Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trinidad
Close to the Río Mamoré, some 500km northwest of Santa Cruz, the city of
TRINIDAD
is
the capital of the Beni and the commercial and administrative centre of a vast wilderness hin-
terland of swamp, forest and savannah where rivers remain the main means of transport and
cattle-ranching is the biggest industry. Like most towns in the region, Trinidad was origin-
ally a Jesuit mission, but few signs of that past remain, and it's now a modern commercial
city that's dominated by a vigorous cowboy culture and economy. Though you can organize
excursions into the surrounding rainforest, Trinidad is a world removed from Rurrenabaque,
with a distinct difference in atmosphere and much more conspicuous wealth. In addition, the
streets are lined with open sewers which, while they may be necessary for drainage, emit a
horrible stench (particularly at night), provide an ideal breeding ground for the mosquitoes
thatplaguethetown,andrepresentadangerousobstacleforunwarypedestrians.Theplaceis,
however, the jumping-off point for an adventurous trip by cargo boat down the
Río Mamoré
to Guayaramerín on the Brazilian border.
