Day 5: Rurrenabaque Back to La Paz

We checked out the Sunday markets on the town's riverbank and then got our flight back up to the mountains of La Paz.

Tom Barnett

— Jul 22, 2018

In the weekend people from the deeper jungle communities make the trip to the big smoke of Rurrenabaque to sell their wares like bananas, other fruits and nuts.

Our last night we spent at the Casa de Campo just on the edge of town. Also highly recommended.

Back at altitude in La Paz — Image by: Mariana Costa

Madidi National Park: The Richest in the World

Madidi in Bolivia's Amazon Basin is the protected area with the world's largest number of birds, mammals, plants and butterfly species registered. And second in species of amphibians and reptiles.

Tom Barnett

— Jul 18, 2018

As the most biodiverse protected area in the world it has:

265 mammals
1028 birds
105 reptiles
109 amphibians
314 fish
5515 plants
and 1544 species and subspecies of butterflies

All present within the boundaries of the park.

The recent Identidad Madidi 3 year scientific expedition ended in January and added 1382 species to the list, over 200 were new to Bolivia and over 100 are potentially new to science!

Bolivia with its incredibly lush mineral and gas deposits has always been described as one of the richest environments on earth, but now with Madidi, it's being recognised for its abundant flora and fauna also.