An excellent experience with Mashaquipe (Rurrenabaque/Madidi)

Hey all,

I alluded to this in a response to an earlier post, but I just wanted to write up a slighly more thorough review of our (my wife's and my) experience with Etno-Ecoturismo Mashaquipe, part of an increasingly crowded field of ecotourism operators based in Rurre and taking tourists into and around Madidi National Park.

We settled on Mashaquipe because they seemed to have a good reputation, were locally (indigenously) owned and operated, and because the office staff were very responsive and helpful with any questions we had (as opposed to a few other highly-regarded companies which never wrote us back). Their prices were also very reasonable, in part because they are not a luxury jungle lodge but rather a fairly basic cabaña-based albergue (think Tulum, Mexico cerca 1997).

We did a 4-day, 3-night stint in the selva followed by a 2-day, 1-night trip to the Pampas del Yacuma. Our guide, Eber, was extremely competent, knowledgeable, and full of forest folklore, and did an excellent job both of keeping us informed and helping us locate wildlife. Easily the best guide I've met to date. He (and the company as a whole) was also very accommodating to our particular interests--my wife and I are both archaeologists by training, so he set aside a few hours for us to detour past some archaeological remains, which were a real (and unexpected) treat.

The cabañas were very basic but comfortable, with shared (very clean) bath. The food was simple, but delicious and abundant; my wife is a pescatarian and her dietary needs were easily catered to.

In my overall impression, the entire operation was very professional and friendly, and located along a beautiful stretch of the Rio Tuichi to boot--the macaw mirador was a real highlight. They seem to have a very real sense of their responsibilities as both a tour agency and as stewards of the park, and I cannot recommend them highly enough, particularly for those with a strong interest in cultural ecology.

Hope my experience is useful in planning your own trip.

Thanks for the review, I'm going there in 15 days and I was considering going with them.

Hi Aslukas,
Glad to hear you had such a good time at Mashaquipe. I'm thinking of going there. How much did your trip cost?

I don't recall the exact cost at this point, but for my wife and I to do a six day combined jungle/pampas tour came to well under a thousand dollars, all inclusive.