My friend Ollie and I opted out of the perilous bus ride and took a 16 seater plane to Rurre flying close to the mountains for fabulous views. After a night in town, drinking cocktails at the aptly named 'Moskito' bar we got up early to board our canoe to camp. We were part of two groups of 5 and found our camp after wading through flooded estuaries barefoot carrying supplies over our heads. I managed to drop our bag of spuds and onions after slipping down a bank of chancho poo (rainforest pigs that resemble disneys Pumba!)
Our 3 days consisted of jungle trails spotting monkeys and creepy critters and learning about the medicinal purposes of plants and trees. Our guide was a wealth of knowledge with a wicked sense of humour. We found trees whose bark could kill or send shaman on flights to meet the Gods as well as leaves to cool insect bites and the leaf cutter and other giant ants that make them necessary.
The obligatory Tarzan swing was executed better by some than others and we were fed extremely well throughout our whole stay.
Unfortunately our midnight jungle walk saw no pumas or jaguars but we all left with a piece of carefully crafted jungle jewellery, be it ring or necklace.
The obligatory Tarzan swing was executed better by some than others and we were fed extremely well throughout our whole stay.
Unfortunately our midnight jungle walk saw no pumas or jaguars but we all left with a piece of carefully crafted jungle jewellery, be it ring or necklace.
Second to Macchu Picchu my next big must see was the Amazon jungle. Knowing that my cheapest option was to do a trip from Bolivia I set off to the small town of Rurrenbaque for a 3 day jungle tour followed by a 3 day pampas tour. Not actually on the Amazon but linked to its waters Rurrenbaque is located on the Beni River, close to Madidi National Park, gateway to the Bolivian rainforest.
The Pampas tour was somewhat different, less jungle and more wildlife spotting from the safety of your canoe. True it was much easier and tourist ready and the whole experience felt more like being on a tourist conveyor belt but the wealth of wildlife on display couldn't be beat. With Eco-Tourism a current buzz word in these sorts of endeavours it was clear that our guides cared very much about the jungle and it's inhabitants, their home and their neighbours.
Each day was jampacked with activities and we had cayman and monkeys as regular visitors to camp. Our guide Diego took the limelight when piraña fishing as each gringo tried and failed to catch a bite.
Anaconda hunting, swimming with pink dolphins, a football match at sunset and spotting caymans eyes in the night were among the other activities enjoyed by the group. The hot sweaty work of wading through mosquito ridden marshlands in 'the hope' of finding a giant snake wasn't my idea of a great time but seeing such an amazing creature was surely awesome. Animal rights activists should probably look away now!
All in all the jungle tour felt more real and given the time I would have liked to venture deeper into the rainforest to get a real sense of what it's like to live and survive amongst the wildlife. The pampas was more tourist ready but you got to see animals up close and yet still in their natural habitat.
SURVIVAL TIP: Take mosquito repellant and apply it LIBERALLY! I counted 50 bites on my left leg alone and I had 50% DEET!
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