Rurrenabaque

  Rurrenabaque, Bolivia
Tuesday, May 1, 2007

After going round loads of tour agencies in La Paz we found Madidi Travel.  They set up the original Madidi national park and are a conservation group.  So we thought weŽd give our money to a good cause, and booked a 5 day tour near Rurrenabaque in a place called Serere. 

We flew from cold high La Paz in a small twin engine aircraft to the heat and humidity of Rurrenabaque.  Th plane its self was pretty fun and the dirt landing strip amidst the surrounding jungle felt quite adventurous.

Anyhow, after the plane we took a 3hr boat ride down the Rio Beni to Serere.  The sunset over the river was awesome and kept Dave entertained for hours taking photos!  We arrived in the dark and by then there were literally clouds of mosquitoes waiting to eat us on the river bank.  We then had a 40min walk in the dark to the Cabanas where we were staying.  They are large huts with mosquito netting for walls, so you can see and hear all the creatures outside.

The next day we met our guide Ramon, and for the next three days he took us on jungle hikes where we saw poisonous spiders, ants and spotted three types of monkey, including small capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, and the impressively noisy howler monkeys.  For a few of the afternoons we spent out on the canoe on Lago San Fernando, lago negro and lago gringo and lago del isla.  Spotting different birds, including the prehistoric looking Hijo de Serere, 6 meter long caimen and Dave caught 3 piranha (which we ate for dinner - yum), and just enjoying the views.

It felt a bit awkward being the only two people there for the first few days, and having 7 or 8 staff running after us, but the piece and quiet was lovely, and meant that all the animals happily came past our cabina, although on the third night 10 other tourists turned up. 

We had a great few days in the jungle, although the mosquitoes, tiny ticks and the incredible humidity was enough to make us look forward to going back to the cool heights of La Paz.