VIDA SILVESTRE
Rurrenabaque was another tourist town. It is a mid-sized town thats located right on the Rio Beni, surrounded by jungle on one side and pampa on the other. The town most definitely revolves around the tourism industry with numerous agencies offering trips to the jungle where you can see Jaguars, Cayman, monkeys and others; river trips where you can fish or make your own rafts; and trips to the pampa where the bird and wildlife population are stunning. There were plenty of opportunities to experience ayahuasca, the hallucinogenic plant, with a "neo-shaman" (that is literally how they advertised it). The food was good and the folks around town were very friendly.
We were excited to get to Rurrenabaque and meet up with Peter, Erin's brother. He flew in from the states and met us in Rurre for a few days on the river. We used Scorpion guide service who took us up river into Madidi National Park where we caught fish that we cooked over an open fire, hunted for worms, took night hikes, spotted no shortage of wildlife (the most exciting sighting was the Anta), and spent plenty of time relaxing. Overall we enjoyed our time in the town as well as on the river. Someone looking to hang around a bit longer would have no trouble finding an agency to volunteer with. I would also highly recommend searching out the French baker in town as well as the local coconut juice, absolutely spectacular...will always remember that "jugo de coocooo".
