Logistics, Driver & Adventure Guide
If there ever was the title of “the one that got away” it would Fit Sergio Zapata like a glove. In his case, like a pair or racing car driving gloves. Since he was 15 years old, he would “borrow” his dad’s pick-up and high tail it out of the canyon where La Paz hides from the Altiplano and check out the unlimited dirt roads that head out in all directions. If there was snow on the pass, then he would drive to the desert canyons south of La Paz. If the rivers were too high to cross there, he would drive over to the Altiplano and Lake Titicaca. Whenever the Cumbre pass was open, it was up and over into the tropical Yungas valleys, to enjoy the soft air of the jungle and the kaw kaw of hidden birds that filled the air with life. He is happiest in the humid and wild jungle of the Amazon.
He graduated with a B.A. degree from the Universidad Catolica Boliviana and quickly jumped into the tourism world. He began as regional hotel manager for Rio Selva Resorts in La Paz and Santa Cruz, then moved onto the Plaza and Radisson Hotels as Manager of Reception where he applied strict adherence to policies to maintain quality, service and efficiency and aid in the profitability of each hotel. At one point he was in charge of over 400 rooms spread across two hotels!
One of his personal goals is to drive every single road that is within Bolivia, a task he admits will never happen, but he is certainly trying, and he has multiple tens of thousands of kilometers under his belt. He has driven to all the 9 departments in Bolivia and to 4 out of 5 neighboring countries; Peru, Brasil, Chile and Argentina with Paraguay in his sights next. He is an excellent driver and was the Director of the Off-Road Club in La Paz as well as Director of the Bolivian Yacht Club on Lake Titicaca.
His native language is Spanish and speaks commendable English. Now that his son is headed to University in the US, he says his English skills are going to improve dramatically. He lives with his wife and two sons in the desert canyons south of La Paz where he can still hear himself think. He is a master chef of paellas, and he has proven it many times with finger-licking masterpieces in the middle of the Salar de Uyuni and in the deserts of Sud Lipez.
He is happiest taking people on extended expeditions where the group can gel as a team, traversing muddy 4-wheel roads, crossing wild rivers, and eating wild fruits and catching fresh fish from Amazon rivers. He is an avid photographer and loves to share his adventures with camera in hand. His good-will, comforting embrace and sly smile will make you appreciate you are in the good hands of an expert and seasoned master traveler.
