Puma in Bolivia
Main Tour Dates: Friday 8th – Tuesday 19th August 2025 (Santa Cruz to Santa Cruz – Viru Viru Airport)
Tour Price: £3,999pp plus flight
Estimated Flight Price: London to Santa Cruz approx. £1,200 return
Deposit: £650 per per person
Conservation Donation from Wise Birding: £150 – £200
Minimum Number: 6 people
Maximum Group Size: 6 people
Target Mammals:
Jaguarundi, Puma, Jaguar, Ocelot and a chance for Geoffroy’s Cat too!
Pampas Fox, Tayra, Bolivian Red Howler, Azara’s Night Monkey, White-eared (Bolivian Grey) Titi, Monkey, Pale (Chacoan) Titi Monkey, Chacoan Peccary, Southern Three-banded Armadillo, Lowland Tapir and Bolivian River Dolphin
Target Birds:
Blue-throated Macaw, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Black-legged Seriema, Bolivian Slaty-Antshrike and many other commoner species
Jaguarundi, Bolivia by Nick’s Adventures
Tour Summary
This tour visits three very different habitats in the wonderful country of Bolivia. The focus on this tour is mostly mammals and particularly cats where we have an excellent chance of seeing four and possibly five species of cat, along with numerous other exciting and endemic mammals. The beauty of this tour is that we will often be the only tourists at the remote sites we visit. We will have to work hard for sightings, but they will be exceptional and even possible on foot – Quite simply, it is cats without the crowds!
As always, we will also see a great selection of birds and although not the main focus of the tour we will of course stop for some of the impressive birds during our travels and make a special effort to visit the area of the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw. We will also take a special private boat trip to look for the endemic Bolivian River Dolphin in the same region, plus plenty of other mammals.
Jaguar at Jaguarland by Nick’s Adventure
La Moneda (Jaguarland)
La Moneda is a private working farm, with a mix of Pampas, forest, lakes and a large area farmed for crops, mostly soya and maize. Despite the busy activity from tractors, combine harvesters and large grain trucks it seems strange that the site has such a reputation for such great wildlife, but the key thing is the owner does not allow any hunting and as a result the wildlife is in good numbers and it makes wildlife watching much easier than in dense forest. In summary, the large ranchers are protected their land and opening it up for eco-tourism, so it is a win win situation. By name alone, Jaguarland has a reputation for cats and in particular sightings of Jaguar, Ocelot and Jaguarundi.
Kaa Iya del Gran Chaco National Park
The habitat in Kaa Iya is a vast area of extremely dense Chaco thicket. The area has very few roads and is probably about as isolated an area as you can find in South America outside the Amazon. The area is managed by the local gas company that runs a small base within the reserve which helps maintain the roads. The roads basically runs along a gas pipeline and because it is dead straight, it is perfect for seeing mammals way ahead and behind you! Once again we will be in serious cat country with pretty much any of five cat species being possible and the area has become particularly well known for Puma sightings.
Mamore/Ibare Rivers & Gran Mojas Protected Area
Close to the city of Trinidad are the magnificent protected areas of the Ibare and Mamore Rivers where we will take a boat trip to search for the endemic Bolivian River Dolphins as well as a good selection of primates and birds.
The following day we will make a special effort to visit the Gran Mojas to see the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw as well as chances to see Beniano Anaconda, Tayra and possibly even Giant Anteater.
ACCOMMODATION: 12 nights in Bolivia
1 night Santa Cruz, 4 nights Kaa Iya National Park, 1 night Santa Cruz, 3 nights Jaguar Land, 1 night Santa Cruz, 1 night Trinidad and 1 night Santa Cruz
Inclusive Meals: Full board from dinner on day 1 to dinner on day 11
NOTE: **Accommodation at both Kai Iya and Jaguarland is rustic but very well catered for with food with a great team of staff.**
At Jaguarland we will sleep in large private tents with shared bathroom facilities.
At Kaa Iya we will have simple rooms at the rangers station.
At Santa Cruz/Trinidad we will be in Boutique Hotels
DAY 1: Arrival Santa Cruz
Arrival into Santa Cruz and transfer to hotel. This is a free day and if flight times allow, there is an optional visit to the Botanical Gardens to see Brown- throated three-toed Sloth, Black Howler Monkey, Black-tailed Marmoset and possibly White-eared Titi Monkey. Birding in the gardens should also be interesting with species like Bolivian Slaty-Antshrike. Overnight Boutique Hotel Santa Cruz
DAY 2 – Santa Cruz to Kaa Iya del Gran Chaco NP
Today we will be picked up from our hotel and meet our local guide before travelling to Kai Iya del Gran Chaco National Park. On the way we will make a short stop to hopefully find Brown-throted Three-toed Sloth and White-eared Titi Monkey. The drive to San Jose de Chiquitos is around 4 hours, where we will stop for lunch and a quick stop at the main Plaza before driving another 3 hours to Kaa Iya National Park. We should arrive during the late afternoon and have time to unpack and get settled into our accommodation. We will then head off for our first evening safari drive where we will be searching for big cats, small felines, Tapirs and much more! Overnight at the Ranger’s Park Station
DAY 3: Full day exploring Kaa Iya del Gran Chaco NP
We will take an early morning safari drive before returning for a late breakfast. We will then take another safari drive searching for the endemic and rarely observed Chacoan Peccary and with luck another cat sighting! After lunch we will rest and then take another evening and night safari focused on cats and other mammals. Overnight at the Ranger’s Park Station
DAY 4: ISOZO Station
Today will be a very long day as we cover the 120km Gas pipeline road. We will take packed meals with us, departing early morning and aiming to return by the evening as we travel to the furthest part of the park and the ISOZO Station. It should be a very enjoyable day searching for Jaguars, Puma, Jaguarundi, Ocelot and with luck Geoffrey’s Cat! In addition we have a high chance for a number of great birds including the range restricted Black Legged Seriema. Overnight at the Ranger’s Park Station
DAY 5: Full day exploring Kaa Iya del Gran Chaco NP
Similar to the previous two days we will take a number of safari drives focusing our time on species that we have yet to find or species that we hope to have better views of. The day and times of our drives will be dictated by our main focus of cats! Overnight at the Ranger’s Park Station
Ocelot and Blue-throated Macaw by Nick’s Adventures
DAY 6: Kaa Iya del Gran Chaco NP to Santa Cruz
We will start the day with an early morning safari drive and stop at some small lagoons to look for birds and hopefully Tapirs and other mammal species. After breakfast we will leave the park and re-trace our journey to San Jose de Chiquitos where once again , we will stop for lunch. It is then a four hour drive to Santa Cruz. Overnight Boutique Hotel Santa Cruz
DAY 7: Santa Cruz to La Mooned (Jaguarland)
After breakfast we will travel to the Jaguarland Reserve. We will make a stop en route at a small town called San Pedro and have lunch at a local restaurant before making the journey of 70km off road. This will take around 2-3 hours until we reach to the private ranch of Jaguarland. During the off-road journey we have good chances to see Bolivian Red Howler Monkeys and Six-banded Armadillo amongst other mammal species. We will arrive at the camp for around 3pm and have time to get settled into our tented accommodation and have a cold drink before we start our first afternoon and night safaris where more mammals and hopefully cats await us! Overnight Tented Camp
DAY 8: Full day Jaguarland
An early morning safari will have us on high alert for Jaguars, not forgetting smaller cats and a huge assortment of wildlife that is found on this very remote and wildlife rich property. We will be searching the areas of tropical forest, grasslands, agricultural fields and canal systems for as much wildlife as possible. We will then return for breakfast before another quick safari to search for more wildlife. After lunch we will take time to rest during the heat of the day before setting off agin during the late afternoon for more safari drives into darkness. After dinner we will continue with a night safari searching for nocturnal species like Tapirs, Ocelots and if lucky even a Puma! Overnight Tented Camp
DAY 9: Full day in Jaguarland
Our day will take a similar format as we set off on safari drives, adjusting the times based on weather and mammal activity. We will be searching for Jaguar, Tapir, Ocelot, Marsh deer as well as observing a huge variety of birdlife. We will then usually return to camp for a big breakfast. After a short rest we will then continue with safari drives, returning for lunch and an afternoon siesta. Then during the late afternoon, we will take further safari drives focusing on the mammals that we have yet to see. A night time safari will then take over as we focus on the more nocturnal species. Overnight Tented Camp
DAY 10: Jaguarland to Santa Cruz
A final morning safari where we will be searching for any species we have missed and then we will return for a late breakfast and pack up before making the long journey back to Santa Cruz. We will stop for lunch in a small town for lunch and aim to arrive to reach our hotel in Santa Cruz by mid afternoon. Overnight Boutique Hotel Santa Cruz
Important Notes: Weather can greatly affect the tour itinerary, ie heavy rain can sometimes make areas impassable and we may have to adjust the itinerary. Dependent on group sizes we may take two vehicles out to cover a larger area and share sightings to help see more species.
DAY 11 Santa Cruz flight to Trinidad
On arriving at Trinidad airport we will transfer to our Boutique hotel where we will drop our bags and then drive to the port of the Ibare river where we will take a five hour private boat trip along the magnificent protected area of the Ibare and Mamore Rivers in search of the endemic Bolivian Pink River Dolphin. Birdwatching in this river system is also impressive with Hoatzins, Macaws and a large variety of other species. If we are lucky we may also see Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths and Bolivian Red Howler Monkeys. We will enjoy a picnic lunch on the Mamore River which merges with the Ibare river and there will also be an opportunity to swim or just enjoy the scenery. After the boat trip we will return to our hotel and have dinner in the best restaurant in Trinidad! Overnight Boutique Hotel Trinidad
DAY 12: Gran Mojas Protected Area
Today we will make a very early start (04.30am) as we travel 2.5 hours to the site of the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw.
En route we will keep an eye out for Coatis, Capybara and even Giant Anteater. Once we enter the private ranch we will explore the many Motacu Palm areas which are a major food source of the Macaws. We will enjoy breakfast here and take a walk around the protected area with some great opportunities to photograph one of the world’s most endangered parrots. This species was thought to be extinct in the wild, but new individuals were observed in the international pet trade, leading to the realisation that a wild population must exist. In 1992 the Blue-throated Macaw was indeed discovered to still remain in a distant area of Beni Department, Bolivia. Recent surveys have estimated that 300 birds remain and they are found in a more extensive area than previously thought. The nearby forest islands are home to a huge array of birds but also Howler Monkeys, Three Toed Sloths and Collared Peccaries.
We have a few hours at the ranch and will have a picnic lunch here, so there will be plenty of time to see and photograph the Macaws as well as looking for species such as Tayra that are present on the property. Our last stop is visiting the Blue Throated Conservation Centre. Here a small team of volunteers and experts are working hard to save this critically endangered Macaw from extinction, by replanting forests with the macaws usual food sources, putting up bird boxes, rescuing birds from the pet trade and starting a captive breeding program.
After lunch we return to Trinidad Airport for our flight back to Santa Cruz. Overnight Boutique Hotel Santa Cruz
DAY 13: Transfer to Sanata Cruz Airport
Return flights back to the UK and the tour concludes
Please note this is a flexible itinerary which may need to be adjusted slightly dependent on arrival / departure times, weather conditions and the most recent information from our local guides
Leaders: Wise Birding leader plus local guide
Included in cost: Accommodation in private basic rooms (Kaa Iya), private tents at Jaguarland and double/Single rooms at hotels. All meals, bottled water, all entrance fees, boat trip, Macaw excursion, ground transport and services of leaders.
Not included in cost: International airfare, travel insurance, drinks other than water and any airport/visa fees
Single Supplement for 4 Hotel Nights: £120pp
Transport: A/C Minibus and Jeeps
Difficulty: Easy The walking throughout the tour is relatively easy going with flat terrain. Most time will be spent viewing from Jeeps.
Climate: Generally very hot and dry with temperature in the mid 30s degrees Celsius.
Tour Start Point: Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Tour End Point: Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Suggested Airlines: British Airways/Latam or Iberia
Jaguar by Nick’s Adventures