Bolivia - Samaipata

The journey from Santa Cruz through the foggy forests and winding roads was already an experience. The place itself is manageable and a paradise for hippies and dropouts from all over the world. Many offer some kind of art to make ends meet or finance the next beer. Or they try to be self-sufficient. I had the feeling that anyone who stays longer than a week doesn't leave anymore. Similar to Fusion, just like the people. That's why there are goods and dishes from all over the world. The people were very sympathetic and it was interesting to peek into their world for a few days.

Why it's exactly the place, I don't know. Tourists come here to hike in the surroundings, observe condors, visit waterfalls, the nearby national park and the ruins of El Fuerte.

As always in new places, I first looked for the nearest hill to get an overview. It was called cerró de la patria - Mountain of Homeland, of course. Although compared to the other peaks it was rather modest. On the way back, I wanted to visit a winery. Finally, good wine straight from the source. However, no one was there. Probably because there is nothing going on in the vineyard at the moment. Everything has been read and the vines have been pruned. Almost exactly 6 months later than in Germany. Well, then I have to wait a little longer for the wine.

The next day, we went to Amboró National Park. It is located in the southern part of the evergreen Yungas and borders the elbow of the Altiplano to the west and the barren Chaco region to the south. Our trip to the forests of giant ferns strongly reminded of Jurassic Park. Or 'The Land Before Time'. No, that was the name. Anyway, behind every bush, one expected Littlefoot and his friends to appear. The giant ferns grow very slowly - about two cm per year. This means a 4m high fern is approximately 200 years old! And this despite the fact that the cloud forest actually has the best conditions for growth. It is a primary forest - so it doesn't need any help from animals to grow and thrive. So, educational mission accomplished. At the viewpoint, we also saw 2 condors from very close up. By the way, condors never change their partner. And when one of them dies, the other sometimes throws himself to death. He looks for the highest mountain in the area and simply throws himself down!

On the last day, I visited two recommended places. Firstly, the Las Cuevas Waterfalls and secondly, the El Fuerte Ruins. The waterfalls were not very spectacular, nor were they very high. But if you go there in the sun, it's certainly nice to refresh yourself.

El Fuerte, on the other hand, is essentially a huge rock with various animal pictures carved into it. There are also religious symbols and fairly accurate priest sites. There were also several ruins to see all around, and there was a nice view into the different valleys of the surroundings. With these impressions, I said goodbye to Samaipata on the next day and returned to Cochabamba.