Bolivia : Destinations : Noel Kempff National Park

Noel Kempff National Park

It was first declared as Huanchaca Flora and Fauna National Park, by DS 16646 on June 28, 1979. Through Law 978 on March 4, 1988, the name was changed to Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, and by DS 21997 on August 31, 1988 , the surface area of the Park was widened for the first time. DS 24457, on December 23, 1996, decreed the second enlargement of the borders of the Park.

It is found in the northwest of the district of Santa Cruz and in the zone that borders with Brazil, extending 1.6 million hectares (3,840,000 acres). The park owes its name to the distinguished Bolivian biologist, Noel Kempff Mercado, who had originally negotiated the creation of the park with the government, but he was tragically killed on September 5, 1986. Therefore, in 1988, Huenchaca National Park officially changed its name and was called Noel Kempff Mercado.

Of incomparable beauty and a tremendous variety of flora and fauna species still in tact in their original habitat, the Park is the site where the two most important ecosystems of South America unite: the Amazon forests and the grasslands of the Escudo Precámbrico (Precambrian Shield). It is believed, by virtue of its particular biogeographic situation, that the Noel Kempff Park owns one of the highest levels of biological diversity on the planet, which has disappeared from other more accessible areas of the Amazon Basin. 

The main plateau that occupies the park, Caparú, rises to 980 m (3214 ft) above sea level and descends down to the plains that are encircled by the abrupt, grandiose cliffs and crests that protect them. Adjacent to the park is the Laguna Bahía (Lagoon Bay) Biological Reserve with its rich bird species and the presence of a large capacity of "caimanes negros" birds. There are more than 600 species of birds within the park.  

The park's main camp is called Flor de Oro, "Gold Flower", and is also one of the main tourist poles of the region. It is situated between the Itenez river and a small grassland. You can see several common species of aquatic birds and mammals in the river and bays. 
In the center of the park you can visit the camp called Los Fierros (Iron) and the second tourist pole of the park. This camp allows you to observe the wide variety of bird species and the El Encanto and La Discordancia Waterfalls. It is also possible to sport fish and navigate outside of the park on the Paragua river. Around the camp and the grasslands of Los Fierros, there are various forests, where more birds live than in the forests of the "Flor de Oro". 

In general, one can appreciate the 5 different types of ecosystems that coexist here: the Shield's sub humid forest (the only one in Bolivia), areas of the Shield's Seasonal Humid Forests in the lowlands, coastal/riverside forests, the Shield's semi deciduous forests, and the Savannahs of the Cerrado region which remain very well preserved. Traditionally, the zone has been utilized for the exploitation of rubber.

The flora of the park is plentiful in diverse and extremely interesting formations of vegetation. The park recognizes economically important species such as the "mara", oak, cedar, rubber, various species of palm like the "asaí" or palmetto. There is also a diverse array of types of orchids and florist communities typical of the Cerrado.

As far as the fauna is concerned, the area is inhabited by wildlife species that are endangered in other regions of the country, such as the white deer, stag, and the elk. The jaguar and the "tigrecillo" or ocelot are among the felines that you find. There have been reported sightings of the melanic or black jaguar. Of the 8 species of primates, the ones that stand out are the "mono titi" (Saimiri oerstedii), the spider monkey, and the "manechi" (Alouatta seniculus).