Madidi and Rurrenabaque

Madidi National Park And Integrated Management Area (1995), Among The Most Biodiverse Protected Areas On Earth, From Andean Peaks To Lowland Amazon. Rurrenabaque Is The Base For 3 5 Day Jungle Lodge Trips And For 3 Day Pampas Trips On The Yacuma River To See Caimans, Pink Dolphins And Capybaras. · Rurrenabaque, La Paz

Rurrenabaque is a small, hot river town on the Beni at about 200 m, the gateway to the Bolivian Amazon. A short flight from La Paz drops you from the thin, cold Altiplano into humid lowland air. From here two kinds of trip leave. Pampas tours run to the Yacuma river for caimans, pink river dolphins, capybaras and many birds. Jungle tours enter Madidi National Park, one of the most biodiverse protected areas on Earth, where community-run eco-lodges such as Chalalan sit on the Tuichi river. Madidi holds jaguars, tapirs, spectacled bears and over 1,000 bird species, but seeing the big animals is a matter of luck, not a promise. Heat, mosquitoes, rain and delayed flights are part of the experience. Choose a licensed operator, avoid feeding practices, and travel in the dry season for the best chance of a good trip. Book flexible tickets, bring cash and repellent, and treat every sighting as a bonus rather than something owed to you. The towns are simple, the lodges basic, and the forest is the reward.

Gateway jungle town on the Beni river reached by a short flight from La Paz, with Madidi lodges upstream and the Yacuma river pampas to the north-east, Rurrenabaque, La Paz, Bolivia

The town is open all day. Tours run on set departure days, usually leaving in the morning from the Rurrenabaque agencies. Lodges take bookings all year but some CLOSE or cut services in the rainy season. Flights are subject to weather, so confirm schedules with the airline.

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