A less visited region of Bolivia that is typically not included on standard birding tours to the country is the Beni region in the north. The Beni region encompasses a vast area of diverse habitats including Amazonian rainforest near the border with Brazil, vast seasonally flooded savannas, dry cerrado in the northeast, and temperate forest in the Andean foothills. It features a wide variety of birds including a good number of specialties not found in central Bolivia. This tour covers that region. It can be conducted as a stand-alone tour or as an extension added on to our Central Bolivia tour.

The tour begins with a flight from La Paz to the far northern city of Riberalta, located near the border with Brazil. We'll spend most of two days there looking for the endemic Masked Antpitta and some other specialty birds in nearby savanna, cerrado, and rainforest. We then have a rather long drive south to Sadiri Lodge, located within intact temperate forest of Madidi National Park. After spending 3 full days birding the area, we'll have another fairly long drive, this time eastward to the city of Trinidad. During our stay there we'll visit a private reserve to seek out the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw. We then fly to Santa Cruz, where the tour ends at the airport to connect with international flights home that typically depart in the middle of the night.

Tour Considerations

PACE - The pace of this tour is considered moderate but could be intense depending on the preferences of participants.

DIFFICULTY - Birding in the far north around Riberalta is mostly along roadsides with possibly some fairly flat trails. Birding at Sadiri Lodge of about 12 hours is along forested trails. Trails in the lower area are quite easy, while the trail up and down mountain ridges are moderate to strenuous. Some birding is along flat roadsides. The tour also entails a quite long drive from Riberalta to Sadiri Lodge and from Sadiri Lodge to the town of Trinidad of about 8 hours.

CLIMATE - The Beni region of Bolivia has a tropical monsoon climate. During rainy season from October to May, conditions are hot, very humid, and rainy. Some roads can be impassable. Dry season frm June to September is somewhat cooler and has significantly less rainfall.

BIRD ACTIVITY - Most birds breed in the Beni region during November to April in the midst of rainy season. The nesting season of Blue-throated Macaws is mainly from October to March, but the birds can be seen during dry season. Forest birds are generally very active throughout the dry season.

PHOTOGRAPHY - Getting photos of birds during this tour is mainly opportunistic, but Sadiri Lodge has hummingbird feeders just outide the dining room that are good for photograghing hummingbirds.

 

 

 

 

 

• Photos from Past Tours
• Travel Information

BIRDING LOCALES
FOR THIS TOUR

• Aquicuana Reserve
• Riberalta Area
• Riberalta KM 632 Track
• Sadiri Lodge
• Trinidad - Lake Suarez