Zoologico, El Refugio near Samaipata in Bolivia
One fine day in March in Samaipata, I joined an American and a Dane for a trip to a local animal refuge. And for some unknown reason I brought along a spare top. Smart move.
‘It’s nice to support the refuge’, Olaf at Roadrunners had told me earlier in the week, ‘ten bolivianos goes to maintaining the place’.
The boys were a bit tight for time but when a taxi driver wanted 15Bs. for a 2km journey we decided to set off on foot. A dusty, muddy road with a barely a person in sight or a vehicle passing by, this was an easy little hike out into the countryside.
Before too long we spotted a cage but it was a small set-up and I wasn’t convinced that it was the right place. ‘There’s no sign’, I said, ‘surely they’d have a sign’. But then this is Bolivia so who knows. Anything is possible.
When an angry dog nearly bit my face off through the wire fence, I thought about leaving. Thankfully a woman came out to tell us it was the wrong place in any case. Phew.
Zoologico El Refugio in Samaipata
Meeting the cheeky monkeys at El Refugio in Samaipata
And literally fifty yards further along was a big sign and a well-marked entrance through a garden of aviaries and coops, and a wild boar running loose, and dogs (much friendlier this time), and all sorts of rescued monkeys; monkeys that clambered all over you and clung on tightly.
And shat down my back. Oh happy day.
I think I’m going off monkeys. Butterflies are so much nicer. Do butterflies poo?
Just call me Dr. Doolittle
Why so sad? You’re in a good place now. Relax.
The animal refuge in Samaipata comes across all Disney’s Lion King. I feel a song coming on…
Birds at El Refugio near Samaipata
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Entrance to Zoologico el Refugio in Samaipata costs 10Bs. (US$1.46/£0.90) for adults and 5Bs. (US$0.73/£0.45) for children. It is open from 0800-1800 every day. If you want to volunteer at the refuge, you need to contact them at least two months in advance as they only tend to take on two or three volunteers at a time. When I visited, volunteers were Spanish speaking. Volunteering here is free (this might sound like a strange point to raise but much volunteering in South America carries with it a fee).
travelola 
That’s awesome…
hahaha awesome?! getting shat on?! It could have been worse, for sure. I’m over it!
Haha, surely it was worth it in the end…
monkey business,that’s all.
Hey your writing style is so fresh, alive and vivid! It feels like a walk-through. Keep it up. Loved this post.
Cheers!!
I know I need to see Bolivia once again 🙂
Glad you stopped by and enjoyed it! Sign up for more updates! And let me know if you have ideas of how I can improve and reach a wider audience…
LOL. In Italy it’s good luck to be poo’d on by a pigeon. I wonder what country finds it lucky to be poo’d on by a monkey!
I always think people who say about it being lucky to be poo’d on by a bird mean its lucky for everyone else that it hit you! But actually, maybe the monkey incident was more lucky than I dare to believe… life will let me know! And I’ll let you know in turn!