Bolivia Field Report: Uyuni Complete, Amazon & Cloud Forest Expeditions in the Works
Just back from a winter (dry season) photo tour across Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni and southern altiplano, and wanted to share a few notes — especially for wildlife and landscape photographers curious about this region or other parts of Bolivia. I’m also planning two very different follow-up expeditions: a cloud forest trek through the Yungas, and a remote Amazon wildlife field trip into Noel Kempff Mercado National Park.
⸻
Uyuni & High Desert (July 2025)
This was my fifth time photographing the region, but my first in winter, which made for great light and clear skies — but also serious cold. Mornings dropped to around –15°C (5°F) in the high desert. (I kept batteries in an inside jacket pocket.)
As expected, wildlife sightings were limited at that time of year, but I did capture several vizcachas and good numbers of flamingos (mostly at Laguna Colorada), plus smaller highland birds around the salar rim and on Isla Incahuasi.
Gear notes:
• Bodies: Nikon Z8 and Z7II
• Lenses: 20/1.8, 24–70/2.8, Voigt 125mm APO, 600mm PF
• The 600 PF was ideal for birds at the lagoons — lightweight and plenty of reach
• Used an Acratech pano head with a nodal rail — probably overkill for this trip since most pano scenes were distant
• We had the rare chance to overnight at Isla Incahuasi, which gave us prime Milky Way conditions over the salar
• No CPL or ND used this time, but in shoulder season or wetter periods I could see value in both
Images here if anyone’s curious (mostly landscape + some telephoto work):
⸻
Looking Ahead – Two Wild Expeditions in Planning
Noel Kempff Mercado NP (August 2026)
• 8-day fly-in expedition to the southern escarpment of the Caparú Plateau
• Wildlife targets include giant otters, macaws, maned wolves, tapirs, and possibly harpy eagle
• Completely off-grid, camping-based, with small group (4–5 max)
• Coordinating with a local naturalist and may include a tracker, depending on availability
Bolivian Yungas Trek (October 2026)
• 10-day trek from Andean puna into the cloud forest
• Looking to photograph cock-of-the-rock, tanagers, orchids, waterfalls, and ridgeline forest
• Mix of rustic hospedajes and lightweight camps; some steep descents and stream crossings
These aren’t lodge tours — they’re real field expeditions with full logistical support but focused on time in wild environments, not creature comforts. If anyone has shot in Madidi, Manu, Noel Kempff, or similar Amazon/rainforest edge environments, I’d love to hear what worked for you — especially in terms of tracking support or wildlife behavior.
Happy to trade notes or share itineraries if others are planning similar routes.
Bolivia Field Report: Uyuni Complete, Amazon & Cloud Forest Expeditions in the Works
Just back from a winter (dry season) photo tour across Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni and southern altiplano, and wanted to share a few notes — especially for wildlife photographers curious about this region or other parts of Bolivia. I’m also planning two very different follow-up expeditions: a cloud forest trek through the Yungas, and a remote Amazon wildlife field trip into Noel Kempff Mercado National Park.
⸻
Uyuni & High Desert (July 2025)
This was my fifth time photographing the region, but my first in winter, which made for great light and clear skies — but also serious cold. Mornings dropped to around –15°C (5°F) in the high desert. I kept batteries inside my jacket and was glad I did.
Some wildlife sightings were limited at that time of year, but I did photograph several vizcachas and good numbers of flamingos (mostly at Laguna Colorada), plus smaller highland birds around the salar rim.
Gear notes:
• Bodies: Nikon Z8 and Z7II
• Lenses: 20/1.8, 24–70/2.8, Voigt 125mm APO, 600mm PF
• The 600 PF was ideal for birds at the lagoons — lightweight and plenty of reach
• Used an Acratech pano head with a nodal rail — probably overkill for this trip since most pano scenes were distant
• We had the rare chance to overnight at Isla Incahuasi, which gave us prime Milky Way conditions over the salar
• No CPL or ND used this time, but in shoulder season or wetter periods I could see value in both
Images here if anyone’s curious (mostly landscape + some telephoto work):
⸻
Looking Ahead – Two Wild Expeditions in Planning
Noel Kempff Mercado NP (August 2026)
• 8-day fly-in expedition to the southern escarpment of the Caparú Plateau
• Wildlife targets include giant otters, macaws, maned wolves, tapirs, and possibly harpy eagle
• Completely off-grid, camping-based, with small group (4–5 max)
• Coordinating with a local naturalist and may include a tracker, depending on availability
Bolivian Yungas Trek (October 2026)
• 10-day trek from Andean puna into the cloud forest
• Looking to photograph cock-of-the-rock, tanagers, orchids, waterfalls, and ridgeline forest
• Mix of rustic hospedajes and lightweight camps; some steep descents and stream crossings
These aren’t lodge tours — they’re real field expeditions with full logistical support but focused on time in wild environments, not creature comforts. If anyone has shot in Madidi, Manu, Noel Kempff, or similar Amazon/rainforest edge environments, I’d love to hear what worked for you — especially in terms of tracking support or wildlife behavior.
Happy to trade notes or share itineraries if others are planning similar routes.
Aug 16, 2025 at 06:20 AM
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