Samaipata

We will travel by road around 3 hours from Santa Cruz into the mountains around Samaipata. Along the way, we will encounter representative samples of Yungas cloud forests. The highlight of the day is a 3-hours walk in a forest of tree ferns near Samaipata. Possibly one of the areas in the world with the highest concentration of these primitive organisms, giving a glimpse to how the world looked like during the Carboniferous period. We will spend the night in Samaipata, a picturesque and welcoming town situated at 1400 meters above sea level. The village invites you to short strolls through its charming streets. With a wide array of restaurants and lodging establishments, it provides a perfect setting for a delightful break.

Vallegrande

The journey takes a from Samaipata to the South until the small town of Postrervalle. This transition offers a unique glimpse of the ecotone between the Yungas cloud forest and the encounter with the dry inter-Andean valleys. From Postrervalle we will continue our trip towards the west in direction to Vallegrande. In this unpaved road we will find the only relict populations of Parajubaea sunkha. This critically endangered palm is one of the only two species of Parajubaea, an endemic genus of palm with few relict populations in the area covered by our trip. From Postrervalle we will arrive to Vallegrande to spend the night. This colonial village is predominantly engaged in agriculture and livestock activities, complemented by a modest but charming selection of culinary delights and accommodation options.

The journey to Río Grande river unfolds over several hours, punctuated by numerous stops for observation and interpretation. Initially tracing the historic site of Che Guevara's guerrilla battles, the route transcends this narrative to showcase a captivating transition from Vallegrande through the heights of Pucará, influenced by the Tucuman-Bolivian Forest, and ultimately descends to Rio Grande river. Here, a convergence of watercourses from the dry inter-Andean valleys creates a striking landscape. The valley, largely unexplored until very recently, is now accessible by road thanks to a new bridge, where we will camp. The place is home to a plethora of endemic cactus and bromeliads. The breathtaking scenic beauty unfolds between the mountains and the river. It is common to spot various bird species, including the Andean condor.

The day offers a gradual transition towards the valleys of Chuquisaca, departing from Rio Grande Valley. Winding through the mountains of central Bolivia, we will have time for frequent stops and explorations to appreciate the gradual changes in conditions and vegetation before arriving to Villa Serrano. We will rest in this town before the long route waiting for us the next day.

The journey continues through Presto and ascends to the El Palmar Protected Area, where we will spend the night. Roads are not good, as the area is truly remote. El Palmar, while relatively small for Bolivia, is a habitat for another species of the endemic genus palm, Parajubaea torallyi. El Palmar is a Quechua-Yampara community, of cultural and historical significance. The community manages an eco-lodge where we will be able to spend the night comfortably. We will enjoy a dinner featuring "janchicoco", the fruit of Parajubaea torallyi that has been integrated into the local gastronomy under careful management plans.

Sucre

After a restful night at the community-owned lodge, the following day unfolds with a morning walk to observe the region's flora. The trek takes you through the relict populations of the palm, which are well-integrated into a very particular forest type with other endemic and unique species. This unique environment also serves as the habitat for another endemic species, the Red-fronted Macaw, known for nesting in these towering palms. After a restful break and lunch prepared by the community, we'll journey towards Sucre, a colonial city and the constitutional capital of the country (though administrative functions are in La Paz). Sucre invites leisurely strolls to delve into the nation's history, indulge in diverse gastronomy, and enjoy a comfortable stay at a hotel. This marks a well-deserved respite after several nights in lodges and campsites, offering a moment for proper relaxation.

Aiquile

The Kuri Valley, in the upper part of the Caine river, stands as a highly representative area of the inter-Andean dry valleys and vegetation that has evolved to survive in these challenging conditions. Aiquile and Mizque are charming towns nestled amidst the valleys of the Cochabamba Department, in one of the regions with the lowest rainfall. Despite this, the area boasts remarkable agricultural productivity. Along the journey, you'll witness several fascinating valleys, each showcasing diverse flora, often found in small relicts along streams and watercourses, prompting various stops for exploration. We will camp in a singular spot near the Kuri Canyon, halfway to the town of Vacas in Cochabamba.

From the Kuri bridge we will go up for a while till reaching almost 4000 m in elevation. There, in the Vacas municipality, we will find a few stands of Puya raimondii, the largest bromeliad on Earth, also known as the Queen of the Andes for a reason. Visiting this impressive plant is the highlight of the day, one of the highlights of the trip, and a highlight in the life of anyone loving bromeliads or plants in general. This very slow-growing plant reaches truly impressive sizes, considering that it is non-woody. It grows for 100 years or more, then produces an inflorescence of several meters in size, with millions of flowers. After fruiting, once, it dies. Its life cycle is not well-known, but it seems it flowers anytime during the year, so we will have the chance to observe several or many flowering individuals. After visiting the Puya stand, we will go back to spend the night at Mizque.

The journey to Omereque winds through diverse sandy and arid valleys, with open vegetation and plenty of spines, including those of a plethora of cactus species. There will be several meso-environments worth exploring. There are high chances of seeing several species that you won't see again anywhere else in the world. Omereque is home to a nesting area for the Red-fronted Macaw, an endemic species in the Central Valleys of Bolivia, classified as threatened. To support conservation efforts, the community has built a tourist lodge, showcasing and valuing this unique species, where we will spend the night.

We will close the cycle by returning to Samaipata again through a different route. The gradient in precipitation is very marked along the route, and we will observe several complete turnovers of plant communities along the way. Near Mataral we will abandon "Cactus land" to enter again into the wetter mountains more exposed to the Amazonian winds.

Santa Cruz

We will use the day to buffer delays that could have happened during the previous days. If everything has gone well, we will have time to visit a hummingbird sanctuary a few kilometers away from Samaipata. There, around 20 different species have been recorded, and landowners keep a variety of local plants that feed these typically Andean bird species. After that, we will repeat the route of our first day, back to Santa Cruz. We will stop on demand and depending on time availability and energies.