Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
half-day excursion involves a short slog through the rainforest and a zippy crossing of the
Río San Mateo
in a cable-car contraption.
Another interesting option is the Conservation International-backed
Camino en las
Nubes
(Walk in the Clouds) project, a three-day trek through the park's cloud forests, des-
cending with local guides from 4000m to 300m along the old Cochabamba-Chapare road.
For more details on these tours contact Fremen Tours (
Click here
).
Puerto Villarroel
4 / POP 40,800
This muddy, tropical port on the Río Ichilo is a small settlement with tin-roofed houses
raised off the ground to defend them from the mud and wet-season floods. The population
here is composed almost entirely of indigenous Yuqui and colonizing Quechua groups.
The town has tried hard to promote tourism but hasn't had much success, as there isn't
much to actually see - unless you're excited by a military installation, a petroleum plant
and a loosely defined port area. However, if you fancy gliding down the river toward Trin-
idad, then a good place to start would be Puerto Villarroel, a vital transportation terminal
and gateway to the Amazon lowlands.
Activities
Boat Trips
Two types of boat run between Puerto Villarroel and Trinidad. The small family-run cargo
boats that putter up and down the Ríos Ichilo and Mamoré normally only travel by day
and reach Trinidad in around six days. Larger commercial crafts travel day and night and
do the run in three or four days. Note that these boats are not specifically for tourists and
so you should not expect any special treatment. Conditions are basic.
In Puerto Villarroel, the Capitanía del Puerto and other related portside offices can
provide sketchy departure information on cargo transporters. Unless military exercises or
labor strikes shut down cargo services, you shouldn't have more than a three- or four-day
wait. Note that when the river is low you will have much more difficulty finding a boat.
The average fare to Trinidad on either type of boat is around B$250, including food, or
a bit less without meals. The quality of food varies from boat to boat, but overall the re-
petitive shipboard diet consists of fish, dried meat,
masaco
(mashed yucca or plantain)
BOAT TOUR
