Bolivia
An 11-day expedition through Amboro National Park, the Gran Chaco, and the UNESCO Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitania
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The moments that make this journey unforgettable.
An 11-day expedition through Amboro National Park, the Gran Chaco, and the UNESCO Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitania
This 11-day expedition covers three landscapes in eastern Bolivia that almost no international tour operator visits. Amboro National Park sits at the meeting point of the Andes and the Amazon, home to 800 recorded bird species, giant tree fern forests, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of El Fuerte. Kaa Iya National Park, Bolivia’s largest protected area at 3.4 million hectares, is one of the last intact Gran Chaco dry forests on the continent, patrolled with resident rangers in search of jaguar, ocelot, and tapir. The circuit closes with four days through the Chiquitania, where seven UNESCO World Heritage Jesuit mission churches from the 17th and 18th centuries stand in remote tropical towns where the original music and craft traditions remain alive. Maximum 10 guests.
Bolivia's Wild East: Jaguars, Cloud Forest and Lost Missions
Ecovoyager Experiences
Species you may spot along this route.
The largest cat in the Americas; Kaa-Iya holds one of the densest populations recorded anywhere.
An unmistakable long-snouted, bushy-tailed anteater that walks the open country tearing into termite mounds.
A large tawny cat, the wide-ranging second predator of the Chaco after the jaguar.
The largest land mammal of the region, a stocky, long-snouted browser, mostly active at night.
A tall, long-legged reddish canid of open country, neither fox nor wolf, active mainly at night.
South America's only bear, locally the jucumari, marked with pale rings around the eyes.
A beautifully marked medium-sized cat, largely nocturnal, hunting the forest floor.
The largest peccary, a Gran Chaco endemic once known only from fossils until found alive in the 1970s.
The largest living armadillo, a powerful nocturnal digger, rarely seen anywhere in its range.
A large green macaw with a red forehead, usually seen flying in pairs over the foothill forest.
A large, endangered forest bird with a curious blue horn on its forehead, almost mythical among birders.
South America's largest bird, a flightless runner of open country, often in loose groups.
The largest toucan, unmistakable for its huge orange bill, seen perched or in bounding flight.
A large monkey whose dawn and dusk roaring carries across the dry forest; males are black, females buff.
A stocky, clever monkey with a dark cap, common in both the Amboro forest and the Chaco gallery woodland.
A larger peccary that travels in big, mobile herds, the most formidable of the wild pigs.
Bolivia Tour Details
Everything included in the tour, and what to budget separately.
Bolivia Tour Details
Transparent pricing, comprehensive inclusions, and exactly what to expect.
Prefer your own dates and itinerary? Our private expeditions offer full flexibility with the same expert guides, exclusive access, and conservation partnerships, tailored entirely around your group.
| Group Size | Per Person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 travelers | $6,150 | Per personDouble occupancy |
| 4 travelers | $4,650 | Per personGroup rate |
| 6 travelers | $4,200 | Per personGroup rate |
| 8 travelers | $4,150 | Per personGroup rate |
| 10 travelers | $4,100 | Per personBest value |
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Traveler Stories
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Destination
Each stop on this journey through Bolivia, and the country that ties them together.
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Everything you need to know before your journey. Can't find what you're looking for? Get in touch and we'll help.
How departures, pricing, and group size work on this expedition.
It runs in the dry season, May to October, the best window for the Gran Chaco: wildlife concentrates near the remaining water, tracks show clearly on the dry trails, and the park roads stay passable. There are set small-group departures in 2026 on August 2, August 23, and September 19, and private or custom dates can be arranged.
Departures are capped at ten guests. The expedition camp inside Kaa-Iya, the ranger capacity, and the vehicles all limit numbers, and a small group means better wildlife odds and less disturbance in a place that sees very few visitors.
A deposit of 25% of the per person rate secures your place, with the balance due before departure. You can pay by whichever method suits you, whether card, bank transfer, or wire.
Yes. Alongside the scheduled departures, the whole expedition can be arranged privately for your own party on dates that suit you.
What to expect on the Kaa-Iya drives and across the route.
Kaa-Iya is one of the best places in the world to try, with a camera-trap study estimating over a thousand jaguars in the park. You spend three days with the resident rangers running dawn, dusk, and night drives and checking trap cameras, which gives you a real chance that exists almost nowhere else. Even so, jaguars are secretive and a sighting is never guaranteed; tracks, fresh scrapes, and camera-trap images are part of the experience.
Across the Chaco drives expect monkeys, brocket deer, peccaries, rheas, and crab-eating foxes, with big mammals like tapir, puma, ocelot, and giant anteater realistic on the dawn, dusk, and night outings. Giant armadillo and maned wolf are genuine long shots. Amboro adds one of the richest bird lists on the planet.
Largely, yes. Amboro sits where the Andes, the Amazon, and the Chaco meet, with more than 800 recorded bird species, among them the military macaw and the rare horned curassow. Mammals are present but hard to see in the dense forest, so the Amboro days lean toward birds, the giant tree ferns, and El Fuerte.
Yes. The open Chaco and the camera-trap work suit wildlife photography, and the ranger-led drives are timed for the active hours. Bring a telephoto lens and be ready for low light at dawn and dusk.
Heat, fitness, and what to prepare for in the east.
It rates as moderate. Expect early starts and late finishes for the wildlife drives, walking on Chaco and forest trails in the heat, and basic camp conditions inside Kaa-Iya. Nothing is technical, but you should be comfortable with long days and simple comforts.
No. This route stays in the eastern lowlands around Santa Cruz, so altitude is not a factor, which sets it apart from Bolivia’s highland trips. The wine tasting above Samaipata is the only mild elevation, at around 1,750 meters.
The Chaco is hot and sunny through the May to October dry season, which is also the best time for wildlife. Occasional southerly cold fronts, known as surazos, can drop the temperature sharply for a day or two, so pack strong sun protection along with a warm layer.
Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for the Santa Cruz lowlands. Malaria risk is lower in the dry Chaco than in the Amazon, but confirm current advice with a travel clinic before you go. Comprehensive travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is mandatory, given how remote Kaa-Iya is.
Where you sleep, from eco-lodge to expedition camp.
It ranges from an eco-lodge in the Amboro foothills and comfortable hotels in Samaipata and the mission towns to expedition-style camping with the rangers inside Kaa-Iya. The lodges and town hotels are locally owned and comfortable; the Kaa-Iya camp is deliberately basic, which is simply the cost of reaching this wilderness.
You camp with the resident rangers deep in the park, with tents, simple shared facilities, and meals prepared in camp. There are no lodges inside Kaa-Iya, so this is the only way to spend real time in the park, and the remoteness is the point.
Santa Cruz and the mission towns have coverage. Kaa-Iya is off-grid with no signal or Wi-Fi for the days you spend there, so treat the Chaco as a genuine disconnection and let people know your schedule in advance.
The final stretch is cultural and gentler than the wildlife camping. You travel the circuit of the seven UNESCO mission churches of the Chiquitania by road, staying in the mission towns of Concepcion, San Ignacio de Velasco, and San Jose de Chiquitos, a change of pace to close the expedition.
