Full-day Birding & Wildlife in Santa Cruz
One-Day Birding & Wildlife in Santa Cruz
Quick Access to the Diverse Fauna of the Chaco & Chiquitania
Tour Schedule
Red-legged Seriema by Hugo Santa Cruz
Just 40 minutes from Santa Cruz city lies the outstanding birding hotspot of Lomas de Arena Regional Park, a protected area set along the northern edge of the Chaco. Here, open savannas blend with scattered woodland, creating a diverse and scenic landscape. Depending on the season, temporary lagoons may form among the park’s iconic sand dunes—the striking natural feature that gives Lomas de Arena its name. Our main targets here include the Red-legged Seriema, Spot-backed Puffbird, Toco Toucan, Blue-crowned Trogon, White Woodpecker, White-wedged Piculet, and Chotoy Spinetail.
In the afternoon, we head to the Botanical Garden, a lush 550-acre tract of mature forest in the heart of the city. This forest, part of the Chiquitania ecoregion, is rich in biodiversity and offers excellent wildlife viewing.
The area is home to five species of monkeys—Tufted Capuchin, Black-and-gold Howler, Bolivian Red Howler, Azara’s Night Monkey, and White-eared Titi—with the first two often easily spotted. Other remarkable creatures include the Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Southern Amazon Squirrel, Capybara, Yacare Caiman, and Yellow-headed Sideneck Turtle.
And we haven’t even mentioned the birds! The forest teems with them. Among the highlights are Bare-faced Ibis, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Ringed Kingfisher, Great Kiskadee, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, and the sought-after Bolivian Slaty-Antshrike.
