Pampas - the rivers and flooded grasslands
The one thing I knew I wanted to do from La Paz was travel to a town called Rurrenebaque and visit the jungle. I met couple of guys (Paul & Mark) in the hostel who were planning on doing the same thing and I decided to join them on the trip. We decided on 3 days in the pampas (a tour of the areas along and around the river) and 2 in the yungas (jungle). The trip to Rurrenabaque involves either a 40 minute flight by plane or a hellish 20 hour bus ride along dirt roads, we decided on the plane. Rurrenabaque is a small town next to a Rio Beni that is a tributory to the Amazon. This was our base of operations and from where we would head into Madidi National Park. We were heading in to the Amazon during the wet season which meant the rivers were increasing in height and very fast flowing. Apparently the height of the rivers can climb by 7m from dry to wet seasons.
After an overnight stay in Rurrenabaque we were ready to head in to the pampas. There were meant to be two other people joining us on the trip but due to the fact the bus had not arrived on time it was just going to be the three of us with a guide! We were picked up by a 4x4 which took us on a 3 hour trip along a straight road which cut through the jungle and led to another river. We met our guide and boarded a long, thin motor boat to begin the journey to our lodgings. The boat trip was really amazing. The river had swelled and we were travelling next to submerged bushes and trees. The river is also the place to see wildlife and we saw plenty of it. Turtles, caman, aligators, taipers, monkey´s and lots of types of birds were all along the way. The weather was great and we could just sit back in the boat and take everything in. Camen are the biggest predators in the waters and can kill an Aligator. Seven years ago one stupid tourist took a swim in the river at night and got eaten by one.
The less pleasant thing about the pampas is the amount of mosquitos that swamp you as soon as you stop moving. They don´t like bright coloured clothing so I was fine with yellow and white long sleeved shirts but they have a thing about dark colours so my trousers were very attractive. They didn´t appear to be able to get through the material but I found out I wasn´t so lucky when I spent some time in a netted hammock.
Monkeys on board!
Camen
We were welcomed to the lodge with the site of a Camen hanging around in the water outside of it. It appeared to stay there every day in wait for the scraps of food which are thrown out after a meal. Our lodge consisted of several huts on struts with a newtwork of walkways connecting them. Lucky this meant there was no way of waking up to find a Caman in your bed. Another one hung around the marshy area at the back of the camp. Our guide went up to it and threw it a piece of meat which it promptly wolfed down. He then went up to it and touched it on the head! We were all able to do this as well but I decided to keep a little more distance!
Paul and the resident Camen
In the evening of the first day we ventured out in boat to hunt for Aligator and Caymen eyes. We motored along the river searching for the shining red eyes in the night. We had a perfectly clear night and the stars were out. Our guide turned the motor off and we drifted along the river staring up in to the night sky with the sounds of the pampas surrounding us, it was pretty magical.
Night eyes
On the second day we were taken to hunt for Anacondas in the marshy area further along the river. No one had seen one for a long time and they had probably left with the advancing of the river. Normally you are also able to fish for piranhas but they only live in shallow waters and these no longer existed where we were. After a fruitless but interesting search we returning to the boats when in the path in front of me I saw a long grey snake. As I shouted 'hey guys I found something' the snake turned around and struck out at me, fangs out! I danced backwards, arms in the air, shouting expletives as it lunged four times. The thing then disappeared in to the undergrowth and the guides started poking around for it. We heard it rattling and it was then we realised that it was a Rattlesnake!
After lunch we went back out on the river to go swimming with dolphins. We stopped the boat near an inlet in the river and we saw the tops of a couple of dolphins heads in the water ahead. Apparently it is safe to get in the water when dolphins are around as it means there are no aligators or caman. I jumped in the brown water in pursuit of the dolphins but sadly they kept there distance and were always a little ahead. We got back in to the boat and waited around. The dolphins came closer and we were treated to the site of a young pink dolphin relaxing in the water.
The river & dolphin head
In the evening we took the boat to a place further upstream where there was a small shop and a football pitch. We stayed there and had some beers as we watched the sun set across the beautiful pampas.
A pampas sunset
On the third day we didn´t do a lot as it was raining in the morning. Later on we were excitedly called by the guides to the dining hut. They pointed in to a tree and when we looked up we could see a Toucan between the branches. This is apparently pretty rare so it was a great end to the trip. After a boat trip and 4x4 drive we were back in Rurrenebaque and ready for the next adventure....
Jungle..................
Jungle - the dense and impeneterable tropical rainforest
From Rurrenebaque we took a boat upstream up the large and fast flowing Rio Beni. After fighting the current for 3 or 4 hours we made it to our lodgings in a clearing surrounded by jungle. After some lunch we ventured out for out first trip in to the jungle. Luckily there are not as many moskitos in the jungle as there are in the pampas but it is very humid and sweaty. You do not really see any animals or birds but you can hear them all around, and, when you look up you can only see a canopy of trees. We did see some crazy sized ants though! Our guide was really knowledgable and he showed us all the different types to trees and the special qualities and uses for each of them. He was the real deal, he grew up in the jungle, is able to drink the water from the river and armed with a bandana and machete he could easily live there. Sometimes he would stop and listen and he picked out the sound of wild pigs. We were on the hunt for them and could hear there noises close by. When we got close they made a huge racket and charged off in to the undergrowth.
Jungle boat
In the evening we had the chance to go on a night trek in to the jungle, this was really cool! Armed with head lamps we headed out in to the pitch black in search of insects. Through the undergrowth we could make out the occasional small flash of an eye in the light of a lamp. We found frogs, giant crickets, spiders including a tarantula, a mouse and lots of other wierd things!
Coca cheeks! Left Matt & left of me our guide
Tarantula
On the second day we went for a much longer trek in to the rainforest. We macheted are way down long abandoned paths, over fallen trees and giant leaves. We picked up the noise of the pigs once more and were on the hunt. Although we couldn´t see them all there must have been hundreds of them, and when we suprised they tore there way through the vegetation. Our journey took us over streams which we needed to cross using fallen down tree trunks. We came across one stream that didn´t have any so we just macheted a tree down! It was a lot of fun.
Me, Matt & Paul next to a GIANT tree
It was an incredible experience but after five days of sweat, humidity, tiredness, moskitos and wearing the same clothes we were more than ready to head back to civilisation.
The less pleasant thing about the pampas is the amount of mosquitos that swamp you as soon as you stop moving. They don´t like bright coloured clothing so I was fine with yellow and white long sleeved shirts but they have a thing about dark colours so my trousers were very attractive. They didn´t appear to be able to get through the material but I found out I wasn´t so lucky when I spent some time in a netted hammock.
Monkeys on board!
Camen
We were welcomed to the lodge with the site of a Camen hanging around in the water outside of it. It appeared to stay there every day in wait for the scraps of food which are thrown out after a meal. Our lodge consisted of several huts on struts with a newtwork of walkways connecting them. Lucky this meant there was no way of waking up to find a Caman in your bed. Another one hung around the marshy area at the back of the camp. Our guide went up to it and threw it a piece of meat which it promptly wolfed down. He then went up to it and touched it on the head! We were all able to do this as well but I decided to keep a little more distance!
Paul and the resident Camen
In the evening of the first day we ventured out in boat to hunt for Aligator and Caymen eyes. We motored along the river searching for the shining red eyes in the night. We had a perfectly clear night and the stars were out. Our guide turned the motor off and we drifted along the river staring up in to the night sky with the sounds of the pampas surrounding us, it was pretty magical.
Night eyes
On the second day we were taken to hunt for Anacondas in the marshy area further along the river. No one had seen one for a long time and they had probably left with the advancing of the river. Normally you are also able to fish for piranhas but they only live in shallow waters and these no longer existed where we were. After a fruitless but interesting search we returning to the boats when in the path in front of me I saw a long grey snake. As I shouted 'hey guys I found something' the snake turned around and struck out at me, fangs out! I danced backwards, arms in the air, shouting expletives as it lunged four times. The thing then disappeared in to the undergrowth and the guides started poking around for it. We heard it rattling and it was then we realised that it was a Rattlesnake!
After lunch we went back out on the river to go swimming with dolphins. We stopped the boat near an inlet in the river and we saw the tops of a couple of dolphins heads in the water ahead. Apparently it is safe to get in the water when dolphins are around as it means there are no aligators or caman. I jumped in the brown water in pursuit of the dolphins but sadly they kept there distance and were always a little ahead. We got back in to the boat and waited around. The dolphins came closer and we were treated to the site of a young pink dolphin relaxing in the water.
The river & dolphin head
In the evening we took the boat to a place further upstream where there was a small shop and a football pitch. We stayed there and had some beers as we watched the sun set across the beautiful pampas.
A pampas sunset
On the third day we didn´t do a lot as it was raining in the morning. Later on we were excitedly called by the guides to the dining hut. They pointed in to a tree and when we looked up we could see a Toucan between the branches. This is apparently pretty rare so it was a great end to the trip. After a boat trip and 4x4 drive we were back in Rurrenebaque and ready for the next adventure....
Jungle..................
Jungle - the dense and impeneterable tropical rainforest
From Rurrenebaque we took a boat upstream up the large and fast flowing Rio Beni. After fighting the current for 3 or 4 hours we made it to our lodgings in a clearing surrounded by jungle. After some lunch we ventured out for out first trip in to the jungle. Luckily there are not as many moskitos in the jungle as there are in the pampas but it is very humid and sweaty. You do not really see any animals or birds but you can hear them all around, and, when you look up you can only see a canopy of trees. We did see some crazy sized ants though! Our guide was really knowledgable and he showed us all the different types to trees and the special qualities and uses for each of them. He was the real deal, he grew up in the jungle, is able to drink the water from the river and armed with a bandana and machete he could easily live there. Sometimes he would stop and listen and he picked out the sound of wild pigs. We were on the hunt for them and could hear there noises close by. When we got close they made a huge racket and charged off in to the undergrowth.
Jungle boat
In the evening we had the chance to go on a night trek in to the jungle, this was really cool! Armed with head lamps we headed out in to the pitch black in search of insects. Through the undergrowth we could make out the occasional small flash of an eye in the light of a lamp. We found frogs, giant crickets, spiders including a tarantula, a mouse and lots of other wierd things!
Coca cheeks! Left Matt & left of me our guide
Tarantula
On the second day we went for a much longer trek in to the rainforest. We macheted are way down long abandoned paths, over fallen trees and giant leaves. We picked up the noise of the pigs once more and were on the hunt. Although we couldn´t see them all there must have been hundreds of them, and when we suprised they tore there way through the vegetation. Our journey took us over streams which we needed to cross using fallen down tree trunks. We came across one stream that didn´t have any so we just macheted a tree down! It was a lot of fun.
Me, Matt & Paul next to a GIANT tree
It was an incredible experience but after five days of sweat, humidity, tiredness, moskitos and wearing the same clothes we were more than ready to head back to civilisation.
Blimey! Sounds amazing, Chris! Glad you managed to just about avoid the rattler. You're very intrepid - I must confess to even skipping over the picture of the tarantula!
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