Included / Not Included –
Included: Accommodations and meals at Tsimane Lodge, arrival night and departure night lodging in Santa Cruz, guided fishing, charter flights.
Not Included: International airfare, fishing tackle and flies, guide gratuities, departure taxes.
Travel Logistics:
Arrival Information To get to Tsimane you will need to make travel arrangements to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Trip start and end days vary so please see your itinerary for specific days and dates. American Airlines and Aerosur Airlines both service the Santa Cruz international airport (airport code VVI) through Miami, FL. In Santa Cruz you will be met by a member of the Tsimane team and transferred to your hotel (arranged by the outfitter and included in the package). All guests will overnight in Santa Cruz the night before and the night after their adventure.
Getting to the Lodge:The next morning you will take a charter flight to the lodge (included in the package). Guests typically fly in Cessna 207s or 180s. the flight takes about 1.5 hours.
Departure Information: Depart Santa Cruz for home.
Approximate Flying Times to Santa Cruz, Bolivia: Los Angeles: 11 hours • Dallas: 9 hours • Miami: 7 hours • New York: 9 hours.
Documentation Requirements:
All US citizens will require visas to enter Bolivia. A Bolivian Visa is valid for 60 months from the date of issue and allows you to travel to Bolivia 3 times in one year with a maximum stay of 90 days per calendar year.
There are two options for securing a Bolivian visa:
1. You can apply for the visa in advance through G3 visas and passports (we recommend this option):
G3 Visas
http://www.g3visas.com
Washington DC
3300 North Fairfax Drive
Suite 220
Arlington, VA 22201
888.883.8472
2.You can apply and receive your Bolivian visa in Santa Cruz while you are going through customs. In order to do this, you will need the following:
- Completed Visa application form
- 1 passport photo (not wearing glasses)
- Hotel reservation (copy of itinerary is fine)
- Sufficient funds (cc, cash, or bank statement)
- Fee: $135US to be paid in cash
All guests will be required to sign the Tsimane Disclaimer form prior to participating in any activities.
Inoculations and Health Risks:
All visitors to Bolivia need a Yellow Fever Vaccine certification as Santa Cruz is considered a Denge Fever influenced area. There is not a preventative vaccine for Denge so all guests are strongly encouraged to wear long sleeve shirts and pants and always use insect repellent while in the city. It is also always a good idea to be current with tetanus and hepatitis when traveling to South America.
There is a potential health risk at Tsimane Lodge. At least two anglers and one staff member were infected with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the 2010 season. Now that the lodge knows of this potential risk they are taking substantial measures to address issue, including proactive application of bug spray, treating bed-netting and improving lodge screens, and recommending use of clothing treated with Permethrin (i.e. Bug Off Clothing, etc.).
For a conservative opinion on inoculations and the risks of Leismaniasis please visit the CDC web site: www.cdc.gov.
There are a number of risks associated with traveling into the heart of Bolivia’s last remaining virgin jungles. There are lots of bees, biting flies, scorpions, snakes and jaguars to name a few. Other risks are also present.
Currency:
The local currency is Bolivianos but US$ are readily accepted so anglers will not need to exchange cash.
Travel Cash:
As a guideline we recommend that each guest travels with approximately $1,500 for staff & guide gratuities, flies, etc.
Gratuities:
We recommend a gratuity per person per week of roughly $800.00 ($400.00 per lodge). This can be given directly to the lodge manager(s) who will split it between the house and guide staff.
Fishing Licenses:
Fishing licenses are included and the lodge will issue your license when you arrive.
Climate:
Tsimane is located in a mountainous region with typical day time temperatures of between 70° – 95° and nighttime temperatures of between 50° – 60°. As evenings and morning can be quite cool and the region can experience short but strong rainstorms guest are encouraged to bring a warm layer and a good rain jacket and pants.
Medical Facilities:
The closest medical facility is in Santa Cruz. Guests have the responsibility to disclose any special medical, physical, or dietary needs to the lodge ahead of time.
In emergency situations, a charter flight may be required to reach a medical facility. Guests may want to consider medical evacuation coverage (strongly recommended). We recommend Global Rescue.
Power and Communications:
Both main camps have satellite telephone and free internet access. Phones and internet at the lodges only work while the electricity generator is on, which is during the morning and from 6:00PM until bed time. The lodge has reliable electric power and back-up battery lighting, 220 volts, 50 cycles, generator powered. A standard converter and European adapter for two pronged plug should work fine.
Water:
Bottled water is available throughout the lodge. The water at the lodge is spring-fed, filtered and OK to drink, but we recommend staying with bottled water.
Clothing:
Long sleeved, collared quick dry and cotton shirts as well as quick dry shorts and pants are a must along with sun-gloves, wide brimmed hat with ear protection, lightweight rain gear and a swimsuit. Felt boots with studs are mandatory for wade fishing. Studs of some form are mandatory.
Laundry:
Laundry service is available at the lodge and there is no cost. Place your clothes that you would like washed in the laundry baskets in your room. They will be picked up, cleaned and folded and returned to you in 1 to 1.5 days.
Beverages/Alcohol:
The lodge provides a selection of beer, Argentine wines, and spirits. If there’s a special bottle of 21 year old Scotch that you enjoy, you may want to bring it yourself.
Tackle/Equipment List:
Rods: 7-9 weight rods are the norm with a 9’ 8wt. being the most practical all around rod. Also competent spey anglers might consider an 8-9 wt switch or spey rod. Note: this trip has a well earned reputation for breaking rods so have a spare!
Reels: Any quality reel with a good drag system and at least 100 yards of 30 pound backing.
Lines: Most fishing is done with freshwater or saltwater floating lines and lines with built in intermediate tips. Lines like the Rio Saltwater Versi-Tip or a 300 grain saltwater sinking head are handy as well and allow anglers to get down deep when needed. While not mandatory, it can be nice to have two rods rigged, one with a floater and one with a sinking tip.
Our top 3 lines: Rio Outbound Fresh, Clouser Freshwater and Wulff Ambush.
Leaders/Tippet: 9 ft. leaders with 20-40 pound tippet and wire are the norm. Bring along spools of 20, 25, 30 and 40 pound mono as well as 2 spools each of 30 and 40 pound coated wire tippet. With these diameters we typically fashion our own simple leaders.
Flies: We feel this is one of the hardest trips to outfit for flies as guide preferences and water conditions vary widely and most flies are destroyed very quickly by the dorado’s vicious teeth. In general the trip favors large dark 4-8 inch patterns. However when the water levels drop smaller and lighter colored flies become crucial, that is until a sudden downpour muddies the river and the big flies are back in favor! In a perfect world, anglers would arrive well prepared for all water conditions. That would mean having 100-150 flies including everything from the large (4-8 inch) dark patterns all the way down to small (2 inch) patterns and a good number in between. However this box will run close to $1000.00 and we understand this is a lot to spend on flies for a trip. As an absolute minimum we suggest arriving with 3 dozen of the most used patterns and filling in as needed with the guides on site. The guides at the lodge sell a reasonable assortment of flies specifically designed for the rivers you will fish so you will be able to purchase or restock flies on-site. They run about $8.00 each. Keep in mind if the fishing is good you will most likely end up buying 2-3 dozen flies on site with cash.
Fishing is mostly done using baitfish imitations. Full black, and combinations of black and red, purple or orange are very effective. High volume, high action barbless flies in lengths from 4 to 8 inches tied on high quality 2/0 to 4/0 hooks are required. The most popular fly used is the Andino Deceiver. It is just like a regular Deceiver but has lead eyes and a muddler head (They are hard to find in stores but we can arrange to have them custom tied). However other baitfish imitations have proven to be very successful, among them Puglisi Streamers in medium to very big sizes, Lefty's Deceiver or Umpqua's Tarpon's Snake can be acceptable options. Note that we are very happy to help you put together a custom selection for your trip.
Dorado: Luna negra, Tarpon snake, Big eye baitfish (black), Generation X, Flash tail whistler (grizzly black), Puglisi (black & red – 3/0), Titanic slider (black), smaller deceivers and smaller Puglisi streamers in the 3-4 inch range.
Pacu: Puglisi (small black & red), Morrish thunder egg, brown & red & green beads from bead shops (¼ - ½ inch with stout trailing hooks). These beads imitate fruits and nuts that Pacu like.
Fly Water Travel’s Packing List:
We understand packing for a adventure of this nature is not easy. On a trip like this it is very important to have everything you need and nothing you do not. Below you will find the detailed list of items we recommend bringing on this trip.
Passport, plane tickets, visa (or visa application with passport photo) and itinerary!
Rods: Two #8wts and two #9wts. For purposes of keeping the weight down we take our rods out of individual metal tubes and put into one lightweight rod case.
Reels: Two-three large arbor saltwater reels.
Floating Lines: Two floating lines. One 8wt and one 9wt. We like heavy headed lines like the Rio Outbound or Clouser (we feel the freshwater versions are slightly better than the saltwater versions but both are adequate). We also like the Wulff Ambush line. It has a very short heavy head and throw large flies well. We recommend bringing one spare floater.
Sinking Lines: One intermediate tip line and one 300 grain line (optional).
Tippet: Four spools of tippet - 30lb, 40lb, 50lb, 60lb.
Wire: Four spools of coated wire - (2) 30lb, (2) 40lb, 50lb optional.
Flies: Approximately 4-6 dozen flies. As water conditions will vary you need to be prepared with everything from big heavy and black to light weight and multi colored. Often times a fly will only last for one or two fish. Flies are for sale at the lodge for roughly $8 a piece.
Pliers: One good pair long nose pliers.
Clippers: One line clipper. Hardware store wire cutters are the best, large Dr, Slick scissor pliers also work well for wire.
Knife: One medium size travel knife.
Boots: One pair of studded wading boots plus spare screw in studs or ¼ inch sheet metal screws. Felt with studs are preferred.
Waders: Although this is a tropical climate and waders are mostly unnecessary it is not a bad idea to have them. Alternatively you can bring a pair of expedition weight long underwear for warmth.
Socks: Four pairs of wading socks. You need to take care of your feet! You should wash out your socks every day and make sure to bring antifungal foot powder cream.
Flats Shirts: Three long sleeve flats shirts.
Flats Pants: Three pairs of quick dry pants with zip off legs.
Hats: Two hats.
Rain Jacket: One lightweight rain jacket.
Warm Layer: Although this is a tropical climate we recommend bringing one fleece or light weight down jacket as well as a pair of fleece pants.
Camp Shoes: One pair of lightweight shoes for around camp.
Sun Gloves: One pair sun gloves
Bandana: Two bandanas.
Buff: Two “Buff” facial sun protectors
Sunglasses: Two pairs of polarized sunglasses. It is great to have a lens cleaner and a soft cleaning cloth as well.
Sun Screen: One full bottle 30SPF +.
Lip balm: Two tubes of 30SPF+ lip balm.
Tape: One roll of athletic tape (Coban) -used for taping fingers. Alternative is stripping guards or gloves
Backpack: One waterproof backpack.
Camera: Don’t forget extra batteries and waterproof case/bag.
Headlamp: One small LED headlamp with batteries.
Baggies: Six medium sized Ziploc baggies for storing bandanas, lens cloth, etc.
Toiletries Kit: Toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant, razor, lotion, mini shampoo bottle, Advil, Ambien, ear plugs, band aids, Bactroban (prescription anti-bacterial ointment), Benadryl, Goldbond powder, seasickness pills, Z pack, and Cipro, antifungal ointment.
Future Glue: Paint on super glue for finger cuts
Candy for kids
Tape Measure
“Just returned – get your clients in before it is too late. On reflection, the best adventure fishing trip of my extensive career. 37 dorado, 2 pacu and 5 yatorana landed by me; 2 grand slams the same day; 20 to 30 breakoffs. Both camps produce great fishing with Pluma ( 2nd Camp) the winner. By the way, no tents, they just completed beautiful wood cabins and wood lodge at both camps. The jungle setting is spectacular; weather is not oppressive (cool quite often), not buggy, and no daytime rain the entire week. Guides very experienced and food quite good considering the distances and transport involved. The rivers, especially upstream, look exactly like Montana or New Zealand; frequently you are sight casting to these very aggressive fish. The 2nd Camp (Pluma) only uses aluminum canoes to get you from the landing strip to the camp – after that, all transport, including occasional boat fishing, is from “dugout canoes” polled by experienced native river guides (what a terrific experience). Only hiccup on your excellent briefing materials is the recommended flats boots (NO) – heavy, supporting, studded wading boots. Luckily a kindly guide loaned me his. Tippet wire 30 lbs. of more; flies can be used 1 ½ times on average as fish shred them. I averaged 10 lost flies per day – 2 days to get used to aggressive, multiple strip strikes. The dorado is a tarpon on steroids, and beautiful to boot. Great Trip.” JL, NJ
