South American Explorer

Writer Lauren Vita Sgarlato heads to Bolivia to experience the animals of the Amazon, including a particularly nasty tick!

 

Whenever I used to hear about the Amazon, I would immediately think of two things: Brazil and the rainforest. Now my mind wanders to Bolivia and the pampas. Right outside the city of Rurrenabaque in the east of Bolivia, one can go off the beaten track to experience the untouched Amazon Basin and its prolific wildlife.

 

From the capital of La Paz there are two options to reach Rurrenabaque; an eighteen hour toilet-less bus ride on the unpaved world’s most dangerous road or a forty minute flight with beautiful views of Lake Titicaca and the Amazon Basin.

 

Although the flight sounds appealing, flights are not reliable as cancellations happen quite often. And although I opted for the flight, I had no choice in the matter when it was time to head back to La Paz as all flights were cancelled due to weather conditions.

 

Rurrenabaque, also known as Rurre by the locals, is a whole different world compared to the rest of Bolivia.

 

Hot, humid, and tranquil, Rurre is a laid-back tourist town minus the tourists. Located on the banks of the Rio Beni, the city does not offer much besides accommodation, restaurants, hammocks and travel agencies, but it is the base for all jungle and pampas tours. Trips into the jungle are popular because they usually include a visit to Madidi National Park, but the pampas trip is favored due to the abundance of visible wildlife. Considering my love for animals, I chose to experience the infamous Bolivian pampas with my three travel partners.

 

The trip began with a three-hour bumpy 4wd bus drive to the Yacuma River, which was an adventure in itself. As we bumped up and down, side to side, passing cows and broke down vehicles, we wondered what lay ahead.  

 

Upon reaching the Yacuma River, we boarded a small motorized long-tail boat for another three hour journey to our campground.

 

The Yacuma River is narrow, filled with café con leche colored water surrounded by lush greenery and interesting creatures. Our amazement began almost immediately. A family of alligators lurked to my left, a family of turtles rested upon each other to my right, and several different species of birds soared above my head.

 

The Amazon Basin is home to over five hundred bird species. These birds range from macaws, ibises, and falcons, to hoatzins. After some time, golden squirrel monkeys were in our boat and on our shoulders. Seeing so much wildlife was magical and never-ending. The sightings moved on to pink dolphins and capybaras, the world’s largest rodent. Capybaras, also known as water hogs, closely resemble giant guinea pigs that are up to 130cm in length. By that point, I had no desire to ever reach the campground, but unfortunately had no choice.

 

The campgrounds in the Pampas consist of less than basic dorm style huts. Electricity is turned off by 8pm so one can not expect much. My group and I spent the night around a campfire scratching our bug bites. The bugs are the only downfall of the pampas, so insect repellant is a necessity. As I slept in my mosquito net covered bed, I scratched all night and awoke with a tick digging into my leg. Luckily, I caught him just in time before he imbedded into my skin.

 

The next day we were given knee-high rubber boots to begin an anaconda hunt. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. As we walked into the real pampas, we pushed life-size grass out of the way until the mud became the next issue. I felt as if I was walking in a field of glue. It was almost impossible to walk as I got stuck every step of the way. This was not fun especially when the gluey mud was only getting deeper causing me to fall!

 

Finally, mission accomplished, we found our anaconda vomiting an eel.

 

As scared as I was to be in the presence of this enormous snake, I never been so happy because it was time to leave the swamp and move on to the next adventure – piranha fishing. We boarded our boat, baited our handmade fishing poles (just a string and hook), and waited patiently. Fishing for piranhas isn’t as easy as one would think.

 

As I tried for over an hour, I did not have any luck, but still had the opportunity to eat one. The meat of a piranha is tasteless and barely there. On our way back to the campground, we stopped for a swim in the alligator, caiman, and piranha infested waters to play with pink dolphins. As the day came to an end, we explored the Yacuma River in the pitch, black darkness. All that was visible were the red glowing alligator eyes, which brought on a sense of trepidation.  

 

The Amazon basin spreads through Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, and Guyana.

 

There are many different ways to experience this magical place. Compared to other South American countries, the Bolivian Amazon has suffered little deforestation, making it an excellent place to venture off the beaten track and into virgin land. Also, considering it is hardly touched by tourists and locals, wildlife abounds. In three short days, my eyes were opened to nature at its best with a yearning for more.

 

Lauren Vita Sgarlato is currently living her dream. After watching a documentary on backpacking, she resigned from her corporate Sales position in New York to experience the world. Within the past year, she has traversed through four continents, yearning for more. Lauren has a strong passion for Latin America, and looks forward to returning as soon as possible.