Pampas del Yacuma

The pampas of the Beni are seasonally flooded grasslands cut by slow rivers, and the stretch of the Yacuma protected as a municipal area is where most visitors from Rurrenabaque go, because the open landscape makes wildlife visible in a way the forest does not: capybara on the banks in family groups, black and spectacled caiman in the water in large numbers, pink river dolphins surfacing beside the boats, howler and squirrel monkeys in the gallery trees, turtles, and a heavy bird list with herons, kingfishers, jabiru and hoatzin. Trips run three days from Rurrenabaque with boat travel and lodge accommodation on the river. Swimming with the dolphins is offered by some operators and is best considered carefully.

What you actually see

• Capybara and caiman - both in numbers along every bank.
• Pink river dolphins - surfacing beside the boats on the Yacuma.
• Monkeys in gallery forest - howlers and squirrel monkeys along the water.
• Open savanna birds - jabiru, herons and hoatzin in the wetland.

When to go

May to October is the dry season, when animals concentrate along the shrinking river and roads are passable. The wet months disperse the wildlife and the road from Rurrenabaque becomes very difficult.

Honest expectations

The road to Santa Rosa is rough and takes three hours each way. Some operators still handle anacondas and encourage swimming with dolphins and caiman present, which is bad practice and worth refusing. Mosquitoes are severe. Lodges are basic and shared.

Nearby

Rurrenabaque lies west; Madidi is beyond it.