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

Located to the east of the department of Cochabamba, the park extends alongside the districts of Chapare-Carrasco and Tiraque. It has a surface of 6,226 km2 and its range altitude oscillates between 280 and 4,717 m.a.s.l.
It is cold in the western and southern heights (Tiraque-Pojo), and warm in the lowest places, in the northern area. The rains, that sometimes seem to be endless, facilitate the formation of an important number of rivers and creeks; among them the Iviriz, Chimor, Sajta, San Mateo, Ichilo and Ichoa.

Flora and Fauna

A park that covers and shelters more than 5,000 species of superior plants in surprising places of the "yunga" moor. A park with keua woods and various species of podocarpus, copal, palms and giant ferns. A park that is the refuge of more than 200 species of colorful and beautiful orchids.

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

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

But the main attraction is those beings that fly drawing nice twirls in the sky: the birds. There are roughly more than 800 species in this area, being the gucharo (Steatornis caripensis) the most known. These birds nest in the interior of caverns at 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 widespread ones as the Simoxenops striatus. Many of them are in danger of being exterminated.

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

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


Tourist Atractions

The Carrasco National Park offers numerous tourist attractions, as the Sanctuary of Wild Life that includes the Caverns of Repechn, two caves with gucharos 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, it starts 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 bear in mind that it is prohibited to enter without permission. You must not carry firearms, explosives, or any unnecessary tools for those that are only planning walk and admire nature.

You shouldn't take any baggage to the Sanctuary of Wild Life; plus, inside the caverns, it is not permitted to use reflectors or similar instruments and visitors are required to keep silence. For further security, the strolls are carried out in the company of a guide.

If you choose to visit Sehuencas -a southern area ideal for camping- it is advisable to take waterproof tents and clothes, because of frequent rains and storms. It is also needed to take food and water, kitchen utensils and the whole camping equipment. It is also recommended to get vaccinated against yellow fever.

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

The Carrasco National Park, as every other mysterious corner of Bolivia, is expecting you.