Costs pp: bus Yucumo to Rurrenabaque 20b, ferry across to Buenaventura 1b, bus to Jacj Cuizi 10b, Jacj Cuizi 150b first 2 nights then 100b each night after that (includes meals).
The 3 hour bus ride from Yucumo to Rurre took 4 1/2 hours and as we got on last we had the very rear seat which does not recline and feels ALL the bumps, it was a very bumpy, dusty road.
Arrived in Rurrenabaque around 7.30am and walked into town. Had breakfast and sat outside an internet cafe until it opened because we had forgotten to note down the instructions for how to get out to the park to volunteer.
Ferry across the river and bus out to the park where we were welcomed by 3 other volunteers busy putting a palm roof on a newly built garage.
The park we volunteered at is new and the land was only purchased 9 months ago. At the moment a large building where the volunteers sleep and an old kitchen area (as well as the new garage) are the only buildings on the land. There are two Pumas being looked after well away from the entrance (we never got to see them) one a large mountain puma and the other a smaller jungle puma. Each day two volunteers go out and spend the day with each puma. One volunteer ropes the puma to him/herself and they both just spend the day doing whatever the cat wants to do, as well as feeding them at the end of the day. These four (Dave-NZ,Tim-USA,Andreas-Italy,Vanessa-NZ) are not in the pics because they left each morning and returned at the end of the day.
The other volunteers (us included) worked on the garage, created a huge garden and prepared meals and cleaned etc. Kent built some steps down to the river with Carols help. Amongst the other volunteers were 3 other kiwis, a couple from Taupo called Kajal and Dave and Vanessa from north of Wellington.
We were amazed at the dedication of all these individuals who every day worked hard to do what they could at the park. We lived there with no electricity and no running water, there was a gas cooker and we also used the fire for cooking (hot coals too for the oven above), we bathed in a nearby stream but made sure not to contaminate it with any non-eco products, all our water came from the stream, our loo was a longdrop, our beds had mattresses stuffed with straw (hard but surprisingly ok). The weather was sometimes unbearably hot and humid but we all worked on thru the days, resting only an hour or so at lunch. We had some amazing meals cooked from very few ingredients and enjoyed very much the company of the other 10 who were there.
There were tons of beautiful butterflies at the park and lots of them congregated by the stream which made it a really magic place to be. As usual there are lots more lovely pics which are in the gallery on the right.
An amazing 8 days that we really enjoyed. Next destination somewhere on the road to Trinidad, and the back road to Sucre and south.
