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 p.1 #1 · Pivoting February Plans — Uyuni to Noel Kempff Mercado Nat’l Park | |
So… I’ve decided to pivot from my original plans to return to Uyuni and the southern high desert following Carnaval in Oruro.
Thanks to those who reached out in response to my earlier post — I learned a lot, made some useful connections, and that trip will absolutely happen in the future.
Instead, I’m heading to Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, on Bolivia’s northeastern border with Brazil. This park has fascinated me for more than two decades, and I’m finally going to see it!
This is not a group trip, though comments from afar are welcome. It’s a small, logistics-heavy recon to assess conditions, access, and feasibility. The long-term idea is to understand whether a future, small-scale, photographer-oriented expedition could be done responsibly
If the rains cooperate, we’ll enter the northern sector via Piso Firme, traveling with:
• A close friend and guide (known from Uyuni),
• A park ranger (required and more than welcome),
• The captains of two boats,
• And a local family member.
Total round trip from Santa Cruz will be roughly 10–12 days. Our route will take along the Itenez River, on the border, then down into the park on the Paucerna River. Most of our getting around will be on water, though we’ll have a few hikes including from our base camp on the Paucerna to the Ahlfeld falls (about 2-3 hour round trip), and to Arco Iris falls (10-12 hours round trip).
This is primarily a reconnaissance trip, organized in coordination with the SERNAP director of the park, and may include some basic field observations to support ongoing discussions around whether limited, responsible tourism could be feasible in the park in the near term, or at least what it would take for that to happen. (I, and others, believe it can.) At present, tourism there is effectively nil due to remoteness, lack of infrastructure and funding, and the realities of operating in such an isolated environment.
Along the way, we’ll be clearing limited sections of the Paucerna River corridor (by machete) to reopen access toward Ahlfeld and Arco Iris waterfalls. We’re going at the tail end of the rainy season, so we expect to be among the first—if not the first—to enter that area in several months. One objective is practical: reopening access so others may follow later in the season.
Noel Kempff remains one of the last truly wild spaces in the Americas. I’ll share updates as conditions allow, and I’ll report back afterward with a candid assessment—what worked, what didn’t, and whether this is something worth revisiting for others down the line.
A bit about gear…
• Z8 + 120-300/2.8 (heavy, but won’t be hiking much with this one) and possibly my 600 PF
• ZR + 24-120/4 (documentary, mainly)
• Camping gear - I’ll bring my own kit with tent, sleeping bag, water filter, etc.
• Solar panels; hoping to find a reasonably-priced power station there in country
• Snake proof gaiters; various forms of repellent (no deet will touch my camera, of course…)
• Dry bags, MRE’s, my JetBoil minimo because I must have my coffee
Will offer updates in this thread… we’re 90% go to start out on February 20, with an eye on the weather since the approach will be by land.
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