The Area Protegida Apolobamba, also known as the Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area, is a protected area of 4,837 square kilometers in the provinces of Bautista Saavedra, Franz Tamay and Larecaja--more or less covering the Cordillera Apolobamba, about 250 kilometers north of La Paz.

The protected area was created in 1972, and extended in 2000, with the intention of conserving the region's biological diversity, improving the living conditions of native communities, and protecting the local cultural heritage and recovering local traditional knowledge. Included in that almost 5,000 squared kilometers are habitats including humid forests, cloud forests, yungas Paramo, Andean wetlands, peat bogs, high-altitude grasslands and snow-capped peaks. Also, there are an estimated 1,800 plant species and 296 vertebrates documented in the protected area.

The Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area initially started as the Ulla Ulla National Fauna Reserve, before its name and mission were broadened. It was expanded again in 2000 so that it could form part of the binational Vilcabamba-Amboró Biological Corridor. With this expansion came support from many NGO’s, hands on university programs, social organizations and local authorities, making the Area Protegida Apolobamba a place for research and education as well as conservation. The reserve now hosts thousands of alpacas and vicuñas and a huge population of condors and waterbirds, and numerous hiking trails cross its dramatic mountain terrain.