The Carrasco National Park is a mountainous landscape of incomparable beauty, of impetuous rivers and vertiginous waterfalls, of gentle valleys and deep canyons. There is, also, an exuberant vegetation that protects and harbors, almost as a last refuge, to a numerous quantity of animals, plants and trees that are in danger of extinction.

Located to the east of the department of Cochabamba, the park extends along the counties of Chapare-Carrasco and Tiraque. It has a surface of 6,226 square kilometers and its altitudinal range oscillates betweeen 280 and 4,717 m.a.s.l.
It is cold in the western and southern heights (Tiraque-Pojo), and warm in the lowest lands, in the northern region. The rains -that sometimes seem to be endless- facilitate the formation of an important number of rivers and creeks; among them the Ivirizú, Chimoré, Sajta, San Mateo, Ichilo and Ichoa.

Flora and fauna

A park that covers and give shelter to more than 5,000 species of superior plants in surprising places of yungueño moor. A park with keñua forests and several species of podocarpus, copal, palms and giant ferns. A park that is the haven for more than 200 species of colorful and beautiful orchids.

That is not everything, the area is a reserve of genetic and wood resources like the mara (Swietenia macrophyla), the cedar and the walnut (Bolivian Juglans).

The fauna is more than impressive. In the Carrasco National Park inhabits the jucumari or Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the taruca (Hippocamelus antisiensis), the jaguar (Panthera onca), the titi (Felis jacobita), among others.

But the biggest attraction is those beings that fly and draw nice twirls in the sky: the birds. It is estimated that there are more than 800 species in this area, being the guácharo (Steatornis caripensis) the most known. These birds nest in caverns at the interior of the park. We also find the Terenura sharpei, the Leptasthenura andicola, the Cnemarchus erythropygius, the Catamenia homochroa, the Idiopsar brachyurus, the Tangara ruficervix and the endemic ones as the Simoxenops striatus. Many of them are in danger of extinction.

This is part of the long list of the alive beings that inhabit the park. The bad thing is, that every day, the natural wealth is threatened by unscrupulous colonists of the area who practice -in an indiscriminate way- the mining exploitation of asbestos and marble.

Also, numerous men go into in the park, to carry out fishing with dynamite and to hunt some of the species furtively.

Tourist attractions

Despite many problems, the Carrasco National Park keeps offering numerous tourist attractions, as the Sanctuary of Wild Life that includes the Caverns of Repechón, two caves with guácharos and one with bats, as well as the natural puddles in the San Rafael and San Mateo rivers, the ruins of Incachaca, among others.

An assured adventure that begins with the purchase of an entrance ticket in Cochabamba or in the same park. Before taking the first steps in the Carrasco National Park, you must remember that it is forbidden to enter without permission. You must not carry firearms neither explosives, unnecessary tools for all those that are only looking for walking and admiring the nature.

You should not take baggage to the Sanctuary of Wild Life; plus, inside the caverns, it is not allowed to use reflectors or similar instruments and visitors are required to keep silence. For further security, the walks are carried out with the keepers of the park.

If you decide to visit Sehuencas -a southern area ideal for camping- it is recommendable to take waterproof tents and clothes, because of frequent rains and storms. It is also necessary to take provisions, kitchen utensils and the whole camping equipment. It is also recommended to get a vaccine against the yellow fever.

Created on October 11th, 1991, the Carrasco National Park give shelter to people coming from the heights of Bolivia. There is also some information regarding to the possible existence of groups of the Tuki ethnos that avoid the contact with the foreigners.

The Carrasco National Park, as every other magical corner of Bolivia, is waiting for you.