Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bolivia's ambitions to gain access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Paraguay and Paraná rivers,
but Lago Cáceres has always been too shallow to take anything other than small boats. Puerto
Suárez has yet to really tap into the growing number of tourists who visit the region to visit
the wildlife-rich wetlands of the
Pantanal
. This is a shame, as it's a peaceful and dignified
place, beautifully set on a bluff overlooking the calm blue waters of the lake, and with the
city of Corumbá in Brazil visible in the distance.
THE PANTANAL
Much of Bolivia's far east along the Brazilian border is covered by the
Pantanal
, the vast
flood plain on either side of the Río Paraguay that forms the world's biggest freshwater
wetland system. Stretching over two hundred thousand square kilometres is a mosaic of
ecosystems, including swamps, lakes, seasonally flooded grasslands and different kinds of
forest, most of which is turned into an immense inland freshwater sea during the rainy sea-
son (Nov-March). This largely pristine wilderness supports possibly the densest concen-
tration of
wildlife
in the Americas, including a vast array of birds, reptiles like anacondas
and caymans, and mammals including swamp deer, giant otters, jaguars, capybaras and ta-
pirs, all of which can be seen with greater frequency here than anywhere in the Amazon.
About eighty percent of the Pantanal lies in Brazil, but the fifteen or so percent within
Bolivia's borders (the rest is in
Paraguay
) is arguably more pristine and virtually uninhab-
ited. In theory it is also better protected - north and south of Puerto Suárez, huge areas
of the Pantanal are covered by the
Area Natural San Matías
and the
Parque Nacion-
al Otuquis
, which together cover almost forty thousand square kilometres. The flipside is
that it can be difficult to visit: facilities few and far between, and it's generally cheaper to
organize expeditions into the Pantanal from Corumbá in Brazil.
SeveralBolivian
tour operators
offeraPantanalpackage,however,includingRutaVerde
in Santa Cruz and
Michael Bledinger
in Samaipata. Hotels in Puerto Suárez and Quijarro
also arrange excursions. Alternatively, more simply, you can hire a fisherman in Puerto
Suárez to take you out across
Lago Cáceres
.
Quijarro
The last stop on the railway line in Bolivia is
QUIJARRO
, a fairly dismal collection of
shacks and dosshouses surrounding the station - if you're heading on to Brazil, you're better
off pushing on to the border at Arroyo Concepción, 2km away. However, there are a couple
of decent hotels in and around town, which can also organize Pantanal trips.
