The Park:

• Jacj Cuisi is Inti Wara Yassi’s newest park and our most ambitious project to date.  Every year we strive to improve our facilities and Jacj Cuisi is the realisation of that goal.  Come and help us build the future of animal rescue and rehabilitation in Bolivia, we can’t do it without you.

What you'll be doing:

• We ask you to work for 7 hours a day, after which you are free to enjoy the tranquility of living in the Amazon.  The work here is mostly construction, carrying, digging, mixing cement as well as caring for our two Pumas, Simba and Lishou, and the other animals on site.

Cost:

• 150 Bolivianos for 3 days and 2 nights, and just 50Bs for each additional day for as long as you like.  For this fee we provide you with a room and three delicious vegetarian meals a day.  All you money goes directly to the project for the improvement of the infrastructure and the needs of the animals.

Transport:

• Flying:  Jacj Cuisi is located just an hour’s drive out of Rurrenabaque, one of Bolivia’s premier places to view the beauty of the Amazon, and is easily accessible most of the year.  Two airlines service Rurrenabaque from La Paz with multiple daily flights that are both affordable and easy to book.  For those interested in flying, flights can be booked online or anywhere in Bolivia with TAM or Amaszonas airlines.  Weather in The jungle can delay flight schedules for days or even weeks at a time so it’s best to be flexible and perhaps only buy one way tickets until you know exactly when you want to leave. 

• Bus:  For those on a tighter budget, or who are just looking for a bit more adventure, there are buses that leave daily from La Paz in the Villa Fatima district at 11am for 70 Bs.  The bus generally takes 15 – 20 hours and can be dusty or muddy depending on the time of year, so bring snacks, water and lots of patience.

• From Rurrenabaque cross the Beni river to San Buenaventura (1Bs) from here you can take a minibus in the direction of Ixiamas and Tumupasa.

• Buy your ticket for Chiquitos (10Bs) at the bus stand and ask the driver to let you off at Jacj Cuisi, or “el campamento del gringos”, at Km. 25 just before Arroyo Conari about 45 – 60 minutes after leaving San Buenaventura on the left hand side, you will see a sign that says “Bienvenidos a Jacj Cuisi.”  This is our entrance, so just walk on in the gate and give a yell to see if anyone is in camp, if we aren’t then feel free to throw your bags down in the house and have a look at the new volunteer handbook until we return and welcome you properly.

Accommodation/Facilities

• Jacj cuisi is a startup and this means that conditions are rather basic. The park itself is very new and is yet to have electricity, showers or even a proper kitchen. We provide a bed, mattress, mozzy net, and sheets as well as a roof.

Food:

• Food is provided and we generally cook ourselves and for the most part it is vegetarian. 

What to bring:

• We will provide more or less everything you need to survive but there may be a few things you’ll need to make life more comfortable.  Old work clothes and wellington boots are often in short supply as we are a young park and haven’t had the time to accumulate a stockpile.  So what to bring?

• Wellies and/or walking boots
• Lots of socks (long socks, to wear with boots)
• Warm clothes and sleeping bag for night time (it can get down to single figures Celsius at night)
• Waterproofs
• Clothes to work in which you are happy throw away at the end (long sleeved tops and trousers – a good option for this is to by things from second hand stores in towns near to the parks, a dollar for a shirt and a dollar for a pair of trousers!)
• Biodegradable soap/shampoo, especially if at Ambue Ari/Jacj Cuisi
• Repellent/sun cream/any cosmetics – nothing with chemicals can we used on your skin when working with the animals, only bring natural repellents (eg. citronella)
• Headtorch – especially in Ambue Ari and Jacj Cuisi
• Food – Machia has plenty of restaurants and food stores nearby. At Ambue and Jacj Cuisi, while you do receive your meals, you may want to bring some choice sauces to add to the food – chilli, ketchup, marmite etc.
• Money – even though there are ATMs in the towns by Machia and Jacj Cuisi, they don’t always work. The nearest cash machine to Ambue Ari is Santa Cruz (6 hours away), bring enough money to last your stay.

Health  All Health issues are down to personal consideration of the risks. We recommend that if you are travelling from the UK you visit Fit For Travel, which is a website run by the NHS giving travel health advice to people from the UK.  If you are not from the UK please check with your own countries recommendations (similar resources can be found for most countries.) We cannot offer advice as we do not have the expertise.

Children:

• The minimum age for volunteers is 18 (17 on referal) The park is not open to visitors.
  

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