parque lomas de arena

What to want more? Beautiful weather, clear skies, warm white sand under your feet. A lot of sand. And among it the sapphire and emerald lagoons and evergreen oases, full of wild tropical vegetation … This is a paradise, but however so close to the city, I do not recommend to go there on your own. The road is bad, especially after rain, and full of stray dogs and strange people. The robbery also happens there. When the day is nice and not so windy (!), take a half-day tour with one of the agencies (eg. Nick's Adventures) and enjoy!More: https://boliviainmyeyes.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/lomas-de-arena-ii-terribly-beautiful-place-o-strasznie-pieknym-miejscu/

We visited the Lomas with Nick's Adventures. They were great, Caroline was a great addition to our trip. Our daughters took to her and she helped them go sand boarding. I couldn't participate because I had recently had surgery on my shoulder, so Caroline had a blast with my girls. Sadly the injured/repaired shoulder also made it so my wife was the only person carrying our almost 2 year old who really didn't appreciate the trip! I wouldn't mind going back someday when my kids are older, I'm not hurt, and when the wildlife is at its peak.

We went there without any tourguides. It is easy to go there. The micro red 21 is the best and you simply ask the busdriver when you have to leave. To enter the national park you have to pay 10bs. Now its about 7km to go there. Just ask the pickups crossing your way...of course they will Pick u up. It is more then hot..so u have to have some for your shoulders and brain. And a lot of water. The view is incredible and priceless. Enjoy the lagunas and the sundown!

We did the lomas de arena on our own, which is quite do-able. We took the 21 red micro from the center (ask around where it leaves) costs you 1 or 2 Bs, take it al the way to the end of the line. Then it is just 10 more minutes to the entrance of the park. From there it is 1 to 1,5 hours walking along the road to reach the dunes. There are no regular taxis or cars going from the entrance to the dunes. We walked to the dune, where we had lunch at the bungalowpark (it's somekind of a resort, i dont know if its always open), and the walked up the dune, REALLY beautifull. On the way back we got a ride in the back of a pickup truck so it took us only 10 minutes instead of an hour. Then back by micro to santa cruz. Nice adventure, and saves you lot of money not having to pay for a tour from the hostel or something.

My fourteen and eleven-year-old sons and I signed up with Nick and his lovely girlfriend Caro for a half-day trip to Lomas de Arena and were very, very happy with the result. They picked us up at our place promptly at 8am and drove us through the park and to the dunes. We'd heard that taxis will take you only to the park entrance (they are no doubt rightly concerned re getting stuck in the muddy, mucky road), which sets you back quite a long hike from the dunes. Going with Nick got us through the outer parts of Santa Cruz (also muddy roads), along the park trail, and onto the dunes very easily. We stopped along the way to view a sloth hanging from a tree, many birds, and to learn a bit about the area -- including the eco-system's flora and differences in the terrain. Nick is a committed and informed conservationist, whose knowledge of the area was a wonderful added bonus to our day.After stopping to rent a sand board, we walked to the dunes and spent the day riding the dunes and trekking a bit further into the area. Lomas is such a unique and beautiful spot -- lakes in the middle of dunes, quicksand to sink into, thick jungle abutting the dunes, wildlife all around, plus the chance to whip down dunes and splash into a lake below.Nick managed all of this for us and Caro took photos and videos of our day, which will come our way (huge bonus). Both are full of useful and interesting information and eager to share their recommendations - even making a spot on recommendation for a restaurant in city center we'd somehow missed.As we left Lomas, we passed a truck sunk into a watery mess, underscoring the value of going with an experienced guide. Nick was very responsive to my email inquiries and up-front re the costs - I recommend both Lomas and Nick's Adventures for a great day.

Nick is a dedicated conservationist and a cool, knowledgeable and interesting person. He took us around this area and has a very good eye for finding things. He also helped me with the latter part of my Bolivia trip with solid advice. So if I return, I will be booking additional tours with himIt's best not to take a taxi because once you get inside, you still have a long walk to the dunes. Nick drives a 4x4 truck that went through several giant puddles before we got out to walk aroundI went with my 10 year old son who loved this place. We saw lots of owls and one large cayman. We did this as a replacement for Jardin (too much rain)

Las Lomas de Arena are absolutely outstanding! I currently am living in Bolivia and could not find an easy way to get to them. It seems like everyone who tried to see them on their own had terrible experiences, like the taxi getting stuck, and after traveling there I can see why. I decided the easiest way was to take a tour. We went with Nick's Adventures and it was absolutely wonderful! He's very knowledgable about Bolivia, personable, and can recommend some other must-see parks in Bolivia. I would definitely take another tour with Nick's Adventures!

It took us a bit to find the entrance to this place, and we would recommend going in a 4WD vehicle (mainly for the peace of mind, it is possible to get there without one but it can be tricky). The sand dunes are nice for a walk, or running and rolling. When we were there, there was also few small lagoons with water around where you can wash off some of the sand again and cool off.Definitely worth a visit.Make sure to bring a picnic and some food and especially water when you go there. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the park and there is checks you have to go through, so best not to bring any.

March 2014. I just finished my second tour with Nick's Adventures. This one was to Lomas de Arena for the day and it was my second tour with them. The dunes are beautiful and its great to get out of the city and see what Bolivia has to offer. For those of you who are able-bodied and adventurous enough to do some 4x4 and walking, this tour is for you. Nick and Carolina picked us up at the hotel and we made our way out to the park. If you are accustomed to paved roads, the 4x4 roads can be a blast in itself. We saw several different types of wildlife and our guide(Nick) is very knowledgable about the area. The weather on our particular day was high overcast when we started out but the afternoon presented us with sunshine and wind. The topography of this area is amazing and I have never been anywhere like it. Make sure you bring some sunscreen, don't be afraid to get a little dirty, and enjoy your afternoon where the dunes meet the jungle. I highly recommend this trip.

We visited the Lomas de Arena in 2012 and there was no water anymore at the sanddunes, which makes it unatractive for a visit.

My wife and I were looking for something to do on a down day in Santa Cruz and were invited to join in on a trip to Lomas de Arena with Nick's Adventures. Glad we did. On the ride into the park, we were reminded why one is much better off with a professional guide. Nick zipped past at least a dozen vehicles (mostly other SUVs) that had managed to become embedded in the soft sands on the road leading to the dunes (many of these vehicles were still stuck in place when we left the park hours later). Upon arrival to the actual park, the sight of the massive sand dunes was very impressive. While other tourists were enjoying the first couple of dunes that you come across next to the parking area, Nick and his partner Carolina took us deep inside the park, where no one else ventured, to see how special and remarkable this place truly was. There were dozens of dunes stretching out as far as the eye could see, with watering holes and savannahs in between the sands that contained a surprising variety of animal life. I will never forget the sight of climbing over our last dune and being confronted by a vast wall of thick jungle.Be sure to dress appropriately for a hot and dry hike, and bring lots of water. While you will spend most of your time barefoot, there are points where you will need something on your feet. Flip flops are best.

Definitely worth a visit, we went on probably the hottest day (43 degrees!) but was really nice to see. Our guide was fantastic, we were taken by a 4 x 4 through the park and then on the way back we were taken to a local food street to taste different local speciality foods.

We went here just last Friday and wow. Took us a while to find the place, (we had no guide) and a 4wheel drive vehicle is absolutely necessary, but was worth it. On our way we came across a few farmers with a small herd of cows walking along, and had to drive through a creek. You can see the biggest dune from a ways off. Dress appropriately. If you are not accustomed to a hot windy type climate, wear pants and tie shoes. Also sunglasses because the wind is very strong on the top of the dunes and blows the sand into you. In the middle of some of the dunes is a little green spot of land with just a bit of water. As you see the wind blow the sand, you can almost see the green little oasis being swallowed up by the dunes. Really cool thing to see. We took water and sandwiches and had a little picnic at the foot of the dunes which was really nice. We didn't see any place to purchase food or drink and no bathrooms.

Such a cool disparity between dunes and jungle. As always, Nick and Caroline were awesome guides, friendly and informative. One of the best day trips I've done in a long time. Highly recommended!

The 4 of us decided to spend the morning at Lomas. The tour operator was an ex NZ commando Nick McPhee and his partner the lovely Carolina. Both are fluent in English and Spanish.They met us at the Hotel in a proper 4x4 vehicle. Nick was very hospitable and told us many things about Bolivia and Santa Cruz. The park had lots of sand; we saw a sloth in the jungle area. Overall, excellent excursion. The price was amazingly inexpensive - $150 and that included the park entrance fees. Wow!Not a place to go with kids under 12