October 5-18, 2025 with Micah Riegner & local guides
Bolivia is one of those countries like Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia that you can’t do justice to with just one visit, which is why we’ve developed this new itinerary delving into its avian-rich (and I mean filthy rich!) lowlands. The Andes cover the western third of Bolivia and, for this itinerary, we sampled a number of important habitats comprising the eastern two thirds of the country. First, we got a taste of the Chiquitania forests, a low-stature, semi-deciduous forest, surrounding Santa Cruz, then we flew to Riberalta at the southern edge of the Amazon Basin. We birded the Cerrado at Pampa San Lorenzo, then immersed ourselves in the vast Beni Savanna, a complex network of marshes, gallery forest, Cerrado and palm forests, around Trinidad and Reserva Barba Azul. Our charter flight in and out of Barba Azul gave us an idea of just how vast and intact the Beni Savanna remains. We finished the tour in the foothills of the Andes at Sadiri Lodge, teaming with feeding flocks and specialty birds we don’t get on any other tour.
Our first morning we birded the Viru Viru International Airport. We enjoyed some hot Salteñas (a Bolivian empanada filled with spicey chicken or beef) then Carlos, our longtime driver, drove us around to see Red-winged Tinamous right outside the airport parking lot! At Valle Sanchez, the neighborhood east of the airport, we flushed a White-bellied Nothura that darted away into a weedy field. We then walked a trail to the Rio Pirai, finding Bolivian Slaty Antshrikes, a surprising number of Amazonian Motmots, Golden-crowned Warblers, White-wedged Piculets, Ochre-fronted Tody-Flycatcher, a perched Hook-billed Kite and some highly vocal Bolivian Gray Titi Monkeys, the first of many mammals. We had lunch back at the airport, then flew to Riberalta. Upon our arrival, we dropped off our bags at the hotel, then we left for Reserva Hamburgo, a protected patch of floodplain forest right outside of town, to try for Masked Antpitta, the main reason we were there. We heard numerous antpittas trilling at dusk but couldn’t lock onto one with our bins.
The following day, however, brought us better luck. We reached Hamburgo predawn and listened to the forest awaken—a Pheasant Cuckoo sang from a canopy limb, while Tawny-bellied Screech-owls gave their last sullen hoots. Once it was light enough to see, we meandered into the floodplain forest and eventually locked onto a Masked Antpitta, one of the most range-restricted birds in Amazonia! Through the scope we could see its striking facial pattern and scaly breast pattern. What a bird! We continued to bird Hamburgo finding Johannes’s Tody-Tyrant, a Dusky-tailed Flatbill, Yellow-crowned Amazons and Plumbeous Antbirds. We then drove to another access point and found Purus Jacamars, Hauxwell’s Thrush, and a Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle chased by a Bat Falcon. Right before lunch we paid a visit to the Rio Beni, the river that joins the Madre de Dios, then connects to the Rio Madiera in Brazil, where we saw some Horned Screamers and White-bellied Seedeater (the black-backed subspecies).
We took off early the next morning to reach Pampa San Lorenzo before it got too hot. Early on, we had nice looks at White-eared Puffbirds, a Rusty-backed Antwren and dozens of Plain-crested and Lesser Elaenias, but the star of the morning was Rufous-sided Scrub-tyrant, an adorable little flycatcher restricted to the Cerrado. We were on our way back for lunch when Lynn spotted a Butterfly Coquette at some yellow flowers along the road—a scarce little bird indeed! Before our flight to Trinidad, we squeezed in one more afternoon at Hamburgo. We picked up a number of new trip birds, including Gray Antbird, Amazonian Antshrike, and Band-tailed Manakins at a lek. Watching those manakins bounce around in the understory was quite something! We flew to Trinidad, and Carlos, with his son Pedro, magically appeared to pick us up.
The next few days we covered the complex mosaic of waterways, reedbeds, palm savannas and gallery woodlands surrounding Trinidad, where we enjoyed Scarlet-headed and Unicolored Blackbirds, the Beni form of Plain Softtails, Velvet-fronted Grackles, Rusty-backed Spinetail, Band-tailed Antbirds, Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Rufous Casiornis, Large Elaenias, Mato Grosso Antbird, Southern Yellowthroat, Hudson’s Black-Tyrant, lots of Toco Toucans and a surprising number of Staneck’s Tyrannulets. We saw a number of cool mammals, too, including Bolivian Red Howlers, more Bolivian Gray Titi Monkeys, Red Brocket Deer, Crab-eating Racoon, Crab-eating Fox and the endemic Bolivian River Dolphin, isolated from its Amazonian cousins by a series of rapids downstream.
Then it was time to leave Carlos and Pedro and fly to Reserva Barba Azul, one of the last strongholds of the Blue-throated Macaw. We met Raul, the local guide, and loaded into two Cessna aircrafts. The flight was nothing short of spectacular. We flew over vast marshes, meandering rivers, islands of forest, and from the plane we could even see Jabirus, Wood Storks, and vultures and Savanna Hawks soaring below us. I was tempted to keep an eBird list, but Cornell hasn’t come up with a “flight protocol” yet. We landed at Barba Azul and the staff were there to greet us: Jhulian the park ranger, Rocio the tourism coordinator, and Maribel the waitress. We loaded bags into the ATV trailer and then walked the trail to the lodge, about 10 minutes away. We had a nice cool drink, then got settled into the cabañas. In the afternoon we crossed the boardwalk to Isla Barba Azul. It was still pretty toasty out, but we saw Paraguayan Snipe and a White-rumped Sandpiper in the mud. We walked the trail through the shade Motacu palms and saw Black-and-gold Howlers, Red-rumped Agoutis, Brown Capuchins and, most importantly, Blue-throated Macaws! We watched them for a while, and then they took off. Thankfully, it was the first of many encounters. On the way back we saw Streamer-tailed Tyrant from the boardwalk.
Our next full day at Barba Azul we birded the Cerrado. On our way back across the marsh, we saw both Ash-throated and Rufous-sided Crakes, then Jhulian and Rocio picked us up and we drove out into the expansive grasslands, finding White-rumped Monjita, Sharp-tailed Tyrants, and Grass Wren along the way. Our main target was Cock-tailed Tyrant, which we eventually spotted a good way off. We stopped and got out to walk a side road along the fence where they were perching, getting right up to a displaying male. It was awesome to see it (and hear it!) so close. We then drove on to the shortgrass fields and saw good numbers of migrant Buff-breasted Sandpipers and a few Upland Sandpipers were mixed in, too, refueling for their journey to Argentina. While we watched the shorebirds some Yellowish Pipits performed their aerial displays above us. That afternoon we walked out toward the landing strip and called an Undulated Tinamou right out across the trail. We reached the end of the landing strip and found some White-rumped Tanagers and a Black-masked Finch way the heck out, but it responded to playback and flew right in.
The next morning again, we birded the landing strip and saw a family group of Long-tailed Ground-Doves then not long afterwards we saw not one but two Maned Wolves! One crossed the landing strip a way off, then we spooked another one that was right along the trail! Unfortunately, it darted off without giving us time to get photos. In the late afternoon we went back out toward Isla Barba Azul and counted a total of 59 Blue-throated Macaws flying to their roosting islands. It was heartwarming to see so many of them.
Sadly, it was time to leave Barba Azul, so we packed our bags and headed out to the landing strip to await the pilots Francisco and Nicolas for our charter flight to Rurrenabaque. We saw a close pair of Orinoco Geese, then another Black-masked Finch on a wire. A pair of Long-tailed Reed-Finches showed up but, best of all, we heard two Dwarf Tinamous, one on either side of the road! This enigmatic species has only recently been found in Bolivia and we were some of the first to record it! We tried to call them into view, but they didn’t want to move.
Our pilots dropped us off in the town of Reyes (due to fog in Rurrenabaque). The drivers came to pick us up, we said goodbye to Raul and greeted his brother Hernan and his assistant Orlando, our guides for Sadiri Lodge. We made a brief stop at the office in town, then continued to the lodge. One of our vehicles had some mechanical issues, so we waited for another one to arrive to get us. Once settled at the lodge we birded the main road, finding a feeding flock with Scaled Fruiteater, Sharpbills, Guira Tanagers, Yungas Tyrannulet, and loads of honeycreepers. We walked up the trail behind the ranger station trying for Subtropical Pygmy-Owl, but got no response. We birded a bit more along the road until dark, then did our checklist and dinner.
There was heavy fog the following morning and we literally couldn’t see anything around the lodge, so we drove down in elevation to get below the fog line, and it turned out to be a productive morning. We saw Western Striolated Puffbird (the one Bret named after Obama), Southern Emerald Toucanets, Amazonian Pygmy-Owl a Spot-legged Poison Frog, and a feeding flock with Yellow-crested Tanager and Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulets. Before turning back for lunch, we saw a Rufous Motmot that was buried in the vegetation. Back at the lodge, Hernan pointed out a Great Potoo roosting in a tree below, while a Golden-tailed Sapphire buzzed by the red flowers. A Black-faced Antthrush was singing nearby, so we called it in and had incredible views of it. We spent the afternoon on the road and the fog was still really thick, so again, we went down in elevation where we called in Hairy-crested Antbird –stunning bird! At dusk we called in a pair of Band-bellied Owls, then we headed back up for dinner.
Having birded the foothills, it was time to head to the lower elevations for a new set of birds. We left for San Jose del Uchupiamonas, the village in the middle of Madidi National Park where Raul and Hernan are from. At our first stop, we saw Madidi Titi Monkey, yet another mammal for the tour, Curl-crested Aracaris, and a close pair of White-browed Antbirds. Further along, we stopped and saw both Gilded and Lemon-throated Barbets, Pink-throated Becards and a troop of Saddle-backed Tamarins, a Fasciated Antshrike sitting for scope views, King Vulture, White-necked Puffbird and Rufous-bellied Euphonia. We heard Starred Wood-quail, but they didn’t come into view. We reached San Jose Uchupiamonas and had a wonderful lunch at someone’s house, then we birded a bit around the town before heading back up to the lodge. It was cool to see Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers on their wintering grounds, a bird I’m used to seeing in the tropical dry forests of Mexico.
Our final day at Sadiri, we birded first near the cabañas and saw Banded Antbird singing right in the middle of the trail, a pair of Tawny-crowned Greenlets, Yellow-lored Tanagers and we heard Brownish-headed Antbird, but it didn’t come into view. Some Military Macaws appeared through a hole in the canopy—migrants passing through. Farther along, I heard a Semicollared Puffbird from up the slope and before long we were soaking it up through the scope! Heck-of-a bird. We wrapped up the morning with Amazonian Royal Flycatcher, Collared Trogon, and a feeding flock with Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, Slaty-capped Shrike-vireo, Masked Tanagers and White-winged Shrike-Tanager, then headed back up for another wonderful lunch. In the afternoon we drove back toward San Jose Uchupiamonas, first stopping for Eastern Woodhaunter that was calling below the lodge. We made it to the site where Hernan had seen Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoos the week before, so I played the recording and within a few minutes one responded. It came right to the edge of the road cooing and bill snapping, but it was just a solid wall of vegetation, so sadly we couldn’t see it. Frustrating! We made our way back after dark finding Silky-tailed Nightjars and a Long-tailed Potoo along the road.
Sadly, it was time to leave the comforts of Sadiri Lodge, so we loaded up after breakfast and drove back down to Rurrenabaque. We stopped at a palm grove along the way and squeezed out a few new birds (Point-tailed Palmcreepers and Red-bellied Macaws) before reaching the airport for our flight back to Santa Cruz. Arriving in Santa Cruz, we had lunch at a great Brazilian buffet restaurant, then we swung through Laguna Guapilo where we picked up Ringed Teal, Fulvous Whistling Ducks and White-winged Coots—all new birds for the trip. We had our final dinner back at the hotel joined by Tjalle Boorsma, a Dutch conservationist working with the Blue-throated Macaw. He gave us some good insights on what it’s like doing conservation work in Bolivia.
Lots of people took part in making this a hugely successful tour. First, I’d like to thank our drivers Carlos and his sons Pedro and Gabriel for driving around Santa Cruz and Trinidad, Vincent Voss and his family for hosting us in Riberalta, the wonderful staff at Barba Azul and Sadiri Lodge, and our guides Raul, Hernan and Orlando for all their help in getting us on the birds. I’d like to thank Caroline and our ground agent for lining everything up for us and you all for joining me on this wild adventure through Bolivia—I hope to see you again before too long!
Mammals
Large Fruit-eating Bats (Artibeus spp.) Several were feeding on Cecropia fruits at Sadiri Lodge.
Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus) These tremendous fish-eating bats were flying over the marsh at Barba Azul.
Black-capped Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri boliviensis) We saw some around Trinidad.
Bolivian Gray Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus donacophilus) We saw these noisy titis around Santa Cruz and also at Puerto Bolivian near Trinidad.
Madidi Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus aureipalatii) This localized endemic was seen below Sadiri Lodge.
Black-and-gold Howler (Alouatta caraya) These are the howlers at Barba Azul. The males are all black while the females are blond.
Bolivian Red Howler (Alouatta sara) We saw a few at Puerto Ballivian.
Brown Capuchin (Sapajus apella) Seen at Barba Azul and Sadiri Lodge.
Black Spider Monkey (Ateles chamek) We heard them at Sadiri Lodge but never got eyes on them.
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus) We saw one our final day at the Santa Cruz Botanical Gardens.
Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Holy smokes, what a view! Seen right off the road at Barba Azul
Six-banded Armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) These were running around the grounds at Barba Azul.
Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) Seen a couple times at Barba Azul.
Southern Amazon Red Squirrel (Sciurus spadiceus)
Greater Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) Abundant around Trinidad and Barba Azul.
Common Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) Seen regularly throughout the tour.
Bolivian River Dolphin (Inia boliviensis) We saw these on our river trip at Puerto Ballivian.
Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) Seen at night along the road near Trinidad, then along the road near Rurrenabaque.
Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) Certainly the mammal highlight of the trip. We saw one cross the landing strip at Barba Azul, then we turned around and one was crouched under a tree right next to us! As soon as we saw it, the animal sprinted off into the grasses.
Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) We saw one near Trinidad, then one on the lawn at Barba Azul.
South American Coati (Nasua nasua) A few zipped by at Barba Azul.
Collared Peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) A few ran across the landing strip at Barba Azul.
Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) Seen regularly in the marsh at Barba Azul.
Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) We saw a number of them out in the grasslands at Barba Azul.
Common Red Brocket (Mazama americana) We saw one cross through a field in Trinidad.
Herps
Spot-legged Poison Frog (Ameerega picta) Seen along the main road at Sadiri Lodge
Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) Abundant in the Beni.
Bridled Forest Gecko (Gonatodes humeralis) Seen at Riberalta.
Miranda’s White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus macrosternum) At Barba Azul.
Chaco Tree Frog (Boana raniceps) These were on the boardwalk ferry at Barba Azul.
Mato Grosso Lancehead (Bothrops mattogrossensis) Seen at Barba Azul.
Giant Ameiva (Ameiva ameiva) Common throughout the tour.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/427378
You can see my iNaturalist report of non-avian taxa at this link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/field-guides-bolivia-lowlands-tour
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/blw25TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Micah