After almost three weeks of travelling together, Jan’s and my weren’t aligning anymore at last. He needed to make his way to Peru and slowly start thinking about his return home to Germany, whereas I still had some time left in Bolivia.
What I happened to forget: On the first weekend of March the (in)famous South American Carnival kicked off and during that time the whole continent just lets loose. For a second I played with the thought of travelling to Oruro, a city south of La Paz, which, after Rio de Janeiro, hosts the second biggest Carnival celebrations, but quickly decided against it.
Instead, I took a bus to Rurrenabaque in the north – part of the journey following the infamous Death Road – where I arranged a four-day trip into the Amazon Rainforest.
The trip was sperated into two parts: the jungle trip to Madidi National Park, which is a protected area in the Amazon rainforest with an area covering almost 20.000km², and the “Pampas Tour”, which is more centered around wildlife observation.
Not only is Madidi National Park home to 46 indigenous communities, it also hosts an unbelievable amount of different animal species, making it one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.
During the first half of the trip I stayed in an eco lodge in the middle of the jungle (well, not really the MIDDLE, but you get the idea) for 2 days, during which we mainly hiked through the forest. Great care was taken to educate us not only in the multiple uses of the different plants, but also the culture and traditions of the indigenous population.
Most of the tour guides’ English was passable, but on the third day my group had to split up for logistical reasons, and I spent the whole day alone with a guide around my age whose English was basically nonexistent.
I’m happy to say that I now not only know his name but also his family tree, why he chose to be a tour guide, how long he’s been doing it, and I was also able to tell him about almost all of my travels in South America up to that point.
After spending two nights in the Madidi National Park, I switched to a different location in the rainforest, close to the town of San Jose de Yacuma, for the second part of the trip – the “Pampas Tour”.
Again, I stayed in a hut in a very remote location and went on multiple expeditions – this time to see more of the local wildlife.
Not only did I see some families of capybaras, I also witnessed a truckload of squirrel monkeys, dozens of caimans and swam in a river next to blue dolphins.
How often have I used the word “amazing” yet?
After the tour, I spent two more days in Rurrenabaque before taking a plane back to La Paz to prepare for my trip to Peru.
So, I guess it’s back to the socializing hostel before heading to Lago Titicaca and then on to Peru.
I’m already looking forward to Lago Titicaca and Peru.