- Five hour boat trip to Berraco del Madidi Eco Camp
- Two capybaras and a spectacled caiman can be seen
- Afternoon hike through the jungle with many explanations from guide Sandro
- Sandro's trained eye discovers a group of yellow-breasted macaws in a treetop
- Listen to howler monkey concert
At 8 a.m. we are again only ready with the bare minimums at the tour office Berraco del Madidi. Our luggage is loaded onto the longboat and we can take a seat on the comfortable seats. The first 1.5 hours we drive upstream on the mighty Rio Beni to the gates of the Madidi National Park. As soon as Rurrenabaque is behind us, only a few signs of civilization can be seen.
After just under an hour we reach the El Bala checkpoint and entry point to the national park. Soon after we turn into the wilder one Rio Tuichi a. The course of the river changes constantly and presents the boat crew with new challenges every time. A man sits on the bow of the boat and measures the water depth with a stick. Even now in the rainy season the river is extremely shallow in places. Guide Sandro tells us that in the dry season it is sometimes necessary to push the boat over certain sections.
Twice we see a single well camouflaged on the bank of the river Capybara, later we see one large group of macaws and a single Spectacled Caiman, even if the fast-flowing river is not an ideal habitat for the lizard.
We stop at a sandbank for lunch and a toilet stop. Soon we will pass the famous Chalalan Lodge. After another hour we achieve that Berraco del Madidi Eco Camp. No other camp in the national park is so deeply hidden. Here, too, yesterday's storm raged and how! A large tree fell on the food shelter and completely destroyed the roof. Fortunately, nobody was present at the time, who knows how it would have ended.
We move into one of the four raised shelters with a hammock, table and a spacious tent that houses two comfortable beds. From here we will explore the surrounding rainforest for the next few days. In addition to the tent, we get a foretaste of the jungle: a huge grasshopper can be seen. Soon we will start ours first tour of discovery in the forest. In the rainforest it applies To use senses and nothing to touch.
The carefully laid out trails are repeatedly blocked by fallen trees. The good old machete is used and we make our way through the thicket. Guide Sandro has a lot to tell us about the forest. Of numerous edible fruits and berries, on trees, plants and animals and their use in the traditional healing arts the Indians. This is also the case with a bush whose leaves give off an intense burgundy juice when rubbed. This was previously used for body painting and for dyeing clothes.
We learn interesting facts about dangerous ants whose bite burns for hours, find traces of tapirs and peccaries, as well as burrows dug by a large anteater. Then we finally get to see something. The loud croaking gives away a group of yellow-breasted macaws in the canopy. A little later we see another one peacock-like bird in the treetops. We don't see any monkeys for the time being, that's why imposing roar of the male howler monkey unmistakable.
During the delicious dinner at the makeshift table outside, Chef Pepe tells us about one of them Incident three weeks ago. While a tourist was going to the toilet at night, she was followed back to the tent by a jaguar. The big cat stopped right in front of the entrance to tent 2 and circled the tent. You guess in which tent we stay overnight =) For some thrill so is taken care of. After a cold shower, we march back to the tent in the light of our flashlight and soon fall asleep after an intense day.
