Bolivia is an amazingly beautiful and diverse country that is often thought of as a place of civil unrest. It is also a place of loving people and intensely raw nature.
Bolivia is located on the borders of Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Brazil. It is a landlocked country that is full of many natural wonders. Part of the natural treasures of Bolivia are the national parks. Here is a list of some of the diverse parks worth traveling for:
- Kaa-lya National Park: this is a park encompassing 3,441,115 hectares, making it the largest in Bolivia and South America. It is the home to protected wetlands and the indigenous people of the area. It is a remote area that is still working on its tourism possibilities.
- Noel Kempff Mercado National Park: located in northeastern Bolivia, this 1.5 million hectare park is the home to one of the most diverse parks in the world. Every type of landscape can be seen. From rain forests to thorn scrub, from mountains to wetlands, this park allows the most ease in seeing Mother Nature in her true habitat. There are over 4,000 species of vascular plants alone, located within the park, and five distinct ecosystems: the rain forest, gallery forest, semi-deciduous tropical forest, savannah and dry cerrado.
- Beni Biosphere Reserve and Biological Station: this park was created to help teach and preserve a natural balance between man and nature. Over 200,000 people live within the park. An equality is being created between man and the use of natural resources, such as logging and cattle farming.
- Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve: this park is an amazingly diverse area of flora and fauna. It has four distinct ecological areas allowing a safe home for thousands of endangered species, such as the Giant Otter.
- Tariquia Fauna and Flora Reserve: this is a true jungle park. The Bolivian Tucumanic Jungle and its animals are protected in this diverse ecosystem.
- Madidi National Park: this park is located in the northwestern part of Bolivia, within the Amazon river basin. This is also a very diverse park that encompasses huge mountains with glaciered peaks, pampas, savannas and cloud forests within the 18,958 square kilometers. There is a wonderful ecotourism reserve that was created by the locals. A handmade canoe takes you back to thatch roofed huts and a bio-friendly Chalalan Ecolodge. Nestled on the shores of Chalan Lake, this eco-friendly area is a fabulous place to watch the animals of the forest in their natural habitat. There is also another Ecolodge called the San Miguel del Bala that is accessed by a forty minute boat ride on the Beni river. Madidi borders three other protected areas, the Manuripi-Heath, Apolobamba (located in Peru) and the Manu Biosphere Reserve, to create the largest expanse of protected land.
- Torotoro National Park: located in the center of Bolivia, this park is the home to amazing geological formations and fossilized dinosaur footprints. This is also the home to the small village of Torotoro which is a delightful tourist excursion.
- Amobóro National Park: This is a beautiful and diverse park located in Central Bolivia. Humans are not allowed to live within the 4,425 square kilometers (1709 square miles). Mining has also been banned from within the park. This is a major step forward for the protection of the environment because the Bolivian government, in the past, considered mining more important than environmental issues. The park is the sanctuary for over 800 species of birds and 125 mammalian species including Puma, Ocelots and the rare Spectacled Bear
It is recommended to check on the stability of the country before traveling to Bolivia.