Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It is difficult to visit the park independently, but if you wish to do so the B$125 admis-
sion fee is payable at the SERNAP office in San Buenaventura - you must be accompan-
ied by an authorized guide. By far the easiest and most responsible way to arrange access
is by visiting one of the community projects listed following.
Sleeping
Providing a model for responsible, sustainable ecotourism in Bolivia, the community pro-
jects in Madidi preach a respect for culture, environment and wildlife; and benefit local
communities rather than private operators. You can choose from one-day tours to longer
stays, incorporating walks in the rainforest with visits to indigenous communities, where
you can peek into local lifestyles and traditions. Make sure you don't give sweets or
presents to children, no matter how cute they look, as this builds unrealistic expectations.
Booking offices for most of these community lodges are located in Rurrenabaque and
prices include park access.
LODGE
Chalalán Ecolodge $$$
(
892-2419, in La Paz 2-231-1451;
www.chalalan.com
; 3 nights & 4 days all inclusive
per person US$390)
Bolivia's oldest and most successful community-based ecotourism
project. Set up in the early 1990s by the inhabitants of remote San José de Uchupiamonas,
it has become a lifeline for villagers, and has so far generated money for a school and a
small clinic. Built entirely from natural rainforest materials by the enthusiastic San José
youth, the lodge's simple and elegant huts surround the idyllic oxbow lake, Laguna
Chalalán.
Chalalán provides the opportunity to amble through relatively untouched rainforest and
appreciate the diversity of the native wildlife. While the flora and fauna are lovely, it's the
sounds that provide the magic here: the incredible dawn bird chorus, the evening frog
symphony, the collective whine of zillions of insects, the roar of bucketing tropical rain-
storms and, in the early morning, the reverberating chorus of every howler monkey within
a 100km radius.
Your trip (once you're in Rurre) starts with a six-hour canoe ride upstream on the misty
Río Beni, and moves onto the smaller tributary, Río Tuichi. Once you're at Chalalán, you
can go on long daytime treks or on nocturnal walks. Boat excursions on the lake are a de-
light and you can see different types of monkey who come to feed and drink water. Swim-
ming in the lake among docile caimans is a must, especially at dusk when the light is
heavenly. On nights prior to departures from the lodge, the guides throw parties, with
windpipe playing, coca chewing and general merriment.
