Cotapata National Park

Cotapata National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area protects Yungas cloud forest alongside tropical rainforest ecosystems on the eastern slopes of the Andes in western Bolivia. Its dramatic elevational gradient ranges from lowland Amazonian rainforest up to high-altitude puna and even glaciated peaks. This compressed range of habitats makes it one of the most biodiverse protected areas in Bolivia.

The park was established in 1995 and is located in the La Paz Department of western Bolivia. It sits northeast of the city of La Paz, spanning parts of the Yungas region along the dramatic Coroico Road, also known as the Death Road. It is one of Bolivia's earlier national parks created specifically to protect montane forest ecosystems.

Cotapata offers hiking opportunities, including sections of the pre-Columbian Takesi Trail, a stone-paved Inca road that descends from the high Andes into the Yungas cloud forest. The park's extreme range of elevations means hikers can pass through puna grassland, elfin forest, and lush cloud forest in a single day. Wildlife includes spectacled bears, Andean cock-of-the-rock, and numerous endemic plant species.

The Camino a los Yungas, popularly known as the Death Road, passes near and through parts of the Cotapata area as it descends from La Paz toward Coroico. The road gained notoriety for its extreme danger before a newer bypass reduced regular traffic. Today it is a popular mountain biking route, and cyclists sometimes pass through the park's vicinity.