Rurrenebaque is a small town set right in the heart of the Bolivian rainforest (La Pampas) Getting there from La Paz generally invloves a flight, and a breathtaking one at that. Taking off in a small 12-seater plane, you really get the impression of how big jumbo jets and interntional ariports are! As you soar over mountains, and lakes, slowly the scenery becomes greener and before you know it, you are looking out on the Amazon Basin with endless rainforests stretching as far as the eye can see and the odd river twisting its way through them.
The plane begins to descend towards the canopy and everyone begins to look slightly nervous as there is no sign of civilisation let alone an airport. When you seen as though you are just close enough for the wheels to touch the trees, suddenly a long clearing appears and the plane bumpily touches down on a large stretch of grass before ambling slowly up to the airport - a small one roomed hut.
On stepping out of the plane, particularly if you have been in the height of La Paz where the air is thin, cool and clear, the sheer humidity of Rurrenebaque hits you straightaway. It is reminiscent of the humidty in the Florida summer and certianly takes some getting used to!
Accomodation: There is plenty of accomodation in rurrenebaque itself, some of it which is of a fairly good standard, and remarkably cheap. We stayed in one hotel for less than $8 a night per person, and all had ensuites and comfortable beds. It is always best to go directly to the hotels however, as there are lots of people who will prey on tourists and will claim to negotiate a special deal with a hotel for you when they are actually charging you more.
Food: There are plenty of restaurants around the area for all sorts of food. For breakfasts, there are many little cafes which generally serve American breakfasts of pancakes orange juice cereals etc for a good price. For larger meals, we came across a good pasta house, a very nice pizzeria and cocktail bar who gave us a complimentary free piña colada served in half a melon, and a more traditional Bolivian restuarant, serving everything from steak to llama. A word of caution though, some of the bolivian dishes were so spicy that they brought fully grown men to tears!
Jungle trips: There are a number of offices around rurrenebaque (usually characterised by jeeps sitting outside) which run trips of varying lengths into the jungle, and it is worth looking around for what you want as they all differ. Some have makeshift hotels built onto the bancks of the rivers and over more comfort, whereas others offer a more traditioanl experience sleeping in hammocks in a log hut in the jungle. Most of the tours will genreally begin with a jeep tour into the rainforest where you can see a great deal of birds and wild animals. There is also usually a boat ride in motorised canoes to get to the various campsites which is a great if slightly wet experience.
During our tour of the jungle, we were taken crocodile spotting at night, fished for piranahs, tried (unsuccessfully) to find an annaconda, and were taken to feed monkeys with bananas from the side of the river. The family of guides who stayed with us were very friendly, and even built us a makeshift volleyball court out of two logs and some rope. The food was very tasty depite being cooked all in the jungle on an open fire, though a very days after returning from the jungle, a lot of people suffered from some dissentry which may well have been related.
Other attractions: The jungle tours are the main attraction in Rurrenebaque, though it is also worth exploring the forest immediatley surrounding the town, as there are a very paths and you can find escellent views that you might not otherwise see. Also look out for the bannana bread man, a guy origional from America who makes fresh bannan and chocolate bread every day and will sell you a slice for a few bolivianos. He's also a fantastic source of knowledge about the area and is always willing to help or tell you a tale or two.
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