Madidi National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area
Madidi National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area, National park in La Paz Department, Bolivia.
The national park extends from the snowy Andean mountains to the Amazon rainforest, covering 18,957 square kilometers with altitudes between 180 and 5,760 meters.
The Bolivian government established Madidi National Park on September 21, 1995, through Supreme Decree 24123 to protect its biological and cultural resources.
The protected area includes 46 indigenous communities of Tacana, Leco, Quechua, and Aymara peoples who maintain their traditional practices within the territory.
Visitors access the park from La Paz by land or air to Rurrenabaque or Apolo, where local guides lead expeditions through hiking trails and river navigation.
Scientists have documented 4,162 new species of plants, butterflies, and vertebrates between 2015 and 2017, making it one of Earth's most biodiverse areas.
Location: La Paz Department
Inception: September 21, 1995
Elevation above the sea: 247 m
Website: http://sernap.gob.bo/madidi
GPS coordinates: -14.33333,-68.33333
Latest update: May 27, 2025 07:06
Bolivia sits in the central Andes, linking mountain ranges, high plateau lands, and lowland rainforests in a landlocked country. The changes in altitude create different climate zones and landscapes, from snow-covered peaks to tropical vegetation. Many visitors start in La Paz, a city that clings to a canyon and where a cable car system moves traffic between neighborhoods. The colonial capital of Sucre preserves its white facades and courtyards from the 1600s, while Potosí sits at the foot of Cerro Rico, a mountain that saw centuries of silver mining. The natural sites range from Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian border to the Salar de Uyuni, an expansive salt flat that turns into a shallow mirror during the rainy season. Madidi National Park protects rainforest in the north, while the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve in the south shows colored lagoons and desert formations. The Tiwanaku archaeological site holds evidence of pre-Columbian civilizations, and the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos are wooden churches that survive in remote towns. The Valley of the Moon near La Paz forms eroded rocks that resemble lunar landscapes, and Torotoro National Park contains fossils and dinosaur tracks. The journey from La Paz to Coroico passes along the Death Road, a narrow mountain route that descends into the Yungas lowlands.
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