Ride & River

• From the Andes to the Amazon!
• Best way to do the jungle!
• 3 days of bike riding / 3 days jungle riverboat.
• 2 nights camping in remote jungle with 4 guided jungle tours through Madidi National Forest.

Anyone wanting the best and most unique way to get from the Andes to the Jungle and see all the amazing places along the way! An incredible cycling holiday!

DAY 1 – MONDAY
After an early morning meet up, we have a scenic drive out to Sorata, located at the base of the mountains Illampu, 6,368m and Janq’u Uma, 6,427m.
Once we break over the ridge the valley disappears into the vast abyss, stretching way beyond where the eye can see. Depending on the experience of the group we may try a slightly challenging ride or ride the sealed road, both of which are lots fun.
On arrival in Sorata we will make our way to Altai Oasis, a family run retreat, in a beautiful lush valley. It has a pool and glorious gardens, plus great food.
This night we will all meet in the restaurant at 7.30pm on the dot for dinner and our informal debrief, share some time together and get to know each other.

DAY 2 – TUESDAY
We meet in the café at 6 am for a fresh healthy hearty breakfast. Our driver will meet us at 6:30am ready to go for a 2 hour drive to our starting point in the high Andes.
Today´s ride we will drop over 4,000m over 65km on a 4×4 “two-track” road. It is a huge downhill, one of the biggest in the world. There are some climbs and flat sections.
Much of the road is pretty smooth, but there are some rough rocky sections. The jeep follows behind the group for support; if anything is too tough you can take a ride in our 4×4.
We will stop at a petite picturesque village for lunch; local women have been busy preparing a quinoa and vegetable soup. Your guides will make amazing avocado salad sandwiches for us to share, and to finish this well deserved nourishment some chocolate and local brewed coffee from the town’s folk.
On our way again the road condition is better and is far quicker to ride. Lower altitude, more oxygen making it far easier to breath, plus it is getting much warmer the closer we draw to the basin.
This night we will stay in humble accommodation. Your guides will prepare dinner, fettuccini pasta with a delicious vegetarian pasta sauce. It certainly hits the spot, a splash of red wine or two or more to quench the thirst, which also brings on a good sleep.

DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY
7:30- Your spirited guides prepare a delicious breakfast.
We board the 4x4s for a short hour’s drive along the river’s edge as we climb slightly above the river. The surrounding vegetation is thicker; vines begin to hang lower as we head into regions with thick over-hanging canopies.
Today’s ride is somewhat different to the last, from this point on we are in the belly of the jungle, no impressive majestic views but long stretches of green broken by the occasional impressive waterfalls and glimpses of the river we are following. We ride the undulating road deeper into the jungle. We will stop for a local made soup at one of the jungle gold mining villages. Not far down the road we will stop alongside a clear jungle river; it is a great place for a swim we will also wash the bikes. Here we can have a few more snacks of chocolate, fruit and beverages.
From here we take the vehicles for another climb before riding to our accommodation in Mapiri, a gold mining center and trading hub for the region. After a shower we head into town for dinner. Rice, river fish, and vegetables, the food is unexpectedly, extraordinarily good!
Tonight we will have a few beers and sing Karaoke. How’s that for fun? We make our way back to our place of stay that has an open roof-top where we sit, lap up some beers, and star gaze.

DAY 4 – THURSDAY
After breakfast we make a short walk down to the Rio Mapiri to find our longboat is waiting, packed with all our gear, we board and head off down the river.
We have 3 days of boating, about 4 hours per day on the boat. We break up the river ride with side hikes, fishing, and getting to know the locals with two nights camping in the jungles.
All camping gear, other than flashlights, is supplied. We provide a cook who creates wonderful food.
Today is a 3.5 hour boat ride winding down the lush canyons to the gold boom town of Guanay for lunch at a local restaurant overlooking the river. Here we have some time to explore while we load up supplies for the river trip. From here we continue downriver for 1.5 hours to the first river camp, where a crystal clear creek meets the main river. We can hike to a lookout that afternoon while the cook is preparing dinner. We return to the camp for food, campfire, and a good night’s rest.

DAY 5 – FRIDAY
After breakfast (7 am), we pull down our camp and pack our gear into the boat and then hike about 1 hour up the side canyon of the creek to a nice waterfall and pool. After a refreshing swim we return to the camp, board the boat and head downstream. Lunch is prepared and served on the boat. We pass several active gold mines before entering Madidi National Park.
After a delicious dinner, we will night hike through the jungle, we will also toast marshmallows and tell stories or play cards.

DAY 6 – SATURDAY
After an early breakfast (7 am) we hike for about 3.5 hours through the lush rainforest. Then it’s about 3 hours down the river (we eat lunch in the boat) and head off to Rurrenabaque, where we arrive around 2-3 pm, where the trip ends. How amazing is that!
We will help you sort your flights back to La Paz or any other activity you might want to do from Rurrenabaque.