The botanic garden & zoo of Santa Cruz, Bolivia

 I teamed up with a hostelmate to visit the Botanic garden and the Public Zoo. In Santa Cruz, the giant water lily, Victoria boliviana, is available at the private eco-park La Rinconada Gardens and the Jardín Botánico y Vivero Municipal. In 2022, Victoria boliviana was identified as a new species of giant water lily, with the largest record specimen having grown at La Rinconada. Unfortunately, the giant water Lily is not in season, yet the garden (admission 30b for foreigners) is still worthwhile (2-3hrs)

We planned to uber from the garden to the zoo, but couldn’t get a car, so we hob on a public bus to be close to the city center then got a uber. 

The Zoológico Municipal de Fauna Sudamericana Noel Kempff Mercado phouses 190 species, including 30 species of reptiles, 121 species of birds, and 40 species of mammals like the giant anteater, capybara, kinkajous, neotropical otters, pampas foxes, marsh deer, and llamas, along with various wild cats such as the jaguar, ocelot, and yaguarondi. The zoo also features numerous primates, including red howler, spider, white-fronted capuchin, and silvery marmoset monkeys, some of which reside on a special "Monkey Island". In the extensive aviaries, we saw many native birds, such as the endangered red-fronted macaw, various parrots, macaws, and toucans, as well as free-flying species. Additionally, the zoo has reptiles, including caimans, turtles, and snakes like the anaconda, along with various fish species housed in its acuaterrarium.

We were exhausted after the visited, so grabbed water and food from the market near the hostel and called it a day.