Lowlands

Altitude range: 80 to 1,000 m a.s.l. / 250 to 3,000 ft a.s.l.

Bolivia’s lowlands cover an immense and ecologically diverse portion of the country, encompassing five distinct bioregions: the Amazon, Cerrado, Chiquitanía, Chaco, and Pantanal. These regions together form one of the most biologically rich lowland mosaics in South America, offering a variety of ecosystems, climates, and wildlife communities.

 

🌿 Cerrado

The Cerrado is a savanna-like ecosystem composed of wooded grasslands, shrublands, and dry forests, characterized by nutrient-poor soils and periodic fires. Unlike the floodplains, the Cerrado is not subject to annual inundation.

In Bolivia, the Cerrado occurs in patches across the northern departments of La Paz and Beni, and more extensively on the ridges, plateaus, and rolling hills of northern and eastern Santa Cruz. This bioregion harbors species adapted to drier conditions and open environments, including armadillos, maned wolves, and a unique set of grassland birds.

🌲 Chiquitanía

Serving as an ecological transition zone between the Amazon and the Chaco, the Chiquitanía is dominated by semi-deciduous, semi-humid subtropical forests. These forests are particularly important due to their high biodiversity and endemism, combined with relatively low human disturbance in many areas.

The Chiquitanía has been recognized not only for its ecological value but also for its cultural richness, home to Indigenous and Jesuit missions that form part of Bolivia’s living heritage. Wildlife here reflects the blend of its neighboring ecosystems: anteaters, howler monkeys, macaws, and a diverse mix of tropical birds.

🌵 Chaco and Chaco Serrano

The Chaco is Bolivia’s driest lowland region, comprised mostly of xeric thorn forests, scrublands, and open woodlands. It experiences extreme seasonality, with hot, dry winters and brief, intense rainy seasons in summer.

Despite its arid appearance, the Chaco supports a surprisingly rich fauna, including peccaries, giant armadillos, and secretive cats like the ocelot and jaguarundi. Pockets of gallery forest, wetlands, and ephemeral lagoons dot the landscape, creating important refuges for wildlife during the dry months.

The Chaco Serrano, a subregion located on the lower eastern slopes of the Andes, features semi-humid to dry deciduous forests and foothill woodlands. These areas form a unique interface between lowland and montane ecosystems, home to a variety of species with restricted ranges.

In summary, Bolivia’s lowlands offer unmatched ecological variety—from flooded plains to dry thorn scrub, from humid rainforest to grassy savannas. Each bioregion presents its own conservation challenges and wildlife-viewing opportunities, making the Bolivian lowlands a must-visit for naturalists, ecotourists, and researchers alike.