Last Updated: 02/10/20 | February 10th, 2020
Bolivia supplies a budget-friendly option for exploring the rainforest. It’s more affordable and less congested than the Amazon tours from Brazil. In this guest post, Erin from never Ending Voyage shows us how we can experience the rainforest by going through Bolivia at a more affordable price!
The Amazon Rainforest. It’s the world’s largest tropical rainforest, covering some 5.5 million square kilometers. using the opportunity to see rare flora and fauna, it’ must come as no surprise that it’s at the top of lots of travelers “to-do” lists.
When a lot of travelers think of the Amazon, they tend to think of Brazil.
Yet the Amazon basin actually stretches across nine countries in South America, which indicates that you don’t have to take an expensive excursion in Brazil to see the jungle. For the budget-savvy traveler, Bolivia supplies an remarkable (and affordable) alternative from which to check out the basin.
Not only is it more affordable and less congested but it’s just as biologically diverse as Brazil!
In this post, we’ll show you everything you need to know to have an remarkable Amazon experience in Bolivia!
Where Do You Start?
The starting point for trips into the Bolivian Amazon is the town of Rurrenabaque. It’s straightforward here to sign up for tours, and it’ll be more affordable than if you book in development in La Paz. Moreover, it’s a small town, so it’s easy to wander around and find a guesthouse for around $5-10 USD a night while you check out a few excursion agencies.
There are two ways to check out the Amazon from here:
1. The Pampas
The pampas tours are the cheapest option and are where you’ll see the most wildlife, including alligators, squirrel monkeys, and the gigantic rodent capybara. It may not be the classic Amazon jungle experience you envisioned, though, as the pampas are a wetland savannah on the edge of the Amazon basin rather than deep in the jungle, but the lack of trees indicates it’s much much easier to spot wildlife.
All the excursion operators operate nearly similar two-night/three-day trips for around $75 USD plus the park entrance fee (which will be around $20 USD). tours normally include all transportation, food, and a guide. You get what you pay for, so expect basic lodging and meals (I recommend bringing snacks), and your guide may not be the most knowledgeable if you opt for a low-cost operator.
Since guides are so crucial to the overall experience, make sure you ask around for a company with good, knowledgeable guides.
After a very bumpy three-hour jeep ride to the jungle, you’ll transfer to a motorized canoe and travel a additionally three hours along the river to your lodge. The river trip was the highlight for us, as we got up close to an remarkable amount of wildlife: hundreds of alligators, entire families of capybara (giant semiaquatic rodents), turtles sunbathing on logs, and trees full of tiny yellow squirrel monkeys. All while birds such as egrets, herons, roseate spoonbills, blue kingfishers, eagles, and hoatzin (pheasant-like birds with blue faces and spiky hair) flew and nested around us.
The riverside camp is in a serene setting among the trees, with plenty of wildlife-spotting opportunities (I had monkeys peering into my room!). lodging is in shared wooden huts on stilts, and you’ll wake up to the raucous sounds of howler monkeys. A generator supplies power until 10pm so you can take pleasure in cold beers while lounging in a hammock and watching the sunset over the river.
The pampas tours are a terrific way to view lots of wildlife for a very economical price, but choose your excursion operator very carefully and make sure they don’t touch or feed any of the wildlife — especially the anacondas.
2. The Jungle
For a a lot more classic Amazon experience, select a jungle tour. You can stay at an eco-lodge in the jungle and do activities from there, but this can be pricey. We (my other half and I) paid $207 USD each for a two-night/three-day excursion with Madidi travel to their Serere Lodge, but we did get a large, comfortable bungalow, terrific food, and a very professionally run trip. We also liked that revenues from the trip go back into conservation work for the area.
Although triple the price of a pampas trip, this is still much less than you’d pay for a similar experience in Brazil.
Serere Lodge is reached by a three-hour canoe ride and a short trip through the jungle. You can choose from a range of activities, including canoe trips on the lake next to the camp (at night you can see the glowing red eyes of caiman), day and night treks in the jungle, piranha fishing, and making jewelry from nuts and seeds.
Jungle treks are tiring in the heat and humidity, and there were lots of a lot more mosquitoes than in the pampas. It is also much a lot more tough to spot wildlife — you could spend hours and not see one monkey, while we’dcanoed past dozens of them in the pampas. It was interesting to see colorful spiders and gigantic bugs, and learn about the medicinal uses of trees and plants, though.
In general, we just took pleasure in the peace of being in the jungle, especially from the comfort of a hammock, even if we didn’t see a lot of wildlife.
There are more affordable jungle tours available with a lot more basic lodging for similar prices to the pampas trips. We also met someone who had hired a guide separately and trekked and camped out in the jungle. This will save you money and possibly be a a lot more authentic experience, but conditions in the jungle are hard, so don’t undertake one of these treks lightly.
If you have the budget and time, I’d recommend both the pampas and jungle trips, but otherwise, you’ll need to prioritize spotting wildlife in the pampas or the classic jungle experience.
10 travel ideas for the Bolivian Amazon
You can get to Rurrenabaque from La Paz by a horrendous, bumpy 30-hour bus ride or take the scenic 35-minute flight across snowy mountains and into the jungle. We flew with Amaszonas for $75 each way, but TAM might be a little cheaper. Obviously, the $10 bus ride will save you money, but it might not be worth it for your sanity! check Skyscanner or Momondo for the best prices.
The best time to check out the Bolivian Amazon is the dry season from may to October when there is a lot more wildlife attracted to the rivers and fewer mosquitoes.
There is no reputable ATM in Rurrenabaque, so bring plenty of cash.
Many excursion operators will offer anaconda hunts where you can pose for photos. Don’t go on these. Wild animals must be checked out from a distance only; they aren’t pets.
The jungle trip is a lot more physically demanding than the pampas excursion so be sure to have good footwear and proper hiking clothing.
Many guides will encourage you to get up close and personal with lots of of the animals that you see. For your own safety, don’t.
To make sure you get a reputable excursion operator, don’t pay less than around $90-100 USD for your tour. Anything below that price point will like be less than ideal.
If you’re doing the jungle tour, you’ll want to wear water resistant hiking boots or shoes.
Wear light trekking clothes as it can get warm, but also make sure to conceal so you aren’t attacked by mosquitoes. Bring bug spray with you as well.
We did our pampas trip with Indigena Tours. I can’t say I recommend them, as it was quite badly organized, the food parts were too small, and our guide wasn’t very helpful. but at least they didn’t touch any of the animals, which is a common problem here. There are absolutely worse excursion companies in Rurrenabaque. ultimately it’s a low-cost trip and you get what you pay for (there aren’t any a lot more expensive, better-run options), but it was worth it for us to get up close with so much wildlife.
***
Visiting the Amazon jungle is a highlight for lots of travelers in South America, and it’d be a shame to miss out because you can’t afford the high cost of trips in Brazil. For us, Bolivia produced a best economical alternative.
If you’re heading to Bolivia anyway (and you must — it’s an remarkable country!), be sure to consider taking an Amazon excursion here. You won’t be disappointed!
Erin McNeaney and her partner Simon offered everything they owned and left the UK in March 2010 to travel the world forever. You can follow their adventures at never Ending Voyage, or Twitter and Facebook.
Book Your trip to Bolivia: Logistical ideas and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner or Momondo to find a low-cost flight. They are my two favorite search engines because they search web sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. start with Skyscanner first though because they have the greatest reach!
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the greatest inventory and best deals. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and low-cost hotels.
Don’t forget travel Insurance
Travel insurance will secure you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s detailed protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it lots of times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Safety Wing (for everyone below 70)
Insure My trip (for those over 70)
Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Looking for the best companies to save money With?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use to save money when I’m on the road. They will save you money when you travel too.
Photo Credit: 1 – Kevin Jones