Day 1: From Samaipata one hour ride in a 4x4 jeep. We take our packs and head out for 1½ hour hike up the hillside, identifying along the way the birds hidden amongst the sotos, erythrinas and lapachos. We continue until we reach our campsite where we will pitch our tents next to a natural spring. Here a tree-fern forest nourishes itself with the humidity of the clouds which wind their way through the canopy of weinmannias, Bolivian pines, bolivian cedars, and myrtaceaes. After lunch we spend 3½ hours on the eastern outskirts of these hills. Here the fairy-tale like forest, is covered with epiphytes and curtains of moss. With a little luck we will cross paths with a capuchin monkey´s aerial route or hear the song of quetzals and trogons, tinamous and guans, thrushes, antpittas, etc. Back to camp in time for our evening meal beside the campfire, alone in the forest and attentive to all the calls of nocturnal animals.

Day 2: Breakfast and packing up, while listening to mountain solitaires, guans y furnariids. Morning with lighter loads. In 2 hours we will arrive at the top of La Mina Hill where a lookout offers us a 360degree view. It’s an excellent site to take a break and observe Black and Chestnut Eagles, Swallow-tailed Kites, King Vultures, and tinamous. We return in two hours to pick up our backpacks, all the while photographing the sights. We lunch between the mojinos and boldos trees and from there head down with packs for 2¾ hours until we reach San Rafael River in a laurel and Bolivian walnut forest. We set up camp at the edge of the river, and after lunch we head off (leaving our packs behind) looking for the tracks that jaguars, pumas, ocelots, brocket deer, and wild pigs may have left in the riverbed. Those who suffer from vertigo can explore their surroundings while the rest of us will take on the 1½ hour ascent to the peak of La Muela , where archaeological remains where found. From the top, all along the valley, one can see the cloud covered landscapes inside the park. The best photographs can be shot between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. A 1½ hour trip back down gets us into camp in time for a campfire evening meal.

Day 3: Breakfast at daybreak, breaking camp while listening to mountain solitaires, guans, and oropendolas. We then hike with our packs for an hour to where the headwaters of the Piray and Yapacani Rivers divide, at Los Loros Cliff of La Muela del Diablo. From this lookout, we are rewarded with spectacular views of La Muela, and the valleys below which are circled by mist-enshrouded mountains. Photos of these sites are best taken between 8:00 and 9:00 am, just when we arrive. For three hours the adventurous with strong hearts and ankles will hike on with the guide to the summit leaving everything but their snacks and cameras behind with those who choose to explore and photograph the hills and landscapes of the ravines, which are rich in animal trails, orchids, bromelides, ferns, insect-eating plants, birds, etc.. We meet up again at the lookout to have lunch and talk about our experiences. From there we head down (with packs) for 2½ hours towards Piedras Blancas through steep bamboo undergrowth beneath walnut trees and laurels. We return to Samaipata in a 1 hour 4x4 jeep ride on a dirt road. Bring a rain poncho and insect repellent. Demanding hiking.