August 2026
RURRENBARQUE — From the Amazon Jungle to the Snowy Andes
Finally, the Amazon!
Seeing the Amazon Rainforest had been a dream of mine for a long time. I had always imagined dense jungle, mysterious rivers, wild animals, and perhaps the occasional creature that would make me question why I had come there in the first place.
After quite a lot of research, I decided to experience the Amazon from Bolivia rather than Peru. The Bolivian side seemed more remote, more primitive, and—most importantly—cheaper.
My destination was Rurrenabaque, a small town in northern Bolivia and the main gateway to the Madidi region and the Amazon rainforest. Most Amazon tours from Bolivia start here, and getting there is already an adventure in itself.
There are basically two ways to reach Rurrenabaque from La Paz: an overnight bus taking around 13–15 hours, or a domestic flight of about an hour. The problem with the flight is that there are only a few flights per week, and they are notorious for being cancelled or delayed because of bad weather.
So, like many other travelers, I chose the bus.
And, of course, I prepared for the worst.
The Adult Diaper Incident
There are several bus companies operating between La Paz and Rurrenabaque. I was told that none of them had toilets on board, although there would be toilet breaks along the way.
As a solo traveler, I was absolutely terrified of one particular scenario: what if I went to the toilet and the bus left without me?
Apparently, my brain decided this was a serious possibility.
So I brought adult diapers with me.
Yes. I actually packed adult diapers for an overnight bus journey.
Thankfully, they turned out to be completely unnecessary.
The buses were actually much newer and more comfortable than I had expected. While waiting for my delayed bus, I even made friends with some local people and other travelers. That helped reduce my frustration considerably—especially because my new friends usually knew some Spanish!
Eventually, my bus arrived with only a minor delay, and I made it safely to Rurrenabaque.
One Tour, Three Different Companies?
A local guide was waiting for me at the bus station, just as promised. But then things became slightly confusing.
I had booked the trip through Life Trip Bolivia, but the tour was actually being managed by Escorpion Travels and operated at Cobra Lodge.
Apparently, different tour companies combine travelers to make up a group. This makes perfect sense from a business point of view, but from a traveler’s point of view, it was a little confusing.
After stopping at the tour office to pick up my rubber boots, I got into another car and continued the journey.
Finally, around lunchtime, I met my fellow group members.
There were seven of them.
My Young and Very Talkative Jungle Gang
Most of the group were in their early or late twenties, except for two retired ladies who looked to be in their fifties or sixties.
The younger travelers were incredibly outgoing and talkative. They were also much more experienced travelers than me. Some had already been backpacking for months, while others had traveled extensively around Central and South America.
And, of course, many of them spoke some Spanish.
Our guide also spoke mostly Spanish.
As I sat there listening to everyone chatting away, I started mentally kicking myself for not studying Spanish harder before the trip.
This was definitely one of those moments when I thought, I really should have learned more than “hola” and “gracias.”
Four Hours to the Jungle
I had imagined the lodge would be somewhere reasonably close to Rurrenabaque.
It wasn’t.
It took about two hours by car followed by another two hours by motorboat to reach it.
And when we finally arrived, I realized that the lodge was… very basic.
There was a large common area/dining room, a kitchen, a big empty garden, a few bedrooms, and three shower/toilet rooms.
That was pretty much it.
I shared a bedroom with four other people. Each bed had a mosquito net hanging over it, which was definitely necessary.
There was no lock, no table, and no chairs.
Only one or two shower heads worked, and the water was cold.
Electricity was available only from around 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., mainly for lights and charging phones.
Basically, this was not exactly a luxury jungle resort.
But I hadn’t come to the Amazon for luxury.
Surprisingly Delicious Jungle Food
One thing that was definitely better than expected was the food.
Three meals a day, bottled water, and afternoon tea were included—and the food was genuinely delicious.
Breakfast usually came with plenty of fruit and pancakes. Lunch and dinner usually had five or six different dishes, including lots of vegetables, meat, and rice or pasta.
In the afternoon, we had tea or coffee with popcorn.
And on the day we went fishing, the fish we caught became part of our dinner.
Nothing beats eating dinner and thinking, I literally caught this a few hours ago.
Wildlife Cruise: Caimans, Capybaras and Pink Dolphins
On our first day, we mostly explored the river by boat, looking for wildlife.
And we found plenty.
Caimans, birds, monkeys, capybaras, otters, turtles and even pink river dolphins all made appearances.
The capybaras were especially cute. We saw several families relaxing along the riverbank, looking completely unbothered by our boat.
We also saw turtles piled on top of each other, as if they were having their own little turtle meeting.
And then there were the pink dolphins.
We saw them several times, but they were incredibly quick. They would appear for just a second and then disappear beneath the muddy water before I could take a decent photo.
Of course, I tried anyway.
My camera: too slow.
The dolphins: goodbye.
Mission: Find an Anaconda
The next morning, we put on our rubber boots and headed into the swamp on a very specific mission:
Find an anaconda.
It sounded exciting.
It was also much harder than I had imagined.
First, it was sunny and extremely hot.
Then we entered the swamp.
The water was sometimes so deep that it came over the top of my boots. The mud was occasionally so thick that I couldn’t pull my legs out by myself.
And the vegetation was incredibly dense. Some of the weeds were taller than me, and some even had tiny stinging things that hurt when they touched me.
We walked for only about two hours, but honestly, it felt like forever.
After all that effort, what did we find?
A dead anaconda.
And a tiny frog.
That was it.
I suppose the anaconda technically counted.
Mud, Sweat and a Very Hungry Lunch Group
As soon as we returned to the lodge, I spent what felt like forever trying to wash the mud off my legs and clothes.
By the time I finally reached the lunch table, my young and energetic group members had already eaten about half of the food.
I had been fighting the Amazon jungle.
They had been fighting their lunch.
They won.
Fishing with a Caiman Watching
In the afternoon, we went fishing.
I’ve never been particularly good at fishing, and this was not the trip where I suddenly discovered my hidden talent.
Each of us got a roll of thin fishing line, a hook, and tiny pieces of meat for bait.
We fished from the boat while a caiman floated nearby, completely motionless, staring at us from the other side.
Every now and then, it would open its mouth and casually eat a fish.
Meanwhile, we were trying our best.
Eventually, the group caught enough fish for everyone.
I caught none.
So I contributed absolutely nothing to dinner except moral support.
Jungle Nights
After dinner, the younger members of the group usually gathered around the fireplace, chatting or playing cards.
I, on the other hand, was exhausted.
While they were enjoying the jungle nightlife, I was happily crawling into my mosquito net for an early night.
Apparently, my idea of adventure has a fairly strict bedtime.
One morning, we woke up early to watch the sunrise over the river. Also, we took a boat to the only bar around the area to watch the sunset.
The scenery was beautiful and incredibly peaceful.
Being surrounded by jungle and river, far away from cities and traffic, felt like being in a completely different world.
The Pink Dolphin Swim… or Almost
On our final day, we had one last mission:
Swim with the pink dolphins.
We took a long boat ride upstream, searching for them.
But this time, the dolphins didn’t cooperate.
We couldn’t find them.
Eventually, we decided to swim anyway.
Well… they decided to swim.
I was much less enthusiastic.
There were caimans around, and the muddy water was so murky that I couldn’t imagine what might be swimming underneath me.
My imagination was working overtime.
I was determined to stay safely on the boat.
In the end, I did at least put my feet in the water.
I consider that a respectable compromise.
From the Amazon Back to the Andes
After several days in the jungle, we finally returned to Rurrenabaque.
We had the afternoon free before catching the overnight bus back to La Paz, so I walked around town.
Rurrenabaque itself is very small and quiet, with only a few streets. Most of the town is residential, with some tour agencies, restaurants and cafés scattered around.
It was a completely different atmosphere from La Paz.
I took a tuk-tuk with two other group members to the bus station, where we waited for our night bus.
The bus station was just as quiet as the town, with a few bus company counters and small shops around.
After spending several days surrounded by jungle, wildlife and muddy water, it was actually nice to slow down and enjoy such a simple little town.
And Then… Snow!
The night bus back to La Paz was surprisingly comfortable.
I had booked a Cama seat—a lay-flat/full-sleep seat—with Trans Rurre, and it cost only BS 220.
I settled into my seat and slept quite well.
Until I woke up because I was freezing.
At first, I couldn’t understand why it was suddenly so cold.
Then I looked outside.
Snow.
The bus was climbing high into the Andes.
It was incredible to see how dramatically the landscape changed. Just hours earlier, I had been surrounded by tropical rainforest, muddy rivers and caimans.
Now there was snow everywhere.
The bus was winding through narrow mountain roads, climbing higher and higher through the Andes.
It felt like I had traveled from one planet to another overnight.
Conclusion — Two Worlds in One Trip
The journey to the Amazon was long, uncomfortable at times, and definitely more primitive than my usual travels—but it was also one of the most interesting experiences of my trip.
I loved seeing wild animals in their natural environment rather than behind glass or fences at a zoo. The capybaras, turtles, caimans, monkeys and especially the elusive pink dolphins made the journey worthwhile.
I also learned a lot from my young group members. Their travel stories were fascinating, and they made me realize just how much more of South and Central America there is to explore.
One story that especially caught my attention was their hike to Huayna Potosí, a mountain near La Paz reaching over 6,000 meters.
A 6,000-meter mountain?
After hearing their stories, I started thinking…
Maybe I should try that too.
But for now, I was happy to have survived the Amazon swamp, the anaconda hunt, the caimans, the muddy water—and, most importantly, the overnight bus.
And what a strange and wonderful way to end the journey:
I went to sleep in the Amazon rainforest and woke up surrounded by snow-covered Andes.
Bolivia really does know how to change the scenery.