, chaco forests, cloud forests and montane dry forests.

Wildlife in the reserve includes 177 mammal species, with highlights including pumas, jaguars, ocelots, spectacled bears, giant anteaters, giant armadillos and tapirs. There are also over 900 recorded species of birds.

In common with most (if not all) reserves in Bolivia, there are serious concerns about the levels of conservation in the Amboró area. The reserve was reduced in size by a third in 1995 after serious opposition and protests by local people and issues such as human settlement, hunting, mining and deforestation continue to threaten the integrity of the reserve.

It is important to realise that the wildlife viewing in Amboro is not strong, you are very unlikely to see any of the main mammal species. However the birding is relatively good.

There’s a couple of interesting lodge options in the Samaipata area to the south side of the reserve, which can be easily reached by road from Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

The best time to visit Amboró is generally considered to be the Apr-Oct dry season.

Although the nearby city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has a tropical savanna climate, the dramatic changes of altitude throughout the national park leads to vast variations in weather conditions. Nevertheless the seasonality has a similar pattern, so here are the details for that climate, with two clearly defined seasons …

During Apr-Sep the conditions are usually relatively cool and dry. Peak daytime temperatures are usually around 26C/79F, with nighttime holding up around 17C/63F. Average rainfall is around 50mm (2”) per month.

During Oct-Mar the conditions are usually relatively warm and wet. Peak daytime temperatures are usually around 30C/86F, with nighttime holding up around 21C/70F. Average rainfall is up around 125mm (5”) per month.

Getting there

Parque Nacionál Amboró can be easily reached by road from the major city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, down on the plains below.

The northern part of the park, which is generally at lower altitudes and is more Amazonian in character, is usually accessed through the town of Buena Vista.

The southern side of the reserve, which is dominated by yunga cloud forest, is reached via the small town of Samaipata.

Unfortunately the overland route that continues from Samaipata to Sucre is too long and arduous for most people, which rather isolates the area from the main routes around the country and is the main reason that it rarely features in trips.

Where to stay

The stand-out accommodation option in this area is the simple but pleasant Refugio Los Volcanes, which is set in an absolutely stunning location.

an inaccessible location leads to very low visitor numbers