Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, World Heritage Site in Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park covers 1,523,446 hectares on the Brazilian Shield in northeastern Santa Cruz Department. It protects the Huanchaca Plateau, a tableland of Precambrian sandstone and quartzite bounded by cliffs 200 to 700 metres high, where rivers such as the Paucerna and Verde form waterfalls including the 88-metre Arcoiris Falls. The park spans upland evergreen forest, dry forest, cerrado savanna and wetlands.
The area was established as Huanchaca National Park in 1979 and renamed in 1988 to honor biologist Noel Kempff Mercado. The name change marked its shift from a local to an internationally recognized protected site.
Indigenous communities near the park maintain their traditional ways of life and remain important to protecting the natural resources around them. Their presence shapes how the land and forests are used today.
Visitors should arrange their visit through certified tour operators, as the park is remote and requires special arrangements. The best time to visit is during the dry season when trails are easier to access.
Arcoiris Falls drops 88 metres from the cliffs of the Huanchaca Plateau, whose rocks are Precambrian sandstone and quartzite of the Brazilian Shield. The plateau's edge forms cliffs 200 to 700 metres high, and the same escarpment carries Frederico Ahlfeld Falls, 25 to 45 metres tall, and El Encanto Falls at 80 metres.
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