Last week I boarded a tiny plane and flew north to the Bolivian rainforest to see the Amazon Basin for the first time. It was a truly unique experience in so many ways. Right from the minute I boarded the tiny plane in which I had to crouch to walk to my seat. Then we just about scraped over the huge snow-capped jagged mountains on our way north before finally landing on a tiny grassy strip in the jungle.
I spent one night in the frontier town of Rurrenabaque (population 13,000) and arranged my tour for the next day. The following morning I set off in a Toyota Land Cruiser (the undisputed king of 4X4s all over the world) with six other travelers from Europe. After three hours of bumpy, dusty road we stopped for lunch. Then we boarded a thin, but long wood boat for a three-hour trip up the river and into the pampas. This is when the fun really began. Amazingly we seen pink dolphins (also called Amazon River Dolphin or Boto) right away, followed by literally dozens and dozens of alligators, black caimans, turtles, little crazy yellow monkeys, wild birds of all descriptions and jumping piranhas. Immediately we were immersed in some serious nature and wildlife as we just took it all in from the luxury of our comfortable boat seats.
Arriving at our camp of huts and hammocks beautifully set along the river we rushed to relax in the hammocks. Following beers at sunset we had a scrumptious dinner followed by some wine. And when it darkened us seven and our guide boarded our faithful longboat and cruised silently down the river under a huge moon and sky full of stars. We seen bats and the ominous reflection of alligator eyes from our flashlights, but mostly it was very tranquilo and a wonderful sensation to be silently floating down a river under moonlight in the Amazon Basin.
The next morning we were up early to search for pythons and anacondas in the marsh. Thankfully our group didn’t find one, more so since we heard both guides the previous day that had found snakes got bit. Serves them right for picking them up if you ask me. Our guide was also bit by a small alligator when he caught it to show us. Personally I think he deserved it, since we as a group at the beginning had asked him not to bother any of the animals at all. But I guess there are always some tourists who need that special photo for the folks back home.
After the reptile hunt we headed back to river to cool off and possibly swim with the pink dolphins (if they were interested in us). I swam for over an hour in the alligator and piranha infest water and a couple of dolphins did come close, but I didn’t feel like they were overly interested in us and my fantasies of standing on the back of one and using it as a surfboard didn’t come true. In the evening it was more great food and boozing as we chilled in the hammocks talking like seasoned crocodile dundees.
Our third and final day demanded a five-thirty a.m. rise to listen to the animals at dawn and see sunrise. It wasn’t mentioned on the itinerary but we also fed the mosquitoes while waiting for sun up. Then to finish the tour we all went piranha fishing. I was unlucky and caught none, but our group caught four, which were later fried up with lunch. And I had the pleasure of watching the two Swedish vegetarians in our group, with relish; beat to death any poor piranhas which I happened to bite on the meat we were offering them.
Then we cruised out of the pampas by boat and caught our faithful 4X4 back to Rurrenabaque. And all this for a mere seventy dollars American.
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