I went swimming with the Bolivian pink, river dolphins! What a magical experience!
I just returned from ¨the pampas¨, a river area close to the Amazon and Bolivian jungle. As our boat meandered down the river over the course of three days we saw so many caymans and crocs! Plus, when we went fishing we caught piranhas.
And yet we still jumped in the water when the chance arose to swim with these amazing river dolphins. I was told that the dolphins are more territorial than the crocs and piranhas so...we were kind of safe. And it was worth it to be are eye level with these royal mammals.
I had never heard of a river dolphin before, but I now know that there are about 4 different species. Many years ago they were trapped in the rivers and adapted to their environment.
We saw so many cool animals! There were tons of exotic birds, including the royal toucan which is a rare and beautiful site. We also spotted many capybaras munching away on the vegetation near the shore. They are the largest rodent in the world!
On our last day we were even visited by these cute little guys! I think they were looking for a banana but all I had to give them was a potato! They left quickly once they realized the potato was only motivation for a photo op and a close encounter.
I couldn't´t believe how much wildlife we saw in the pampas. The riverbanks were just teeming with life, colour and activity. And with tons of these guys around it was hard to tell how so many little critters survive! But then again, I was about 2 feet from this big fellow and he hardly budged. He was either saving his energy for his night hunt or simply posing for yet another picture, since this area is flooded by tourists trying to get the perfect shot of these grinning beasts!
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