ECOTOURISM – YANN One of Sustainable Bolivia’s projects is taking place in the Aquicuana Reserve and focuses on ecotourism. Sustainable Bolivia believes that this project is essential to upkeep the sustainability of the environment and the communities of the Aquicuana Reserve. Giving the communities the ability to manage their own environment is key to prevent future developments of possible interventionist tourism that could potentially destroy the region and its communities Over the last couple of months our work has been to prepare the ground for the next generation of volunteers to follow. Much of this work has been to increase […]Read More »

The Amazon is the lung of planet earth – you have probably heard this before. Most likely, throughout the past years you have probably also become aware of the threats that are continuously approaching the Amazon. Agricultural expansion, extraction of natural resources, more living spaces – you name it – it probably one way or another leads to deforestation. Many of us might be aware and care about the many issues surrounding the Amazon, however we forget that this world has become ever so globalised. Chances are that every person, especially those of first world countries, have negatively affected the […]Read More »

I came by bus which took about 36 hours from La Paz. There were no toilets on the bus so I decided not to drink any water or anything because I’m quite paranoid about how frequently I have to pee and I knew that if I hydrated at all I would wind up at the back of the bus peeing in my own Nalgene bottle or something, so instead i just drank nothing and never peed. Except one time– the bus driver stopped for me so I could pee on the side of the road but he kept moving the […]Read More »

Weekends in Riberalta do not equal weekends in La Paz. Our little city in the Amazon has exactly one club and one bar, neither have been visited extensively. However, this should by no means imply that volunteers spend their weekends doing nothing. In contrary, aside from weekly activities, such as movie nights, shared dinners and various Sunday activities, volunteers also get to spend their weekends in several ways which definitely do not include boredom. This blog post will give you an idea of what to do in and around Riberalta. Last weekend we spent both Saturday and Sunday at the […]Read More »

Packing my bags, hours of flights, waiting, flights again, waiting again, and finally landing. My first steps in Riberalta’s are a bit uncertain, overcome by the heat. Five minutes later, I’m already roaming the bustling streets of the city on the taxista’s motorbike. I arrive at the volunteer house, am welcomed by these new people i will share the next months with, settle into my new bedroom, and wander along the stalls of the Mercado San Jose (5 minutes away by foot from the house) in search of the ingredients of my first meal here.  By the end of the […]Read More »

On October the 8th, also known as “The Big Day”, myself and five other eager (mainly) amateur birdwatchers put on our best hiking shoes and covered ourselves in mosquito repellent to tackle the jungle. That day we wandered the Aquicuana reserve to witness and identify as many birds as we possibly could. In a reserve such as Aquicuana, holding up to 302 identified bird species and many potential more to be added, this should not be too difficult. Thus, with the help of the field guide prepared by Sustainable Bolivia’s volunteers and the biologist Vincent Vos we managed to contribute […]Read More »

The main goal of Sustainable Bolivia is to promote sustainable development and the preservation of the environment in the Bolivian Amazon, especially in the two communities living in the Aquicuana Reserve. Indeed, two communities live in this Reserve, Warnes and San José. Therefore, we truly believe that we must raise  awareness and sense of responsibility on this 20,000-hectare natural space of jungle and wildlife. Thus, even if all generations must feel affected and responsible, we think that it is essential to focus our work towards future generations to give them the power of change, whether this is at home or […]Read More »