SAMAIPATA - Macaws, Giant Ferns and an Eco-Lodge

SAMAIPATA - Macaws, Giant Ferns, and an Eco-Lodge

Accommodation

Our preliminary research on Samaipata revealed only expensive accommodations. So, we took the risk and searched on-site. Lucky us! Right at the "Plaza de Armas" and super cheap. For 120 Bolivianos, and from the second day (with a bit of negotiation skills) only 100 Bolivianos (= 13.20 Euros), we got a large room with a private bathroom. Unfortunately, the internet didn’t quite reach our room ;) It only worked up to the door – where Pascal's phone served as a repeater. That way, Pascal could watch his bedtime video as usual while lying in bed. There was even a kitchen (admittedly a bit dirty).
On to our second accommodation: This is where we went all out. For two days/one night, we treated ourselves to an eco-lodge in the "Amboró" National Park – the "Refugio Los Volcanes". ¿Y cuánto cuesta?
360 dollars for two people, including transport, meals, a private guide, and the overnight stay. And it was so worth it! If you're looking to reconnect with yourself, this is the place to be. Delicious food, friendly staff, customized tours, and a breathtaking starry sky with the Milky Way. Sometimes, you might even see spectacled bears, monkeys, snakes, condors, and macaws/parrots.

SIM Card

Interestingly, only the "Tigo" network works inside the National Park.

Sights

The day before heading to the eco-lodge, we made a detour to a hummingbird garden near Samaipata. We paid 25 Bolivianos per person for admission, and it was absolutely wonderful. Fortunately, someone was on site, or else we would have had to turn back empty-handed. The owner showed us various species of hummingbirds and plenty of plants. The garden was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic: initially, it had only a few hummingbird-attracting plants, but even then, some hummingbirds loved it. Over time, more plants were purchased, and more hummingbirds came (up to 23 different species, I believe). Family friends came during the pandemic to observe the hummingbirds and eventually convinced the owners to make the garden public. What a brilliant place where civil action made a huge difference! We love it!
During our stay at the eco-lodge, we hiked the following trails:

Senda Orquídeas
Senda Loro
Senda Condor
Senda Amboró
Oddly enough, we were much faster than the estimated times for those trails. A global first! Anja, faster than the time estimate? Huh? 😂
Here’s the link to the website and the description:
El Refugio Los Volcanes, N.P. Amboró, private tour, 2 days
During this tour, you will enjoy an absolutely overwhelming nature in a hidden valley.
More than 200 bird species, and 100 species of orchids and bromeliads, have been documented. The puma, other wildcats, and tapirs inhabit this region, along with various rodents, armadillos, coatis, skunks, monkeys, and other mammals.
The area where the hotel is located is truly unique.
The colonial-style eco-lodge offers private rooms with ensuite bathrooms and outdoor hammocks from which you can admire the steep red sandstone mountains.
The area features a variety of hiking trails to waterfalls, viewpoints, a dedicated orchid trail, and more. Hiking times vary between one to seven hours.
If you opt for a tour with a local, Spanish-speaking companion (not a guide), a group will be formed for the hikes upon your arrival at the Refugio.
If you choose a tour with a multilingual guide, you will select your preferred hikes together with the guide.
After a hike, you can refresh yourself under the waterfall near the lodge or enjoy the surroundings from a deck chair or a hammock.

Mobility

Within Samaipata, we walked everywhere.
For the trip to the hummingbird garden, we took a taxi and paid 35 Bolivianos for a 20-minute ride each way. After finishing our photos, we walked back the rest of the way on foot.
To get to the eco-lodge, we were also driven by taxi. However, due to the bad weather (and roads), we were picked up by the lodge’s 4x4 vehicle for the trickier part of the journey. The return trip was a bit more exciting as a fallen tree blocked the road. This was quite dangerous – the wind we had heard from the lodge didn’t seem this severe! But it wasn’t just the return trip; even a hiking trail that afternoon was blocked by a fallen tree. The situation was definitely more precarious than we had thought.
Eventually, a group of lodge workers arrived, and we helped clear the path with machetes while the driver fetched a chainsaw. The tree was removed quickly, and we at least had a good excuse for being late (though we were already late, to begin with – oops!). Luckily, we had avoided roadblocks caused by fuel shortages and strikes.

Food and Drink

For us, Bolivia kind of became the "burger country" because we ate so many burgers here! We also enjoyed pizza and lunch menus a few times.

Cafés and Restaurants

Café 1900 (delicious and clean)
Café Tango (higher prices on weekends compared to weekdays)
GYROS Resto Bar (clean, fast, tasty, friendly)
Pizzeria Italiana (slow, mediocre, somewhat unfriendly, expensive, and located directly at the main square)
La Chakana (clean, pretty, fairly tasty)
(There’s more text to the original file. If you'd like the continuation from the section with plants, wildlife observations, and other trips, let me know! 😊)

Plants and Animals

White Belly / Amasilia chionogaster
Barriga Azul garganta verde / Fork-tailed wood nymph
Verde pequeño / Glittering belly emerald
Planalto hermit
In addition to these, here’s what we saw around the eco-lodge:
Caña agria | Toborochi | Corona del Cristi | Punta de flecha | Pata de Gallo
Campanita | Aricularia | Ojo del Mono | Patuchu | Oreja de Judas (edible)
Piqué pique | Costilla de Arán (vine) | Cafesillo | Hiescero
Sepa (ant) | Loro (parrot) | Chiripipe | Carazuzie | Ficus (parasitic)
Motacu | Palmera | Cigarra/Chicharra (looks like a molting insect)
Ambaybo | Bamboo | Bamboosillo | Piciapica | Orchidea zapatito/zapato
During the "Bella Vista" tour, we encountered:
Begonia | Palo ajo | Hiescero | Doble Cara | Pasto (sharp-edged grass)
Potojo | Oropendola (a stunning bird with a yellow beak) | Saltamonte (insect)
Parava Militar | Salvajina / Barba de Viejo (lichen) | Pico acanalado
Mara (Lejía tree, also used for incense)
Our sightings during the "Bella Vista" tour also included:
Channel-Bill Toucan | Negrillo | Palo madera (redwood root)
Onzo (animal) | Cirigueya | Vivose (parasitic tree) | Havali
Chancho de Monte (wild pig)

Number of Germans at the Lodge

Two.

Interactions with Locals

Our guide at the lodge was called Alex, and he was, like me, 23 years old. He still has a bit to learn but was truly lovely and could explain a lot to us.
Roco was another guide at the lodge who instructed others and opened or closed trails. We didn’t interact with him much.
Our wonderful guide for the "Bella Vista" tour was Javier.

People We Met

During our stay at the lodge, we met two Germans and a Swiss family. Coincidentally, we ran into the Swiss family again in Santa Cruz!

Expenses

We paid 360 dollars for the two-person eco-lodge package (2 days/1 night, = 330 euros in total). There was also the "Bella Vista" tour, which cost 165 Bolivianos plus 20 Bolivianos entrance fee per person (= 24.60 euros per person). Of course, there were additional tips for our guides and the trip to the hummingbird garden.
I also bought some medications (aspirin, magnesium, etc.) for a surprising 50 euros – I thought it would be cheaper in Bolivia 😪...
Pascal and I also bought coffee (organic and conventional).

Anja: 155 Bolivianos (three packages of conventional, one package of organic)
Pascal: 50 Bolivianos (one package of organic)
Oh, and I couldn’t resist buying packets of Api mix (a pre-mix for Api, a traditional drink) at the market. I paid 2.50 Bolivianos for three packets, which are enough to make three liters of this delicious beverage!

Common Market Offerings

Honey, succulents, coffee, coconuts, bracelets, ponchos…

Laundry

We did our laundry in Samaipata – 2.5 kg for 25 Bolivianos. The 10 Bolivianos per kg weren’t really worth it, as the laundry service was closed several times, and we ultimately got our clothes back damp. This was the last time we washed our clothes before flying back, and we barely had enough clean clothes left at the end. :) Bonus for letting them do our laundry – we got a random sock added for free!

Unsolvable Mysteries

Truly amazing that the agency managed to create a new trail in cooperation with the indigenous community during the pandemic.

Minibus/Micro to Santa Cruz

The ride was very interesting since the landscape changed drastically in such a short time. The towns also looked very different, and there were way more moto-taxis as well as fascinating shops and markets. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much space in the back seat of the taxi, but hey, we’re still young. The departure was delayed a bit since the driver only wanted to leave once the vehicle was at maximum capacity. Yawn… We paid 30 Bolivianos per person and had no issues with road blockades.

Post Scriptum

This time we’ve got a bunch of great photos again here: https://hoenisch.eu/photo/mo/sharing/w6QSv4rYQ.