A visit to the world’s largest tropical rainforest is at the top of many travelers “to do” lists while in South America and when most people think of the Amazon jungle, they think of Brazil. Yet the Amazon basin covers nine South American countries meaning you don’t have to take an expensive tour in Brazil to see the jungle. Bolivia provides an amazing budget alternative from which to visit the basin. Not only is it cheaper and less crowded with other tourists but it’s just as biologically diverse as Brazil.

The starting point for trips into the Bolivian Amazon is the town of Rurrenabaque. It’s straightforward here to sign up for tours and it’ll be cheaper than if you book in advance in La Paz. Moreover, it’s a small town so it’s easy to wander around and find a guest house for around $5-10 a night while you check out a few tour agencies.

There are two ways to visit the Amazon from here:

The Pampas

The Pampas tours are the cheapest option and are where you’ll see the most wildlife including alligators, squirrel monkeys and the giant rodent capybara. It may not be the classic Amazon jungle experience you envisioned though, as the pampas are a wetland savannah on the edge of the Amazon basin rather than deep in the jungle, but the lack of trees means it’s much easier to spot wildlife.

All the tour operators operate nearly identical 2 night/3 day trips for $64 USD plus the $21 USD park entrance fee. This includes all transport, food, and a guide. You get what you pay for so expect basic accommodation and meals (I recommend bringing snacks) and your guide may not be the most knowledgeable if you go with a cheap operator. Since guides are so important to the overall experience, make sure you ask around for a company with good, knowledgeable guides.

After a very bumpy three hour jeep ride to the jungle, you’ll transfer to a motorized canoe and travel a further three hours along the river to your lodge. The river trip was the highlight for us as we got up close to an amazing amount of wildlife: hundreds of alligators, entire families of capybara (giant semi-aquatic rodents), turtles sunbathing on logs, and trees full of tiny yellow squirrel monkeys. All while birds such as egrets, herons, roseate spoonbills, blue kingfisher, eagles and hoatzin (pheasant-like birds with blue faces and spiky hair) flew and nested around us.

The riverside camp is in a peaceful setting amongst the trees with plenty of wildlife spotting opportunities (I had monkeys peering into my room!). Accommodation is in shared wooden huts on stilts and you’ll wake up to the raucous sounds of howler monkeys. A generator provides power until 10pm so you can enjoy cold beers or cokes while lounging in a hammock and watching the sunset over the river.

The Pampas tours are a great way to view lots of wildlife for a very affordable price, but choose your tour operator carefully and make sure they don’t touch or feed any of the wildlife, especially anaconda.

The Jungle

For a more classic Amazon experience opt for a jungle tour. You stay at an eco-lodge within the jungle and do activities from there, but this can be pricey. We (my other half and I) paid $207 USD each for a 2 night/3 day tour with Madidi Travel to their Serere Lodge, but we did get a large, comfortable bungalow, great food and a very professionally run trip. We also liked that profits from the trip go back into conservation work for the area. Although triple the price of a pampas trip this is still much less than you’d pay for a similar experience in Brazil.

Serere Lodge is reached by a three hour canoe ride and short trek through the jungle. You can choose from a range of activities including canoe trips on the lake next to the camp – at night you can see the glowing red eyes of caiman; day and night treks in the jungle; piranha fishing; and making jewelry from nuts and seeds.

Jungle treks are tiring in the heat and humidity, and there were many more mosquitoes than in the pampas. It is also much more difficult to spot wildlife – you could spend hours and not see one monkey, while we’d canoed past dozens of them in the pampas. It was interesting to see colorful spiders and giant bugs, and learn about the medicinal uses of trees and plants of the jungle though. In general we just enjoyed the peace of being in the jungle, especially from the comfort of a hammock even if we didn’t see a lot of wildlife.

There are cheaper jungle tours available with more basic accommodation for similar prices to the pampas trips. We also met someone who had hired a guide independently and trekked and camped out in the jungle. This will save you money and possibly be a more authentic experience but conditions in the jungle are hard so don’t undertake one of these treks lightly.

If you have the budget and time I’d recommend both the pampas and jungle trips, but otherwise you’ll need to prioritize spotting wildlife in the Pampas or the classic jungle experience.

Some Bolivian Amazon Travel Tips

• You can get to Rurrenabaque from La Paz by a horrendous, bumpy 20 hour bus ride or take the scenic 35 minute flight across snowy mountains and into the jungle. We flew with Amaszonas for $75 each way, but TAM might be a little cheaper. Obviously the $10 bus ride will save you money but it might not be worth it for your sanity!
• The best time to visit the Bolivian Amazon is the dry season from May to October when there is more wildlife attracted to the rivers and less mosquitoes.
• There is no ATM in Rurrenabaque so bring plenty of cash.
• We did our pampas trip with Indigena Tours. I can’t say I recommend them as it was quite badly organized, the food portions were too small, and our guide wasn’t very helpful. But at least they didn’t touch any of the animals which is a common problem here. There are definitely worse tour companies in Rurrenabaque. Ultimately it’s a cheap trip and you get what you pay for (there aren’t any more expensive, better-run options) but it was worth it for us to get up close with so much wildlife.

Visiting the Amazon jungle is a highlight for many travelers in South America and it’d be a shame to miss out because you can’t afford the high cost of trips in Brazil. For us, Bolivia made for a perfect alternative.

Erin McNeaney and her partner Simon sold everything they owned and left the UK in March 2010 to travel the world forever. They run a WordPress web design business on the road and have travelled to Latin America, North America and are currently in Asia. You can follow their adventures at Never Ending Voyage, or Twitter and Facebook.

I arrived at the starting point on Santa Cruz where my trip started out by trying to coax the famous giant turtle, Lonely George, out of hiding so I and the other tourist paparazzi could photgraph him. But he was nowhere to be found. He had had enough of gringos flashing lights in his face. Disheartened we found some of his cousins eating and took photos of them instead. Heading back to the boat, we had our tour introduction, welcome drinks, and dinner before hoisting anchor and setting off into the sunset.

Itinerary wise, our days were pretty much the same. In the morning, we would anchor and set off on a hike before it got too hot. We would go looking for birds, reptiles, and different types of plants. I was amazed by the diversity of land here. In the lowlands you can find an almost scrubland like landscape to the islands yet in the higher hills- tall trees and jungle. I often went from desert to jungle on the same island.

In the afternoon, we would go snorkeling. This is my favorite part of the tour. Sure the islands were great but what’s below the surface is where the Galapagos really shined. There’s way more life below the water than above it. What I saw was only been rivaled with what I saw when I dove the Great Barrier Reef. I’m still beating myself up for not having an underwater camera.

My whole trip was wonderful and I could bore you with the minute by minute breakdown but I won’t. The pictures tell the story far better than words. Instead, I’ll tell you my personal highlights:

• Swimming with Sea Turtles. (One almost swam into me.)
• Swimming with Sea Lions. (One chased me for a bit. I was a bit worried it was the dominant male but I think he was just curious.)
• Seeing Reef Sharks. (We saw about 7 sharks swimming together.)
• Seeing Eagle Rays and Manta Rays
• Finding a camouflaged Octopus. (Even the tour leader was impressed I spotted that. It moved before anyone could get a picture.)
• Seeing multiple colored Starfish.
• Spotting sea turtles throughout the trip.
• Watching sea lions chase fish one night as our boat was anchored. We had dinner outside as no one wanted to leave this amazing scene. (The lights attracted fish, which attracted the sea lions as well as some turtles and rays.)
• On our last night, dolphins swam with the boat and seemed glow in the dark because of the phosphorus (a luminescent algae) breaking over them. They even did some flips. Perfect ending.
• And, of course, seeing blue footed boobies.

The Tour
Gap Adventures was the first company I ever traveled with and it was that first tour that gave me the travel bug. I have a special affinity for them and have never had a bad tour with them. This tour was no exception. In terms of what Gap could control, I found the boat to be well kept. The interior was clean, comfortable, and the rooms were spacious. My bed was made everyday. The bathroom was cleaned. The food was quite good and the last night we even got wine with dinner. Plus, they had snack time twice a day (mini pizza!) and it made me feel like a kid coming in from play time. Our guide spoke fluent English and was very knowledgeable.

However, I have history with Gap and even if there was something I didn’t like, I’d still take them again. What I love to know on these trips is what other people think. After all, would they take a Gap tour again? Most of the others had been recommended the company by friends (always a good sign) and, like me, had enjoyed the tour leader, the food, and the accommodation. No one really had anything really negative to say. So when I ask “would you take a Gap tour again?” and everyone says yes then I know Gap is still doing it right.

On a trip like the Galapagos Islands, there isn’t much to write about. How many synonyms can I put for “beautiful” and “stunning.” This is why I started this series with photos. The beauty of the islands speak for themselves. And so I’ll finish by saying go back to the pictures and see for yourself why everyone loves this place.

Disclaimer: My trip to the Galapagos Islands was free as part of my Wanderers in Residence partnership with Gap Adventures. You can get a 10% off any Gap Adventure tours by purchasing my guide to traveling the world.

Yellow Land Lizard

Espanola Island

Baby Sea Lion going for a swim

Giant Pelican

Another sunset in the Galapagos Islands

Sea Lions

Baby Masked Booby

Prickly Cactus

Multi-Colored Land Crab close up

Sea Turtle

Disclaimer: My trip to the Galapagos Islands was free as part of my Wanderers in Residence partnership with Gap Adventures. You can get a 10% off any Gap Adventure tours by purchasing my guide to traveling the world.

Santa Fe Island

Multi-Colored Land Crab

Masked Booby

Giant Land Iguana

Blue Starfish

Giant Tortoise eating lunch

Blow hole on Espanola Island

Male Red Lizard

One of the few underwater shots I have

Sunset in the Galapagos Islands (last day)

Yellow Flowers

Blue Footed Booby (my favorite!)

Close up of a young Sea Lion

Disclaimer: My trip to the Galapagos Islands was free as part of my Wanderers in Residence partnership with Gap Adventures. You can get a 10% off any Gap Adventure tours by purchasing my guide to traveling the world.

Mendoza, Argentina is known as the wine capital of Argentina with thousands of bodegas (wineries) nestled up against the Andes mountains. 75% of all the wine in Argentina comes from the region. Mendoza”s hot and dry climate make it a perfect growing ground for red wines, the malbec being the most popular and recognized Argentine wine worldwide.

Most of Mendoza’s top bodegas are located on the outskirts of town within kilometers of each other. Hence, some intelligent business people have jumped on the opportunity to provide bikes for car-less tourists wishing to explore and wine taste.

There are several companies providing the bikes and wine experience – most notably, Bikes and Wines. But I decided against the obvious and most popular choice on a recommendation. I had heard great things about family owned and operated Mr. Hugo’s Bikes.

The second my two new hostel friends and I set foot on Mr. Hugo’s property we knew we made the right choice. Mr. Hugo’s was run by the bright and bubbly Mr. Hugo himself. His beautiful daughter equipped us with shinny new bikes, a map, and her best advice.

So on one of the hottest and driest days of the year, we pushed off for a day of tasting. By the time we reached the first bodega, Vina el Cerno, we were anxious for a glass or six. The 3 KM ride along dusty tree-lined streets from Mr. Hugo’s had worked up our wine appetite.

Our guide watched with a slight grin as the three clueless tasters in front of him swirled their wine, inspected it’s color, and stuck their noses deep in the glass. “Mmmm. That’s tasty,” I said, “Can I have another?”

We got through our 4 samplings, perhaps a bit too fast, and started debating which was the best. A 2003 cabernet sauvignon was the winner. Satisfied, we rode on.

The next stop on our list was bodega and restaurant Flia. Di Tommoso. After a short tour through their historic wine cellar, and a bit of tasting, we headed to the outdoor restaurant for lunch. As we devoured our food and perfectly matched bottle of malbec, we couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the endless sea of grapevines laid out before us. “I feel like I’m in a movie about wine,” I said.

The wine began revealing itself as we pushed shakily off for the next bodega. After another long ride through the mid-afternoon heat, we arrived at Bodega Carinae. The French owner brought us our first cold drink of the day, a chilled bottle of rosé. We downed our glasses under the shade of a nearby tree and the conversation pushed below the surface, down into the deeper topics of life and travel. “This is good wine,” I laughed.

When the last drops of rosé were sucked dry, we decided to take a break from the wine to visit the olive plantation Laur, which sits just across the street from Carinae. We rushed through the tour before stuffing ourselves with bread, sun-dried tomato, and extra virgin olive oil. It proved to be a nice pit-stop on the road to drunkenness.

It was nearing 6 o’clock, bodega closing time, before we started heading back towards Mr. Hugo’s. With the alcohol metabolizing in our livers, we noticed that the ride back was significantly more entertaining than the ride there. We even have some funny floating on the web.

Back at Mr. Hugo’s we were greeted by 15 other wine riders who were winding down after a day of drinking with…more drinks. Mr. Hugo kept the wine flowing (for free) and also entertained us with happy go lucky attitude. We all shared our favorite glasses of the day as the heat started to dissipate over the valley. All perfect days end perfectly.

I won’t pretend to know a lot about wine, but I will say Mendoza wine, right from the source, will impress even the most inexperienced palate. A bikes and wine tour in Mendoza is an absolute must. Just remember to drink and bike safely.

Derek Johanson believes in slow travel. He lives in places- he just doesn’t travel to them. For more information about his great trips and on slow travel, visit his website Live Uncomfortably.