Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 212

the Paraguayan border . The Chaco is one
of the last great wildernesses of South
America and supports plentiful wildlife,
including jaguars, peccaries and deer
- much of it now protected by the
34,000-square-kilometre Parque Nacional
Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco , the largest
protected area in all South America.
There are no organized tourist facilities
in the Chaco, so your view of the region
will likely be limited to what you can see
from the window of a bus or train, either
down the region's western edge to the
towns of Villamontes and Yacuiba , which
is on the Argentine border, or along the
rough trans-Chaco road which makes for
the Paraguayan border at Hito Villazón .

north to the city of Riberalta , a centre
for rubber and brazil nut collection,
and on to the Brazilian border and
the remote, forest-covered department
of Pando .

TRINIDAD
Close to the Río Mamoré, some 500km
northwest of Santa Cruz, the city of
TRINIDAD is the capital of the Beni and
a modern commercial city dominated by
a vigorous cattle-ranching culture and
economy. Hot and humid, with few real
attractions, Trinidad doesn't really merit
a visit in its own right. It is, however, the
jumping-off point for adventurous trips
into the surrounding landscape.

2

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Though most of its buildings are modern,
Trinidad maintains the classic layout of
a Spanish colonial town, its streets set out
in a neat grid around a central square, the
Plaza Ballivián , shaded by tall trees hiding
three-toed sloths. A popular place to go
for the afternoon is the river port of
Puerto Varador , about 13km out of town,
where simple restaurants serve up fresh
fish. Take a mototaxi to the Mercado
Campesino on Avenida. Oscar Paz
Hurtado, where micros leave regularly for
the port; it's about a half-hour journey.

The Amazon
basin
About a third of Bolivia lies within the
Amazon Basin , a vast, sparsely populated
and largely untamed lowland region of
swamp, savanna and tropical rainforest,
which supports a bewildering diversity of
plant and animal life. Roads are poor in
the best of conditions, and in the rainy
season between November and April they
are often completely impassable; even in
the dry season sudden downpours can
quickly turn roads to quagmires.
Linked by road to Santa Cruz, the
capital of the Beni - the northeastern
lowlands region - is Trinidad , the starting
point for slow boat journeys down the
Río Mamoré to the Brazilian border or
south into the Chapare . From Trinidad,
a long and rough road heads east across
the Llanos de Moxos, passing through
the Reserva del Biosfera del Beni before
joining the main road down into the
region from La Paz at Yucumo.
Just north of Yucumo, the small town
of Rurrenabaque , on the banks of the
Río Beni, is the obvious destination for
anyone wanting a taste of the Amazon,
given its proximity to the pristine forests
of the Parque Nacional Madidi , one of
Bolivia's most stunning protected areas.
From Rurrenabaque, the road continues

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane The airport is located to the northeast of town;
a mototaxi into the centre should cost B$10-12. Between
them, Amaszonas, 18 de Noviembre 267 T 03 4622426,
TAM, Bolívar, at Santa Cruz T 03 4622363, and Aerocon, Av 6
de Agosto, at 18 de Noviembre T 03 4624442 E ventastdd
@aerocon.bo, cover most destinations.
By bus Buses from Santa Cruz, Guayaramerín and
Rurrenabaque arrive at the Terminal Terrestre on Av Mendoza
between Calles Viador Pinto Saucedo and Beni. Buses from
San Borja arrive just behind the terminal on Av Beni.
Destinations Santa Cruz (roughly hourly depending on
road conditions; 10hr). Services to Guayaramerín (25-
28hr), and Rurrenabaque (12hr) via San Borja are meant to
leave daily in the dry season.
By boat If you are arriving by boat from Guayaramerín
to the north, or Puerto Villarroel in the Chapare to the
south, you will dock at Puerto Varador, Trinidad's river port,
about 13km west. Mototaxis ply the 30min route back
into town (B$20-25).