carrasco national park

First thing that NEEDS to be said, is that the oilbirds cave is completely empty in June and July. These birds are sold as the main attraction of this park, but what they do not tell you, is in June and July of every year the cave is empty as the birds have migrated North (Columbia and Venezuela).Getting to the village of Villa Tunari is easy, minivans called Trufis and normal bigger Bolivian buses leave from the same place - at Avenida Oquendo and Avenida Republica in Cochabamba. The buses take 6 hours, and the minivans 4 hours. Make sure you tell the bus driver to stop when you arrive at Villa Tunari otherwise you might find yourself many miles away as there is no terminal, just the side of the road.The National Park itself is a bit of a joke - a huge cover for coca growers who ploy their trade deep in the park. The park guards are just kids who you will be lucky to get hold of. The main guide or park guard, is called Sebastian, but he never answers his cell phone, which is the official number of the park. You have to pay 40Bs to get to the office at the park (around $6US) which takes half hour in a taxi just to find out if any guards are available. They are unfortunately obligatory, especially for the oilbirds walk which is located at the same office (as you have to cross a river with special equipment). Other walks may be possible without a guide, but they are supposed to be obligatory, and you might not find the right trail or animal - but we did not try this. The oilbirds trail has no other animals on it, other than a bat cave you go to first. Do not expect to see other animals as there are now houses in the park and the owners of these houses have dogs which even tried to attack us when we were on the trail.The trail takes 2 hours, and we were very disappointed that we only found about the migration of the birds at the office. If you like bats or ferns (not the giant ones that are in Samaipata), therefore, Villa Tunari is a good place to go. Otherwise, it might be better to go somewhere else (the oilbirds are found in Venezuela and many other countries). The Cock of the Rock bird is located on a different walk which costs more, and hour outside the town, but it was impossible to convince the guards to take us there. Shameful really, the place is wasted on the local people - and the number of trucks bringing logs out was an indictment on Bolivia's environmental policies.

I visited the outskirts of Carrasco from two sides - the Villa Tunari side to see the Oilbird caves as well as from the Incachaca side for more birds. Unfortunately the old road (known as 'Camino de las Nubes') is no longer passable, as it would have been a hell of bike ride. As I understand it, the road is barely passable by foot. Either way, the park is one of those few places where nature is winning. Man has limited access, but what access one does have is excellent. Although I never understood a word that our guides were talking about - they conveyed a sense of love and respect for the environment they were in. Getting great views and photos of the Oilbirds topped off an excellent afternoon trip. The trails to visit the Oilbird Caves are open at 08:00 and 15:00. Costs are divided by the number of people present (split differences between foreigners and locals). In other words, it is no use being one foreigner with 20 locals - you'll pay steeply!

Lugar de facil acesso, lindos lugares e um excelente lugar para alimentar a vista e a alma, lugar encantador!

Es un lugar que tiene en sus límites a Sehuencas, el lugar mas lindo del planeta, con agua cristalina y dulce, paisajes increíbles y la energía de un lugar mágico!!!

El parque se interna en el trópico boliviano. Tiene cuevas de guácharos y caminatas muy lindas e interesantes. Vas caminando y de repente, la lluvia tremenda, te amparas bajo unos árboles y sigues cuando despeja. Es un parque muy lindo, lo recomiendo y sugiero tiempo para visitarlo. Yo tuve muy poquito y me quedé con ganas de recorrerlo más.

Lo maravilloso del Chapare... selva, ríos maravillosos con el Espíritu Santo o el San Mateo, una flora indescritible y una fauna digna de ver y por qué no... temer. Es importante visitar los Guacharos, pájaros ciegos, entre otras cosas.

Es un paseo increíble por la selva tropical, los paisajes son hermosos, son mas o menos dos horas de caminata ligera/media, en la que cruzaras un río colgando en un carrito, podrás ver una especie de pájaros únicos ( los guacharos) viven en cavernas oscuras, estos animales son ciegos.Debes llevar repelente ya que es una zona húmeda y hay dos clases de mosquitos que no te dejaran respirar!, agua, bloqueador solar, gorro, ropa ligera y zapatos cómodos, ( no podrás comprar pilas cerca, así que lleva unas extra)

Muy bonito el lugar, muy limitado en espacio de paseo y carente de comodidades, no es lo que uno imagina.