The beauty of travelling is, that you never come back the same as you left.
What once started off as a crazy idea and was harshly put to a halt by the Corona pandemic, has finally come true in Februar 2023: Three courageous people followed my call and joined the very first volunteer trip through Bolivia. My heart nearly burst of joy when they finally arrived at the airport of La Paz on the 23rd of February.
My Team Bolivia 2023
Janine, Patricia and Benny are work colleagues, friends and Animalma supporters. Despite of being tired from the long journey, they were as excited as I was to finally get to know Bolivia and the projects and people they have been supporting from Switzerland.
I happily share with you the highlights of our two weeks trip through Bolivia. For every destination you will find a short description and a picture gallery. Just click on any picture for high resolution and access to the gallery.
La Paz
La Paz is the highest-located city in the world and is nestled in the Andes with an altitude from 3800 up to 4100 meters above sea level.
We strolled through the colourful streets of La Paz, explored the markets (Beware of very high shopping risk!), observed the hustle and bustle on the plazas and got accustomed to the relaxed but nevertheless lively Bolivian groove.
We overlooked the city from the rooftop terrace from our hotel, enjoyed vegetarian and vegan dishes in the fancy district Sopocachi and shopped the first presents for our loved ones back home and the obligatory woollen jackets for our trip in the countless artesanal markets.
Lago Titicaca / Isla del Sol
The majestic lake Titicaca is situated in the north of the country, only two hours from La Paz shared by the neighbouring country Peru. We chartered a private ship in the village of Copacabana and cruised the endless-seeming waters until we reached the Sun island. Legend says that the very first Incas were sent down to this very island by the god Inti, from where they started to set up their famous empire.
We climbed up the first Inka stairs of our journey, discovered different ruins and enjoyed the tranquilitiy and vastness far away from everyday life. It was the perfect start of our adventure and a dive into Bolivian culture.
Salar de Uyuni
The biggest salt desert on earth (as you see Bolivia is definitely a superlative country) is in Uyuni, about 12 hours from La Paz. Our driver Jésus and his little bus “Jota” drove us savely through the country, while we enjoyed the view of the stunning Andes as well as little villages in the middle of nowhere filled with friendly people and doggies.
After a short stay at the salt hotel (yes it is a hotel built of salt), we got picked up by our guides at 4 o’clock in the morning and drove out into the salt flat. We were all in awe of the endlessness of this mystical place and were watching how a beautiful starry sky changed into a stunning sunrise.
During the following day tour, we visited the train cementary, a traditional salt production and then drove through this surreal world of the salt desert – a day filled with magical moments, countless photo sessions and a wonderful lunch.
Our guides from America Tours gave us an unforgettable Uyuni experience and also made us aware of the threats facing the salt flats (lithium exploitation) and how they still need side jobs to survive, as tourism hasn’t fully recovered since the pandemic.
Madidi National Park / Las Pampas
The salt desert was followed by another highlight – visiting the Bolivian Amazon. We embarked with a small boat from Rurrenabaque and traveled up the river, got to know indigenous villages and traditions along the way, learned more about the Madidi National Park at the checkpoint of the rangers and arrived in the middle of the rainforest at the beautiful camp of Mashaquipe.
& my travel companions had the very same experience as myself when first arriving in the jungle: It is a purely magical place far away from our hectic civilization, it instantly calms one down and brings peace to the mind and happiness to the heart. It roots one back to the core values of humanity, showing a unique biodiversity living in symbiosis and the thought of its destruction is deeply affecting.
So in this special state of mind, we hiked on small paths through the jungle, listened to the interesting facts and stories of our guide and the mighty, omnipresent sounds of nature. We spotted sloths, primates, birds, butterflies and marvelled at beautiful flowers and trees as old as 300 years.
The nature reserve “Las Pamas” is discovered by boat and so this wetland with its countless arms of rivers (and even more mosquitos) is an easy, relaxing way to spot wildlife close-up.
Caimans were waiting patiently for their next prey, river dolphins swam around the boat, squirrel monkey troops foraged in the bushes and turtles as well as birds took a sunbath on the rocks and trunks along the river benches.
Senda Verde
As the “grande finale” of our time in Bolivia, we visited our heart project, the wildlife refuge Senda Verde, and my “Team Bolivia” helped on the forefront by volunteering at the centre.
They supported the animal caretakers in breeding butterflies, cleaning and feeding in the big bird aviary, taking care of howler monkey babies, capuchins, Andean bears and many more fascinating animals.
The harsh fate of these animals, being victims of wildlife trafficking within the Amazon and some held as pets for years or even decades, visibly affected my friends. But this heaviness got compensated by the satisfaction of helping these beautiful beings and this unique project – be it through volunteering on-site or from far away Switzerland with a donation.
It was a very special pleasure for me to show my Team Bolivia, where their donations are going, how they are used and how valuable this support via Animalma is – at Senda Verde as well as through different nature protection campaigns.
The conclusion
Bolivia is a fascinating travel destination with a wide variety of sites and activities. Even though we have been on the road nearly non-stop during those two weeks, we have only seen a little part of this diverse country. All three members of the “Team Bolivia 2023” were deeply impressed by it and all of them want to go back one day – but with more time 😉
Besides an incredible nature with fascinating flora and fauna, the Bolivians also inspired us with their friendliness, generosity and their leisureliness.
& for me personally, it was a huge milestone to finally realize this dreams of mine, this volunteer journey, and it was an honor to be able to show “my Bolivia” to my friends and supporters.
For now, I leave it open if or when I will offer this volunteer trip again, but interested people can contact me (via info@animalma.org) and who knows, maybe there will be a “Team Bolivia 2024”!
In the meantime, help the projects we’ve visited: