A Guide to Bahuaja-Sonene National Park

Upstream along the Tambopata River, from Puerto Maldonado, is the expansive Bahuaja-Sonene National Park, which can also be reached via the Heath River in the east.

Tropical humid savannah near Heath River, in Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. — Tropical humid savannah near Heath River, in *Bahuaja-Sonene National Park*.

This is a completely different type of Amazon landscape: Peru’s only tract of tropical humid savannah, intermittently flooded grasslands similar to the Pantanal of Brazil.

Bahuaja-Sonene was declared a national park in July 1996, and its 1,091,416 hectares (4,214 square miles) in the Departments of Madre de Dios and Puno comprise river terraces, hills … and mountains, with elevations ranging from 500 m (1,640 ft) to 2,450 m (8,038 ft).

The main rivers in the area are the Heath, Tambopata and Candamo. The park shares borders with Madidi National Park in Bolivia to the east; and Tambopata National Reserve to the north.

It is hoped that one day Bahuaja-Sonene will be part of the Vilcabamba Amboro Conservation Corridor, which will join all these tropical forest reserves to Manu and the high Andes in Cusco.

Maned Wolf, such as to be found in Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. — Maned Wolf, such as to be found in *Bahuaja-Sonene National Park*.

Flora & Fauna of Bahuaja-Sonene:

While much of the wildlife is the same as the rainforest zone, the savannah areas attract different creatures, such as:

Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)
Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus)
Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

Anthropology of Bahuaja-Sonene:

The area of Bahuaja-Sonene is the ancestral land of the Ese’eja indigenous group. In fact, the park’s name uses their language: ‘Bahuaja’ is Tambopata River, while ‘Sonene’ is Heath River.

The village of Kotsimba is inhabited by another indigenous group, the Pukirieri.

How To Visit Bahuaja-Sonene:

Other than a couple of lodges along the Heath River, the massive park has little in the way of visitor facilities. Best known of these is the Heath River Wildlife Center, about five hours by boat from Puerto Maldonado.

The Heath River marks the frontier with Bolivia, so visitors should check whether they need a Bolivian visa before travelling here.

Alternatively, beginning in the high tundra of Puno Department, our epic Tambopata River Rafting itinerary passes through Bahuaja-Sonene on the way downstream to Puerto Maldonado.