Looking for the Eldorado
The journey at a glance
This journey, following the Amazon from its Andean sources, is a true expedition of exploration. We set off in the footsteps of the seekers of El Dorado in the Bolivian Amazon. We follow their trail, in search of our own El Dorado, of encounters, of discovering an elsewhere, and of discovering ourselves.
This journey is a promise of adventure. Our playground is the Amazon, a territory of 7.3 million square kilometers, spanning nine countries and home to the planet's largest reserve of fresh water and biodiversity. With 300 species of mammals, 1,000 species of birds, 2,000 species of fish, 60,000 species of plants, and 2,500,000 species of insects... the Amazon is synonymous with richness. And it is here, where myth draws its inspiration from reality, that explorers have always tried their luck, digging through the earth in search of gold and other precious metals.T
he quest begins at the Andean sources of the Amazon's rivers, on the Altiplano, at the foot of the Andean glaciers, between La Paz and Lake Titicaca, cradle of the Inca empire and starting point of the great expeditions in search of gold. We will begin our descent toward Coroico, the "pearl of the Yungas," along the Death Road, a former trade route linking the highlands to the Amazon basin. I'd like to take the time to meet coca growers, Bolivia's "green gold," and visit their fields along the road to Caranavi; to meet coffee producers seeking to add value to their land through more sustainable production. We know a small association that could put us in touch with them.
In Caranavi, it seems there are zip lines from which to fly over the first stretches of the Amazon above the river; we'll find a guide from Coroico to take us there. We will then arrive in Guanay, a village of gold prospectors on the Río Beni. Fabrice, the founder of Terra Bolivia, told me about someone named Eddyno; if we manage to find him, he'll be our way into the local world of gold seekers. We'll board a dugout canoe with one of them to travel down the river, crossing straight through Madidi and Pilón Lajas National Parks.The forest grows denser, nature untouched and pristine. By then we will have descended more than 4,000 meters since "La Cumbre," our starting point in the Cordillera.
Upon reaching Madidi National Park, we'll be able to meet the Mapajo community, an immersion into the indigenous world, where children of the forest introduce us to their reality, so far removed from our own.
Our next stop, to push our search for El Dorado further, will be Trinidad, where we'll board the flotel. Our boat becomes our home, carrying us deep into the territory of the Moxos, otherwise inaccessible by road. The route remains uncertain, depending on the season and the flow of the rivers.
This journey will take us on a true return to the essential, immersing us in these wild and mysterious lands. And what if our El Dorado were this very quest for adventure and the unexpected?