Blogs from Rurrenabaque, Beni Department, Bolivia, South America - page 12

26/6/09 Today we woke up at 4 am to catch our taxi to the airport for our flight at 615 am. So got up and headed out for our drive with Mr Speedy Gonzalves who has the same habit of only turning only once he is in the corner whilst speeding unnecessarily. After some small amount of berating, he magically learnt how to drive and the rest of the trip was uneventful. Once at the airport the fun startled as we soon saw that the only flight for Amazonas was leaving at 730 am not 615. The real fun however was still begin when we were informed that because there had been a cancellation the day before, our flight was changed lo 1150 am which I immediately refused to accept. The person at the counter had ... read more

We had heard from many a traveller who had passed through Bolivia, that the trip to Rurrenabaque and the Bolivian Amazon was well worth the arduous and occasionally dangerous journey that took you there. First the bus ride, an 18 hour slog down the Yungas road, formally the worlds most dangerous, this is because of the chasm like drops on one side, the inability to have 2 vehicles pass eachother without some reversing, and the fact that the Bolivian bus drivers think they´re at Silverstone. Many of the weaker hearted and richer people we met kopped out and flew ( wimps), however they did save themselves a hot sweaty 17 hours and probably arrived fresher and less covered in dust. Another main draw for this trip is the price, being considerably cheaper that any other Amazon ... read more

Po trech dnech v Pampe a 1 dni odpocinku v Rurre jsme se vydali na 3 dny do Jungle. No a pak jeste chvilku v Rurre a hura silenym autobusem zpet do La Paz.... read more

..we´ve got fun and games! Or, as we discovered, an incredible variety of biting insects - and folks, they´ll bite you just about anywhere! Rather than a gruelling 18 hour bus journey, we opted for the spectacular flight from La Paz to Rurrenabaque. The plane was essentially a cigar tube with a row of single chairs down each side, all with an excellent view of the cabin and the pilots. A few minutes after take off and a glance out of the window revealed that we were the same height as a number of the local peaks, incredible, if just a little scary! A mere 32 minutes later we landed in a field just outside the town. Given the nature of the landing strip, the weather is critical - as we were to discover! Mapajo Lodge ... read more

The choice was a 45 minute flight or a 16-20 hour bus journey. One was $8 each way, the other £100 return flight. “We’ll only be here once” was the only saying that would get us there, with whatever means of transport we took. And horror stories of the bus quickly made our minds up for us....”We’re flying!!” DAY 1 Naturally the flight was delayed, a very claustrophobic tube was the be our vessel, 2 seats wide with an aisle. Definitely the smallest plane I’ve ever been on. The scenery was stunning, flying level with snow capped mountains before dipping down into the jungle. You can see why the bus takes so long!! We were diverted to Reyes airstrip (a better airstrip - as if a grass field can be better than the next!!). Surprisingly a ... read more