Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a four-hour motorboat trip down the Río Iteñez and up the smaller Río Paucana to
Campa-
mento Ahlfeld
, a trip that is only possible during the rainy season (Nov-May). The Ahlfeld
waterfall, twenty minutes' walk from the camp, is a stunning multiple waterfall, 40m high
and twice as wide.
The Arco Iris waterfall
It's a lengthy but rewarding hike (4-5hr return) to the
Arco Iris waterfall
from Campamento
Ahlfeld, including a steep climb up the escarpment onto the top of the Huanchaca plateau.
The vegetation on the plateau is very different from the rainforest below, consisting of dry
and thorny scrub and low forest
cerrado
. Utterly unaltered by human action and surrounded
by a seemingly endless sea of rainforest below, it's easy to see why this landscape inspired
Arthur Conan Doyle's fantasy of a lost world inhabited by strange prehistoric beasts. Viewed
from above, the Arco Iris waterfall is an overwhelming sight: a vertical cascade plunging
100m down through virgin rainforest and throwing up great clouds of spray that refract the
sunlight, creating the innumerable rainbows that give the falls their name.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PARQUE NOEL KEMPFF
MERCADO
ORGANIZED TOURS
Onlyafewhundredpeoplevisittheparkeachyear,andalmostallofthosearrivebychartered
lightaircraftfromSantaCruz;aspectacularflightthatcanbearrangedbyseveral
SantaCruz-
based tour agencies
.
A return flight to Camp Los Fierros (or Flor de Oro, if it has reopened)
costs several hundred dollars per person. A typical five-day all-inclusive package to the park,
travelling by plane, costs about Bs6650 ($950) per person based on a group of four. If you
substitute the flights for a gruelling overland journey, the price is roughly halved.
TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY
Considering the difficulties, taking an organized tour is highly advised. Independent travel-
lers who have attempted the trip on a strict budget often turn back as arriving by public trans-
port is extremely arduous and sometimes impossible. If you are still undaunted, however,
head to San Ignacio de Velasco, from where there is usually a weekly bus (at least 12-14hr)
to La Florida on the western edge of the park. There are some basic huts (around Bs50/hut) at
La Florida where you could stop for a few nights; bring your own bedding. Once in La Flor-
ida, it's still another 35km to Camp Los Fierros along a rainforest track; if you're attempting
this route, its highly advised that you arrange for the rangers at Los Fierros to pick you up
and take you back again, including an excursion to the El Encanto waterfall; this costs around
Bs1050 ($150); contact them via SERNAP's offices in Santa Cruz or
San Ignacio de Velasco
.
Alternatively you may be able to hire a pick-up truck in San Ignacio or La Florida to take you
all the way; it is also possible to hire local guides in La Florida. If Camp Flor de Oro camp
