Expedition journal
Stories from the crew, written along the river — from building the balsa on Lake Titicaca to reaching the Atlantic.
Thomas Merzlic
Eating during the expedition
Today we’re taking you a bit further into the expedition by explaining how we prepare and organize our meals on a reed boat in an environment with limited…
Benjamin
Rio Madeira : gold, spies, and complications
After 18 days of logistics to bypass the damn hydroelectric dams located between Bolivia and Brazil, Pipilintu finds itself in a completely new…
Télio Nouraud
From Beni to Madeira, a tough change of worlds
Only a week was enough for me to grow fond of this boat and its crew, to feel at home here. I’ve found my rhythm with the oars, my place on board, and the…
Erwan Rolland
A day in Bolivia aboard the Pipilintu
We wake up with the sunrise, usually under the roof of native communities; in other occasions, away from all human trace, amongst the trees of the Amazon…
Benjamin
The balsa falls apart
At the end of our Bolivian navigation, doubts resurface: will we really be able to bring the boat all the way to the Atlantic Ocean?
Fabien Gallier
Our visit to a Tacana I community
428 km and 9th day of navigation from Guanay
Benjamin
Crazy Stopover in Rurrenabaque
Thursday, July 17, 2025 — the Pipilintu crew lands in Rurrenabaque, the tourist gem of the Bolivian Amazon.
Benjamin
The History of Totora Balsas
Lake Titicaca, Bolivian and Peruvian lagoons, the Andean marshes: these landscapes have been home for millennia to strange boats. No heavy wood, no metal.…
Thomas Merzlic
Logbook - from Guanay to Rurrenabaque
This first day was very full. It started at 7 a.m. as I finished packing my backpacks. I prepared my hiking bag on one side and my dry bag on the other.…
Benjamin
How did we prepare for the expedition?
I met Fabien in Cape Verde during the transatlantic season. We were neighbors at the marina, and I was intrigued and impressed by his tiny, low-tech,…
Fabien Gallier
Why travel on a reed boat ?
Why am I building a reed boat on the shores of Lake Titicaca?