Eco lodge accommodation in Bolivia

The ecolodge is fully owned and operated by the indigenous Tacana community of San Miguel. The inhabitants of San Miguel built the ecolodge with the financial and technical help of local authorities and several social and environmental NGO’s. The Tacana community own the land, infrastructure and circuits. The income from the ecolodge goes towards improving the lives of the people of the community and to conserving the incredibly rich biodiversity that the Madidi Park is famous for.

Our aim is to revitalize the Tacana culture through the preservation of history, traditions and cultural expressions such as handicrafts, dances, language, architecture, myths, and music. We provide a sustainable economic alternative for the community of San Miguel and promote development that will help to preserve the natural resources of Madidi National Park and provide a source of environmental and cultural education to visitors.

Our lodge has been designed to minimise impact on the surrounding environment and uses locally sourced, sustainable materials from the forest and was built by the community using traditional methods. Solar panels provide electricity to parts of the lodge with the plan of complete solar coverage by 2009. Waste water is filtered and purified biologically before being reintroduced into the environment. Rubbish is separated and recycled with organic wastes being used for fertilisation in the communities’ agriculture which in turn is a contributor to the lodges’ restaurant.

All the guides are from the San Miguel community and have grown up in this unique environment. With the support of United Nations Development Fund and Conservation International all the guides have been trained to work in a way that harmonises with present standards of ecotourism. Continued self-development opportunities are available to our staff with English classes and other workshops being provided by volunteers. Local crafts are on sale to our visitors at a fair price which has led to an increase of interest amongst the community members in keeping alive their traditional knowledge.

Our priority is to improve our standard of living now and for the future generations of the San Miguel community through the generation of revenues, the conservation of nature, and the administration of natural resources in a sustainable way.
There is a circuit to the San Miguel community in which there is an opportunity to make sugar cane juice with the help of a San Miguel family. Every trip to Madidi National Park crosses through the Point of Control, in which each tourist is paying an entrance fee that goes toward maintaining the park. Supporting the community helps maintain a responsible eco-tourism operator, dubbed 'Honorary Park Rangers' by Madidi National Park.

We teach the locals to keep the community clean, and to respect and protect the wildlife, and we provide employment that keeps the locals from cutting and selling trees. We also teach English to the locals and to the children, education in guiding and managing. We believe in providing a local opportunity of healthy employment that gives community members access to economic resources in a manner that protects the environment and promotes sustainable living.

There are posters and books in the lounge regarding the Tacana culture and customs, including features on: agriculture, dance, fishing, medicinal plants. The museum has a feature on local fish. The guides provide a wide array of information and fun facts during the tours; the circuit to the community teaches the tourist the local way of life, ancient hunting skills, weaving, agriculture, medical plants. In the Interpretation room of Tacana Culture the tourists learn all they want about Tacana culture. They are given advice about prohibited activities regarding the Tacana people. They can get involved with the local people and conservation through visiting and volunteer programs.

This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here.