Blogs from Beni Department, Bolivia, South America - page 2

13. Oktober, Rurrenabaque - Jungle Mit dem Boot ging es den breiten Fluss Beni entlang in den Jungle. Das Boot sah aus, wie die in Thailand mit einem Höllenmotor. Nach 1 h Fahrt waren wir am Ziel. Wir sind aus dem Boot ausgestiegen und zu Fuss durch den Wald ins Camp marschiert. Dort haben wir erfahren, dass dies das Zuhause von unserem Guide Nilo und seinen Eltern ist, welches komplett neu aufgebaut werden musste, da es im Januar eine Jahrhundertflut gab und das alte Haus von der Flut mitgerissen wurde. Nilos Vater hat uns eine Cacaofrucht aufgeschnitten und wir haben die Bohnen gelutscht, um das weisse Fruchtfleisch zu essen, welches nach Litchi schmeckt. Etwas später hat uns Nilo gezeigt, wie man Köder fürs Fischen findet: Palmenfrucht mit Stein aufschlagen und Larven rausnehmen. Diese sind auch ein ... read more

Just back from an energy boosting six days out in a little town at the edge of the vast Amazonian rainforest known as Rurrenabaque. Truth be told I was glad to see their back of La Paz for a while especially since someone had managed to basically food poison me the day before we flew out. I was queasy enough on the way to the airport Monday but once we got into the building the smells and heat were two much... Scrambling to find a bathroom, I couldn't wait any longer. Shouldering an old Bolivian woman out of the way.. BLLUUGGHH!!! Nearest bin I could find! Unfortunately this proved to be the trend for the next 24 hours as an ice cream was the only thing I managed to keep down in that time. Thankfully the ... read more

We had a day relaxing in Rurrenabaque before we headed to the Pampas. We had a three hour drive from Rurrenabaque before we met our guide and his boat for the next few days. The boat trip to our cabanas was a few hours and included plenty of time looking for wildlife. We saw playful monkeys, turtles, lots of different birds, and pink dolphins. The next morning started with searching for Anacondas, we went walking through an area of wetlands keeping an eye out for any snakes. Personally I was walking along hoping I wasn't the one to find any kind of snake. I was lucky enough not to find a snake during our search however our guide did manage to find a cobra which he picked up and then a short time later he found ... read more

Expecting to be leaving La Paz on a some sort of elastic band powered bi-plane, we were pleasantly suprised to see a modern jet-engined 50 or so seater. It was only a short and bumpy journey to Rurrenabaque. The views out of the window were breathtaking, snow capped Andes quickly changing to low land jungle as far as the eye can see, a beautiful sea of green. The airport was cool, one concrete runway, one mud runway and a wooden shack for a terminal. The heat hit you as soon as you got off the plane. About 20 minutes on a minibus and we were at our hostel. Rurrenabaque is a small riverside town, a literal gateway to the Bolvian Rainforest, nothing much to report here other than our hostel has a swimming pool and a ... read more

After La Paz we spent a few nights in the beautiful valley town of Coroico, surrounded by colourful flowers and luscious greenery, even though it rained it was a pretty blissful spot. We stayed at a hostel up on the hillside, with hammocks, spectacular views and morning yoga classes. We walked to some waterfalls, although the scenery en route was more impressive than the falls themselves, as we walked passed coca fields, orange and banana trees and had great views across the valley. From nearby Yolosita we embarked on night bus to Rurrenabaque, the bumbiest bus ride I have ever experienced! The roads out of the valley were narrow, windy and on the cliff edge and for the rest of the way completely unsealed. At one point my bum left the seat so much my head ... read more