The wild nature, the sound of animals on the shores of the river at dawn in the Amazonian pampas…
Bolivia is not just Andes and Salares, Bolivia is also Amazonia. Despite being less popular and visited than the Brazilian one, the Bolivian Amazon forest and pampas represent another unknown but equally spectacular side of this region.
In La Paz, several agencies offer tours of the Pampas and the Bolivian forest. We opted for a four-days tour: three days to visit the pampas, where you have the opportunity to observe the animals that populate this area, and one day to see the forest, to get an idea of its compactness and density.
With a 50-minute flight on a rickety propeller plane, we left behind the pungent cold of La Paz to reach the scorching heat of Rurrenabaque, a cluster of few hotels, snack bars and restaurants, a starting point for exploring the region.
In about three hours spent in a Jeep on unpaved roads – of which we mainly remember the feeling of the dirt on hair, face, eyes… and of course in the mouth – we reached Santa Rosa, from which a canoe was waiting for us.
During the three hours of navigation along the Rio Yacuma, the feeling of being little Indiana Joneses was inevitable. On the sides of the river, alligators and caimans stood motionless with their huge mouths open to gain heat from the sunshine. Dozens of turtles rested quietly on huge dry branches that have fallen into the water. Cheerful, curious howling monkeys were watching us from the trees. Then capybaras, birds of the most diverse species and beautiful pink dolphins were our traveling companions.
Although these waters are infested with piranhas and alligators, you can experience the thrill of taking a bath in the river. We did it. The presence of dolphins inhibits the alligators’, and the lack of wounds makes the presence of the piranha harmless.
Another memorable experience was undoubtedly the nighttime navigation along the river. Hundreds, if not thousands, of fireflies illuminated our path on the sides of the river, with the howler monkeys’ call as a background sound. Then, suddenly, something jumped on the boat.
We immediately got scared, since in the afternoon we saw a monstrous quantity of piranhas in these same waters. Actually, we realized that it was a fish. But we could not identify it. It was dark, so the only light that was illuminating us came from the moon and the stars. The guide nonchalantly told Ale to catch the unidentified fish with his hands and then throw it into the water. Even if it was dark, I saw the terror in Alessandro’s eyes. Then, the genius move: instead of catching it with his hands, he tried to use his feet and literally kick it down into the water.
And then, still unforgettable memories of sunsets along the river, the search for the anaconda and, Juan, the spaghetti-lover crocodile who came to visit us in the camp and ate our leftovers.
At the end of the three days of exploration in the Pampas, we came back to Rurrenabaque and left for a day to discover the Amazon jungle. Incredible, sometimes impressive, the density of plants, trees over forty meters tall, intricate lianas that almost hindered our passage.
At the end of the four days we returned to the civil world with a sense of fullness and serenity due to the intensity of the time spent in these primordial places and the splendid memories that will remain permanent with us.
