Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Beni; mains B$20-60)
Great value on regional and local dishes, plus a wide selection of
pastas and some vegetarian dishes; it's a in a wooden cabin, a block from the bridge over
the Río Espírito Santo.
Information
There's an ATM at Banco Union and several telecom and internet places along the high-
way.
Getting There & Away
Buses taking the new road between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz pass through Villa Tun-
ari, though not all at convenient times. Those leaving in the morning are the best bet. Tax-
is and
micros
(minibuses) from Cochabamba leave from the corner of Avs Oquendo and
República during the day when full (micro/taxi B$15/40, four/three hours).
Getting a taxi from Santa Cruz is much faster than the bus, but means several changes -
this typically involving hopping out of one taxi and straight into the next. From the old
bus terminal take a taxi to Yapacani (B$23, two hours), from there go to Bulo-Bulo
(B$13, one hour), then on to Ivirgazama (B$13, one hour), then another to Shinahota
(B$10, 45 minutes) and finally one to Villa Tunari (B$6, 30 minutes). It sounds more
complicated than it really is and is a good way of avoiding waiting around for a bus,
though you can expect more people to be piled into each cab than actually fit!
Parque Nacional Carrasco
Created in 1988, this 622,600-hectare park has some of Bolivia's most easily explored
cloud forest. It skirts a large portion of the road between Cochabamba and Villa Tunari,
and also includes a big lowland area of the Chapare region. The rainforest hides a vast
variety of mammal species, together with a rainbow of birds, crawling reptiles, amphibi-
ans, fish and insects.
Tour programs include the highly recommended hike to the
Cavernas del Repechón
(Caves of the Night Birds), where you'll see the weird, nocturnal
guáchero
(oilbird) and
six bat species. Access is from the village of Paractito, 8km west of Villa Tunari. This
