High Adventure
Paul Cripps, Guide.
I first kayaked the Rio Tambopata in 1988 as part of a British Canoe Union Expedition and I have since rafted it 15 times over the past 20 years and it still remains a firm favourite of mine.
Every trip is special - the 4x4 adventure just to get to the river, the setting off into the "unknown" laden with supplies for 8 days of total wilderness, meeting locals along the way on the first few days and playing football with the Bolivian border guards, the challenging but fun whitewater rapids and then the incomparable wildlife show that takes place for the final few days, drifting silently down river or hiking up side streams in search of rare wildlife, fishing in crystal clear water and actually seeing the fish swim past you as you wade through the river, coming face to face with a tapir, watching a herd of wild peccary stampede across our path or being surrounded by inquisitive giant otters, seeing an incredibly rare Jaguarundi run across the beach and then stop and stare as we drift past, spotting caiman eyes at night in the torchlight, watching a tree go crazy with spider monkeys, spotting an ultra-elusive jaguar sunning itself on the beach, stop to look at us and then slowly walk off into the jungle completely fearless, getting up at dawn and sitting in a hide to see thousands of parrots, macaws and parakeets whizz over our heads to their feeding frenzy on a nearby cliff, being woken up by howler monkeys in the trees above camp, and finally meeting the motor boat rendezvous 8 days later and cracking an ice-cold beer ...
It really is an incomparable journey of a lifetime truly one of the must do's and a perfect blend of Wilderness, Wildlife and Whitewater...
