I made a big push to get into Bolivia to see the salt flats (Salar del Uyuni) in southwest Bolivia, but I arrived in La Paz to find out that the bus terminal was closed because “everyone is drinking” for Carnaval. The trip to Uyuni doesn’t make sense anymore. It would mean 28 hours on buses for 24 hours in Uyuni, not to mention some of the best parts are flooded and inaccessible right now. Meanwhile, I found an all inclusive (including flight) trip to Rurrenabaque for an Amazon River trip that turned out to be cheaper than my original plan!
I guess technically this isnt the Amazon River, but it is one of the major rivers from the Andes that all combine to form the Amazon a bit further downstream. The downstream Amazon is so wide that you cannot see the shores from the middle. So, one of the advantages of going to the upriver Amazon basin is that it is small enough to really see wildlife along the shores. This is also the wet season, and the banks of the rivers are extremely swollen allowing us to get right under trees with huge birds and monkeys.
To get to our camp was a bumpy, flooded three hour ride by 4×4 followed by a two hour trip upriver in a little skiff piloted by our adventurous guide Juan Carlos (who was awesome). The camp was very simple accommodations including a cot with mosquito net, a few playful monkeys, and an alligator family. You had to walk a foot away from the dad’s head on your way to the chow hall!
We rode around the river looking for wildlife, sloshed through the swamps looking for anaconda, took a nighttime trip with flashlights looking for Caimans, and fished for Parana (I gave the guide a run for his money by catching three).
All in all, this was a great detour, and I am very happy that things turned out this way. Now I’m off to La Paz for a bit before heading back to Cusco to meet Danny and finish this awesome trip off with a bang!
A few pics are below, but you will have to wait until I get the pictures from the real camera together. I was too greedy to take iPhone pics on this epic little adventure.
Reality looms, but the adventure continues….
Low Waving Through South America 