Playing in the Pampas

After checking into our hotel with our new friend Heidi (she was also stuck in La Paz waiting to get to Rurre), we rushed straight out to book a tour for the next few days. We settled on a company called Indians Travels for three days in the Pampas and three days in the Jungle. So we celebrated with a mohito or two and settled down for a good dinner because early in the morning we were to set off to the Pampas.

The Pampas is an area surrounding the the jungle that is lush, tall, grassland and home to lots of animals including capybaras, caimans, monkeys, anacondas, piranas and lots of crazy bugs. It´s almost like a savannah. Our journey to the camp was three hours by jeep along dirt tracks, with nine of us squished into a Land Cruiser, and then three further hours by dug-out canoe. The canoe trip was our first opportunity to see the wild animals, which was really cool. We stopped at a wider section where we could swim with Pink Dolphins - they protect you from the aligators and caimans. I sat in the canoe like a chicken whilst Stu braved the murky waters. It´s funny, the animals aren´t really phased by the canoes and humans. It seems they understand that in a canoe, we´re pretty harmless. Out of the canoe is a different matter and they all stay pretty clear, which is a relief in some cases. The highlight of the first day was two capybara having sex! These are the largest rodents in the world and are about the size of a Labrador. In the evening we went to our look out, where Billy gave us cool beers and we watched the sun go down over the grasslands.

The second day we were woken by Howler Monkeys in the trees behind the camp. This was the strangest sound and so loud it can carry for miles and miles, and they´re only little. In the morning we did a long trek (in the boiling hot sun) in search of anacondas. Unfortunately, Stu had a little too much to drink the previous night and so wasn´t feeling so good. This coupled with walking in 35 degree heat in wellies with no socks wasn´t the best idea from him. He eventually threw up and then felt much better. He blamed it on the anti-malaria tablets, but I think we all know the truth! The snakes weren´t coming out to play that day, so the two guides, Reynaldo and Action Man left the group under a tree whilst they went in search at a nearby lagoon. Their advice to us was to climb the tree if we saw a snake. Unfortunately, the little tree we were sat under wasn´t going to support 11 of us! We all sat there waiting for them to return, with our fingers crossed that the snakes didn´t find us first! After about 40 minutes, they returned with another guide and 2.5m anaconda, which luckily had recently fed. This was obvious from the big bulge halfway down its body.

It was good to get out of the camp and see more of the grasslands on foot, rather than in the canoe. Unfortunately, the land owner is burning much of it down to make way for cattle, much to the detriment of the local flauna and wildlife. I think this was probably one of the reasons it was difficult to find the snakes. I was quite glad to get back to the camp as the trek was a really hard slog in the humid heat of the Pampas.

That evening we went piraña fishing. They´re fast little buggers, ripping the meat of the hooks within seconds. They even jump out of the water for the meat! Unfortunately, we didn´t catch any, but I did manage a cat fish, dog fish and a sardine. Not quite enough for dinner.

The final day, we got a little closer to the wildlife. We watched the monkeys have breakfast which was a real treat. They´re so cute! A little later we were going to get even closer to some wildlife - aligators! Stu gave one a little stroke on the head!

The Pampas was really great - a real treat for wildlife lovers. I have to say, that the heat was immense and I was pretty glad to get back to Rurre and some well deserved Mojitos!