Santa Cruz (437m/1,434ft) is the best place to start an educational study tour in Bolivia - it lies in the eastern lowlands and allows a gradual acclimatisation to increasingly high altitude while experiencing student-centered learning activities and sites to the west en route to La Paz (over 3,000m/10,000ft) higher up.

Classrooms Without Walls in Bolivia!

Calling higher education scholars — our graduate or postgraduate educational study programme in Bolivia involves learning and studying for academic or professional degrees.

Bolivia Naturally is one of few local companies who offer a comprehensive Bolivia educational study programme for universities, colleges and schools. Your outdoor classroom will be the enchanting and inspirational mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and waterfalls, montane grasslands and deserts of Bolivia.

Through lectures, discussions and field study, your students will gain an understanding and greater appreciation of ecology, communities and threats to sustainability.

Why study in Bolivia?

Broaden your horizons!

Isolated in the heart of South America, Bolivia evolved a composition of native plants and animals unlike anywhere else in the world. It provides perfect examples for students to study the patterns, processes and conflicts that occur in the natural environment. Bolivia exhibits a myriad of easily accessible habitats and landscapes that have experienced human impact for a relatively short period of time. As a destination for young travellers, Bolivia is a safe and friendly country.

Study the ecology of a diverse range of communities and specific resource management issues in various areas of rural Bolivia in central South America. Research the background information, current issues, opinions of local people and seek specialist advice on your chosen topic. We work closely with educators to provide comprehensive study tours that meet your specific pedagogical objectives and include cultural highlights of the country at a reasonable price.

Encourage deeper personal and intellectual growth, strengthen global competency, and give your students a treasure trove of unforgettable memories to call upon for years to come.

WHERE?

• SANTA CRUZ - Far from the altiplano in the huge eastern lowland plains of Bolivia is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a city where the warmth of its people is only exceeded by the heat of its climate. Santa Cruz is rapidly becoming  the principal gateway to Bolivia:  it is the center of the country´s economic growth, has the best international airport in the country, and is at a low altitude – only 416 m. (1,350 ft) above sea level. The rapid economic development has not affected the colonial character of the old backstreets nor the famous good humor of the city's inhabitants.

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• COCHABAMBA - The city of Cochabamba (2,570m/8,414ft) lies in a 10 km-wide natural arena of rolling hills below snow-capped Cerro Tunari (5,180m/16,995ft). The dry and sunny climate is very pleasant and Cochabamba is known as the city of "Eternal Spring". The name itself is derived from the Quechua words Cocha, or lagoon, and Pampa, or plane. The population of 900,000 makes Cochabamba the third largest city in Bolivia. Great birding and wildlife viewing sites abound in this region, not least the national parks of Tunari, Toro-Toro and Carrasco.

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• LA PAZ - A city for both enriching visits and adventurous discoveries. Lose yourself in streets brimming with life, where neighbors, artisans and sorcerers rub elbows amidst the daily agitation of typical markets. La Paz's outskirts also offer an array of spectacular sites, such as eerie rock sculptures created from ancient erosion at the Valley of the Moon. Bolivia is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and it is great to spend a few days in La Paz as the surrounding mountains, Lake Titicaca and Yungas rainforests are truly spectacular and mighty enticing.

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WHAT?

Conservation Projects - Community Projects - Nature & Wildlife Exploration - Hiking - Side Excursions

While a Bolivia educational study trip is essentially a working vacation, you’ll join a team of trained researchers and professional wildlife monitors working on a long-term project to protect and help conserve our country’s wildlife and wild places.

Help protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people in all regions of Bolivia. Bolivia cannot achieve large-scale conservation victories without the support and involvement of those who share our passion for preserving our last great places.

Students can study from a range of issues such as:

– The preservation of habitats and impacts of introduced predators
– Land rights and use by Bolivian indigenous people (TCO Tierras Comunitarias de Origen - Original Communal Lands)
– Cultural/traditional harvest of native species
– Nature reserves and their management system
– The impacts of tourism on the environment
and many more topics

Let us know what key topics and modules you'd like from us.

When you're not working, Bolivia offers a fantastic selection of places to explore. You can trek in the Andes, relax by the shores of Lake Titicaca, visit volcanoes or salt lakes, or explore the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin, rich with distinctive jungle wildlife. Santa Cruz is close to megadiversity preserves such as Amboró National Park. Cochabamba is a short trip from the National Park of Carrasco and the National Park of Toro Toro. A short flight from La Paz will take you to the eery sceneries of Uyuni Salt Flats and coloured lagoons in the high Andes... Bolivia's primeval environment contains waterfalls, caves, beautiful landscapes, and dinosaur footprints. There are plenty more opportunities in the rest of Bolivia.

WHEN?

Year-Round Departures (depart virtually any day of the week).

May - October is dry season.

Sample Bolivia Trip (for your reference only) - many options are available depending on your interests and skills. Contact us for current opportunities.

Interning at an Animal Care Placement in Bolivia
(sample trip example, fully customizable)

Day 1 - Arrive Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

Day 2 - Our study tour program offers educational and community service trips to schools, universities, and educational institutes for students of all ages and abilities. Experience is the best teacher, and we organize hands-on, student-centered learning activities led by a team of trained Bolivian staff and guest speakers.

Lead your students on an exploration adventure of a life time! Take your study topics outside of the classroom and allow interactive learning to take place in the cultural and natural diversity of Bolivia. Stay at the home of a local family in a small Aymara or Quechua village to immerse your group into different aspects of rural Bolivia. Participate in authentic cultural exchange with the help of your translator and enjoy delicious homemade meals made with care. Engage in local conservation efforts and enjoy the beauty of the pristine nature in the region.

Experiential education – our service-learning approach aims at combining your educational objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.

Customize tours based on your interests and needs – learning objectives may include:

• Study the key cultural, economic, and sustainability issues of the Andean / Amazonian communities.
• Study the biodiversity and inter-relatedness of the ecosystems in the region including puna, Andean valleys, tropical rain forests, polylepis forests, and rivers / water bodies.
• Explore first-hand the interrelation of community development, local ecology, natural resource use, and conservation (e.g. traditional livelihoods and culture, tourism, community organizing, and environmental action).
• Experiential learning of analytical concepts such as sustainability, gender equity, and community vulnerability/resilience. Access a community’s knowledge base on disaster management, natural resources, and traditional livelihoods.
• Conduct effective scientific and/or sociological field research, surveys, and exchanges in local communities.
• ...and any topic you'd like to discuss...

Study tours are led co-operatively by lecturers from the institution alongside a trip manager from Bolivia Naturally. The majority of the course work is taught by institute staff with input from academic naturalists and field researchers where appropriate.

Recreational activities can also be incorporated into the adventure such as hiking and trekking, kayaking, dolphin swimming, farm visit and many more. In keeping with Bolivia Naturally’s philosophy, cultural and environmental sensitivity is promoted throughout the trip, in all activities.

Final Day - Return to Santa Cruz or carry on to La Paz for your next assignment

Bolivia naturally customizes academic study tours and trips around Bolivia. Study tours can be planned to fit around the academic themes you desire.

Meals Included: Breakfast [B], Lunch [L], Dinner [D]

ENVIRONMENT
Bolivia boasts four of the continent’s ecosystems: Andes mountains, Amazonian rainforests, Pantanal wetlands, and Chaco woodlands. The area also has extensive riverside tropical forests, soaring waterfalls, and lush jungles perfect for exploring and understanding the relationship between natural resources and human activity.

CULTURE
We engage students with educational and fun activities that allow them to understand the interrelationships between culture, nature, and human activity. Understanding and respecting the world is key to education for sustainability and all activities are carefully designed to encourage reflection, critical thinking, and group collaboration. By helping students recognize the links between human activity and the environment, we encourage local, regional, and global citizenship.

SUSTAINABILITY
We are an award-winning leader in sustainable tourism. All of our activities and itineraries in Bolivia are designed in collaboration with the villagers themselves, based around the principles of community-based tourism. We are committed to providing local people with a complimentary source of income while still continuing their traditional way of life.
We also directly support the communities in which we work by putting excess revenue back into the areas visited. For example, Bolivia naturally supports people empowerment through youth scholarships, ecotourism projects, and guide trainings among other sustainable economic growth projects in rural Bolivia.

Dynamic Study Environments and Educational Building Blocks

Following are a few examples of the tools we use to build our academic programs:

– Chronological itineraries
– Thematic tours and days
– Group discussions
– Specialist lectures
– Interactive classes
– Behind-the-scenes visits
– Meetings at local businesses or educational institutions

Encourage deeper personal and intellectual growth, strengthen global competency, and give your students a treasure trove of unforgettable memories to call upon for years to come.

Depart any day! Custom dates and prices available.
Contact one of our travel consultants for details.

Solutions for small and large groups – feel free to request a custom quote.

We organize tailor-made tours at competitive prices throughout Bolivia, off the usual tourist routes and accompanied by accredited local guides, to get you in direct contact with stunning Bolivian landscapes, the people and local culture.

Choose the duration of your Bolivia trip, the places you want to visit, type of accommodation, schedules, ways to get around and even your budget. Everything exactly as you prefer!

Contact us so that we can prepare a detailed tailor-made itinerary for you, based on your travel dates and personal conveniences.

If you are a group of 10 or more travelers, you can take advantage of the favorable conditions that Fremen Tours Bolivia has planned for you.

SKYPE - MESSENGER... Use the panel on the right to see who's on line now and contact us.

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