Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in the way of wildlife are slim. To reach pristine cloudforest you'll need to trek further into
the park and camp overnight.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PARQUE NACIONAL AMBORÓ
By micro
A micro from the plaza in Buena Vista runs daily along the boundary of the park
viaHuaytúandSantaRosa,returningthenextday-timesvary,soaskaroundinBuenaVista.
Also check the return time with the driver so you don't get stuck on the way out. From the
road you'll still have to cross the Río Saguayo (which can be impassable in the Nov-April
rainy season) and walk over 10km to reach either La Chonta or Macuñuco.
By jeep
A good alternative is to rent a jeep and driver to take you into the park and return
later to collect you - you can arrange this through one of the tour operators.
TOURS
Tour operators
You can only visit the park with a guide or official tour operator. Agencies
in Buena Vista, Samaipata and Santa Cruz offer tours ranging from day-trips to twenty days;
prices start at around Bs150 per person per day. The park entry fee is Bs15.
ACCOMMODATION
Refuges
Overnight tripsintheparkinvolvestaysatoneofseveral rustic refuges,orcamping;
the cost of this (and food) is generally included in the price of your tour. The Santa Cruz-
based NGO
PROBIOMA
also has a trio of comfortable community-run lodges around the
park.
Samaipata
Some 120km west of Santa Cruz on the old mountain road to Cochabamba, the peaceful
littletownof
SAMAIPATA
isapopulardestinationforBoliviansandforeigntravellersalike.
Nestled in an idyllic valley surrounded by rugged, forest-covered mountains, the town enjoys
a cool, fresh climate compared to the sweltering eastern plains. Innumerable good walking
trails run through the surrounding countryside, the beautiful cloudforests of the Parque Na-
cional Amboró are close by, and just outside town stands one of Bolivia's most intriguing ar-
cheological sites,
El Fuerte
. All this makes Samaipata the kind of place many travellers end
up staying longer than they expected - indeed, many European residents have settled here
permanently, setting up hotels, restaurants and tour agencies. The town's heart is the
Plaza
Principal
, which lies at the centre of a small grid of tranquil, unpaved streets, lined with
pretty whitewashed houses. Although generally peaceful, things can get busy with visiting
Cruceños at weekends.
