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Pampas and piranhasBolivia adventureRoute: Rurrenebaque - Pampas - RurrenebaquePampas are the wide, treeless grassy plains typical to the countries of South America. The pampas of Bolivia are green and very wet, which means they’re teeming with wildlife, though surprisingly they draw far less visitors than the pampas of Brazil, for example. During this Bolivia adventure you’ll travel by 4x4 along dusty tracks and past isolated jungle villages to the Yacuma river, where you'll hop onto a small boat to go in search of wildlife in the dense rainforest. You can pass the time by going alligator spotting by night, or piranha fishing in a wooden canoe. The high trees and walls of impenetrable green are a perfect hiding place for the animals here. Because the pampas are riddled with waterways, you can get very close to the habitats of monkeys, birds, iguanas and turtles, to name a few and the low shrubbery in the pampas makes them extra easy to spot. A bit too adventurous for your liking? Take a look at our other Bolivia tours, or longer suggested Peru holidays which combine both countries. |
| Duration |
5 days / 4 nights |
Accommodation |
2 nights hotel Rurrenabaque incl. breakfast. Pampa tour with shared facilities, double tent and full board (see our photos here). |
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Price |
£195 per person - based on 2 people sharing |
Includes |
Transport, pampa excursion with guide |
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Transport |
All transport by bus, boat and 4x4 |
Excludes |
Return flight La Paz - Rurrenabaque (approx US$ 110 p.p. plus tax), other meals, excursions and entrance fees |
Day 1 RurrenabaqueYour Bolivia adventure kicks off in the jungle town of Rurrenabaque. It’s a two hour flight from La Paz, across the Andes peaks to the tropical climes of Rurrenabaque, where you’ll be picked up at the airstrip and taken to your hotel. If you’ve arrived in Rurrenabaque at the end of your Madidi National Park jungle tour, you’ll be dropped off at your hotel at the end of the trip. Rurrenabaque is a peaceful village in the heart of the Bolivian rainforest. In dry season it’s very dusty and in wet season it’s sticky, but it’s always tropically warm. First on the agenda on this Bolivia trip: change into your shorts and t-shirt. |
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Day 2 Rurrenebaque - PampaAround 9am, you’ll climb into your 4x4 and set off along “Rurre’s” main road into the jungle. For the next four hours of your Bolivia adventure, you’ll drive along the bumpy sandy tracks through the tropical and subtropical rainforest. Gradually, the palm trees and dense banana plantations open out into a green outstretched plain, with cows languidly grazing in the sun.On the way, you'll pass the dusty villages of Reyes and Santa Rosa where you can see the real cowboys of the pampas riding their horses down the street. After a picnic lunch on the banks of the Yacuma river, you’ll step into a 12 metre motorised canoe which will take you further into the dense tropical jungle. |
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The river is 25m wide in places. One moment you’re looking out across the open pampas, the next you’re sailing through mangrove forests so dense they’ve formed an impenetrable wall of green along the river banks. Some trees have entire ecosystems growing along their branches. You’re likely to see caimans lurking in the waters of the Yacuma river and you might even spot the pink sweet water dolphin swimming in the water, capybaras (a type of water hog that looks like an oversized cross between a rat and a guinea pig) roaming the river banks and colourful birds flying overhead. After three hours sailing along the river you’ll arrive at your camp site, the next stop on your Bolivia adventure. |
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The camp is made up of three tents: the kitchen, the dining room and the sleeping area. The bedroom is not much more than a piece of tarpaulin stretched across a couple of poles with an elevated floor covered in mattresses and mosquito netting so you’ll really be sleeping out in the open tonight. There are basic sanitary facilities, but only cold (lukewarm) water. With the sun setting in the sky, you’ll make your bed in the sleeping area as the cook prepares dinner. Just as night falls over the jungle, your last activity of the day begins; a night walk across the nocturnal pampas, a real highlight of your Bolivia adventure tour. Torches at the ready... |
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In the pitch dark, you’ll be going in search of caimans. As soon as the guide finds one, he’ll grab it by its jaws which he’ll briefly tie together (rather him than you) so you can take a close look. The caimans you'll see on the Bolivia adventure, average around 2m in length and can look pretty fearsome. The night walk ends back at the camp around 8pm. The nights here are hot and sticky and the sky is filled with millions of stars and dancing fireflies. Beware of the uninvited guests in the camp: thousands of mosquitoes and the odd creepy crawlies so check your sleeping bag before you turn in, and ensure you bring a good quality insect repellent on your Bolivia trip. |
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Day 3 Pampas and the Yacuma riverAt 8am on day three of your Bolivia adventure, you’ll be dressed and ready to start the day. This morning, you’ll be going on a four hour walk across the open pampas. Wellies, or at the very least hiking boots, are strongly recommended because it’s going to be muddy.Today, you’ll be meeting the pampa natives; cranes poised gracefully by the water’s edge, ospreys skimming the water, garish looking birds of paradise, parrots and pampa condors, turtles basking in the sun. Up in the trees, you can hear the brown capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, red howler monkeys, each with their distinctive calls and odd habits. But what the guide is really looking for is the anaconda, the largest snake in the world, that can grow up to a fearsome 11m. If the guide manages to catch one, he’ll let you put it round your neck while he holds it. If you dare that is! Around lunchtime you’ll arrive back at the camp to reflect on an eventful morning on your Bolivia trip. |
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In the afternoon, you’ll be going on another boat trip to spot dolphins. If you manage to find them, the boat will stop so you can jump into the water to swim with them. Later on, you can do a spot of fishing. A little sardine or a trout is all very well, but you might even find a piranha dangling at the end of your fishing rod. Towards the end of the afternoon, you’ll sail on to an open lake where you can catch a spectacular sunset from the boat before returning to the camp. The cook will prepare a personal catch of the day as you sit round the fire with your fellow Bolivia adventure explorers. |
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Day 4 Pampa - RurrenabaqueOn the final day of your Bolivia adventure, you’ll be up before dawn to see the sunrise and listen to the rainforest slowly waking up. Today, you can go on another boat trip or another walk across the pampa where the guide will be able to tell you all about the medicinal herbs and plants.Around 11.30am it’s time for the last camp lunch before starting the journey back to the civilized world. You’ll be back in Rurre at 6pm where you’ll be dropped off at the lodge. In the evening, head to one of the local bars where you can swap all your anaconda and piranha stories with the other travellers. Day 5 Rurrenabaque - departureToday you'll be transferred from your hotel in Rurrenabaque to the airstrip where your Bolivia trip comes to an end. |
What to bring (in a small backpack) for your Bolivia Jungle Adventure
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Bolivia adventure accommodation (Click to enlarge)
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