THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bolivia - page 443

By boat You can still find occasional boats heading up the Madre de Dios to Puerto Maldon-
ado in Peru: departures are posted on a notice board outside the Capitanía del Puerto office at
Puerto El Pila 1km east of town. Boats also occasionally travel up the Beni to Rurrenabaque
when the road is closed during the rainy season (Nov-March).
GETTING AROUND
By motorbike taxi The principal mode of transport here; standard journeys in town cost Bs3.
Motorbike rental Motorbikes are also available for rent a block south of the plaza on Av
Nicolás Suárez (Bs15/hour, Bs120/24hr). You'll need to leave your passport as a deposit.
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information There'snotourist information office thoughthe ownersof Hotel Jomali
are a good source of info, as is Riberalta Tours, Av Sucre 634 ( 03 8523475, riberalta-
tours.com ) , which offers trips to local Brazil nut factories as well as Tumi Chucua and, fur-
ther afield, the Reserva Manuripi .
ACCOMMODATION
Esmeralda Parque Ecológico 15km south of centre 7283 1099 or 7112 2395. A cluster
of freshly built brick chalets with heavy thatched roofs sit on the fringes of this Swiss-owned
jungle park. The interiors are cool and fresh, with tiled floors, small kitchens and sterling
views from the upper floor balconies, and home-made Swiss yogurt is served at breakfast.
All chalets (sleeping two) are solar-powered, though the guard dogs don't look too friendly,
never mind ecofriendly. You'll need to give a couple of days' advance no tice and tak e a taxi
from town, as it's located down an un-signposted track deep in the forest. Bs400 ($57)
Hotel Colonial Plácido Méndez 145, just off the plaza 03 8523018, hotelcoloni-
[e-mail] . One of the nicest surprises in the northern Amazon, this tranquil urban
copse screens its whitewashed rooms behind a curtain of tropical fronds and a horde of heavy
furniture, truly an olde worlde apart from the red-dust and fumes all around. An elegant com-
mon area maintains a library-calm hush, while the generous inclusi ve bre akfast is served just
off the central patio. A place to treat yourself for making it this far. Bs260
Hotel Jomali Av Nicolás Suárez, just off the plaza near Banco Ganadero 03 8522398,
[e-mail] . Homely, newly opened hotel run by a hospitable brother and
sister team, with freshly painted, sprucely furnished and immaculately tidy pastel rooms
above a prepossessing courtyard scored wit h win dow boxe s. There's a choice of ceiling fan
or a/c, and breakfast and internet are gratis. Bs200 ; a/c Bs250
Hotel Shimose Nicolás Suárez with Santiestevan 03 8522326. Located a couple of blocks
south of the plaza, this Japanese-owned place makes for a decent budget option, with clean,
spacious upstairs rooms around a sun-baked yard. Decor is f rilly with over-carved head-
boards, and there are several ample communal areas. Bs130 ; a/c Bs150