Columbus
 Global Village
 Team

Bolivia 2008

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This page is a collection of the planning & preparatory information that was disseminated before the short-term mission trip to Bolivia occurred. For pictures and reports of the actual trip experience, please visit the Trip Highlights page. You can also review the What To Bring page, or read What To Expect which applies generally to all Columbus Global Village team mission trips.

Optional Excursion
February 25 Through March 4

Four youngsters standing in river washing clothes and smiling
Photo courtesy of Eduardo Valdivia

Optional Excursion

Dave & Susi plan to visit two very diverse areas in Bolivia: the Amazon Basin and Lake Titicaca. Team members are invited to join them, or they may make other extended travel arrangements on their own if they prefer. If you've ever dreamed of exploring the wilderness of the Amazon, walking in pristine rainforest, or experiencing the cultures of the high Andes mountains and investigating the ruins of the Inca, then our trips are for you.

Dave and Susi are busy finalizing the specific tours and hotels, and will be updating this page as they learn more. Their love of nature and the outdoors will frequently take them to parks and preserves, but they are also eager to explore the art and culture of the area. They will actively seek out the comments and desires of any team members who choose to tour with them as they make the final selections.

Long canoe-like boat landing at dark riverbank in front of distant sunset
Photo courtesy of Eduardo Valdivia

Madidi National Park - We're really going wild!

Located northeast of La Paz, http://www.greentracks.com/Madidi.htmlMadidi National Park stretches from Andean peaks to the Amazon River Basin. We will visit the lowland regions along the Tuichi and Beni River. Here is a http://www.greentracks.com/Madidi_Map.htmlmap of the park. We will fly into Rurrenabaque and explore the outback town for an afternoon. The next morning we will take a boat to Chalalan EcoLodge where we will remain for 3 days hiking, boating, canoeing and swimming as we explore the Amazon Basin. With the help of a naturalist we will see lots of bugs, snakes and critters while we learn about the plants and trees, medicinal uses of plants, and the Tacana culture.

We will be using the Green Tracks tour company, which was founded in 1992 by prominent tropical biologists to develop a sustainable economy for the Tacana tribes and preserve the rainforest. Check out the http://www.greentracks.com/Madidi-Chalalan-4D3N.htmdetails of this tour.

Jamie and Tal did this trip in the drier month of May '07. They have written a great review and included some great pictures. If you are considering joining us - http://realtravel.com/e-204892-rurrenabaque_entry-rurrenabaque_madidi_national_park_chalalan_lodgethis is a must read!

We can expect warm rainy days (or some torrential downpours) and we will add a flex day at the end of the trip in case our departure from Rurre is delayed due to weather.

Wooden houses reflected in the blue lake with mountains and sky behind
Photo courtesy of Richard Mayneord

Lake Titicaca

http://www.greentracks.com/Titicaca-Intro.htmLake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, offers a multitude of trails that have been used since Incan time. Over 120 miles long and 300 feet deep, it contains several large islands including Isla del Sol which figures into the origins of Inca mythology. Check out a http://www.greentracks.com/Titicaca-Map.htmMap of the lake.

Although we have not yet finalized our arrangements, it is possible that we may engage the same tour company, Greentracks, to assist us in making the arrangements for this part of the journey. Here is what they are proposing:

  • Day 1: La Paz to Copacabana. After a morning departure, the drive to Copacabana will afford views of magnificent Lake Titicaca and the spectacular Cordillera Real. At the halfway point, we will take a ferry across the Strait of Tiquina. After our 3 hour trip we will check in at at Rosario del Lago Hotel with plenty of time remaining to explore the town.
  • Day 2: Copacabana to Isla del Sol. Do not miss the sunrise! After breakfast we take a boat to La Chincana and start a 4-5 hour hike crossing most of Island of the Sun. Lunch and free afternoon to enjoy the area.
  • Day 3: Isla del Sol to Copacabana to La Paz. We hike to the village of Yumani, known as the garden of the Incas. We hike down to the bay to take a boat back to Copacabana where we visit the Virgen Morena and its church. After lunch we will return to La Paz.

Accommodations

The tour company contracts with Rosario de Lago and Estacia EcoLodge.

To help safeguard our passports and valuables, we will bring a hard-sided suitcase with a bicycle cable and padlock so we can secure them in our room or the office.

Pricing Information

Although the actual cost of the optional excursion will not be finalized until we know exactly how many people join the group, we will update the following table as we continue to learn more specifics. We hope to have a clearer understanding of the total price in the next few weeks

Description
Amount
Payable To
Although we will negotiate a package through http://www.twinhorizonstravel.comTwin Horizons Travel, you are free to make your own arrangements. (Dave & Susi are part owners of this agency.) TBD Travel agent
Transportation TBD TBD
Lodging TBD TBD
Travel health insurance TBD TBD
Food TBD TBD
Activity 1 TBD TBD
Activity 2 TBD TBD
Contingency TBD TBD
Other TBD TBD
Immunizations and malaria tablets TBD TBD
Tourist Card, visa, exit tax, etc. TBD TBD

Payment Responsibility, Cancellation, etc

Dave and Susi are researching the possible trips and making arrangements for themselves. They are very willing to include others, but their responsibility in doing so extends only to the convenience of facilitating their discussion with the travel agents and providers. Each traveler will have their own separate relationship with the agents and providers, and will individually be responsible for all payments, cancellation consequences, etc.

Climate & Weather

Here are the current conditions in Rurrenabaque the city from which we will access the Amazon Basin. Weather Underground also provides a look at the daily weather history in February 2007.

We do not yet have a link for the weather on Lake Titicaca, though we believe that it will be similar to that in La Paz. We will add a link soon.